As a health teacher at Tetzlaff Middle School, she realized this might be a rewarding opportunity for her Health Education students who were producing videos. The health classes meet for one semester and, along with many other types of assignments, produce the video as one of their final projects. They learn video production from beginning to end. Small groups write a script and a storyboard is designed.
Students then practice camera skills, lighting, makeup, sound and editing.
Past topics include earthquake safety, first aid, drug refusal, assertiveness, violence prevention, conflict resolution and nutrition. At the end of each school year, new videos are ready for use in the elementary classrooms. After designing a health lesson to accompany each PSA, Ms. Graham conducts a September training for teachers from five surrounding elementary schools. The best videos become part of ABC Unified School District's Health Education Curriculum for grades five and six. Technology is most effective if integrated into the curriculum.