Illuminated Text Handouts

I created this handout to help my students - and anyone that visits the site - with the uploading of their Illuminated Text.  It goes through all of the steps - from where to find the page to upload the texts to how to create an icon to go along with the project.  Please read these instructions before you submit an Illuminated Text to AwaytoTeach.

After my students complete their first illuminated texts, I find it helpful to have them reflect on the outcome of their project.  In past years, I've asked them to write a couple of paragraphs explaining their animation and music choices.  This year, I will have them complete the attached handout (.doc and .pdf formats) which, I hope, will encourage more focused answers.

This is the handout that I give my students for their In Our Time, Illuminated Text project.  It has been heavily revised over the years (now I allow - even encourage Power Point Illuminated Texts).  It also assumes that the students have done at least one other Illuminated Text project.  Still, there are some useful tips and parameters that could be adapted to most any other text.

This is the handout for an Illuminated Text focusing on Theme and Motifs with in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.  Students pick one theme from the novel and through Illuminated Texting they paint a portrait of that theme.  It's great because there are so many possibilities of themes and variations of the themes that each student's work is completely original.  They can also do cool things with music to enhance the mood of their work. 

This handout is designed to save hours and hours of frustration - both on the part of the student on for the teacher.  Power Point has some quirky "bugs" especially when it comes to getting sound to play correctly.  This handout does not cover the basics (like making sure to have the sound start automatically and to choose play for 99 slides in effect options) - but it does cover some of the nondocumented aspect of Power Point (when it comes to writing Ill

This was  my first experience with using illuminated texts in the classroom.  The results were mixed, but overall I believe that students really were able to connect to the text and draw out good quotations to use. I gave students 5 class periods to work on the assignment.  Because it was their first time using advanced features of PowerPoint, there was a bit of a learning curve - especially with the music.