Exciting news! We’ve partnered with Book Creator again to celebrate Be An Author Month this March 2025.
This year, Be An Author Month revolves around finding, refining, and recording your voice in order to share your story. What better way to do that than with digital media?
Start here to learn how to app smash with WeVideo and Book Creator and empower student creativity, voice, and choice. You can also view an example of a finished book, using WeVideo and Book Creator, here.
In honor of Be An Author Month, we’ve also provided four fun and effective video projects designed to bring literacy to life with your students while also cultivating a joyful, creativity-infused classroom.
1. My View, My Place, My Story
Explore WeVideo's My View, My Place, My Story video project.
Students can easily turn any piece of writing from any of the genres identified in the Common Core State Standards for Literacy Across Content Areas into a video or podcast.
In the My View, My Place, My Story video project, students use multimedia (video, sound, text, images) to create a digital story from their unique perspective. Develop a personal narrative, then bring it to life with multimedia!
See an example of this project below:
2. Me in Three
Explore the Me in Three video project.
Sometimes, media can express emotion even better than words can. Me in Three is a unique video project designed to help students introduce themselves in three video clips. Use WeVideo's stock media library to combine elements that scream, "Me!" and build community with every share.
See an example of this project below:
3. Design Your Name
Sign in to WeVideo to view the 'Design Your Name' project in our Assignment Ideas Library.
It's no surprise that our names are personal to us. So, what better way to convey a personal narrative than by turning your name into a creative project? Explore personal identity, self-expression, and different ways to capture you.
WeVideo's text styles are a fun and creative way to personify your story. Have students turn their names into a motion graphic to embody their unique personality. Every creative decision helps learners discover their voice and share it proudly with the world.
See an example of this project below:
4. Introduce Yourself
Sign in to WeVideo to view the 'Introduce Yourself' project in our Assignment Ideas Library.
Help students learn how to craft a story to introduce who they are with engaging multimedia tools. Create a one to two-minute video and build community among peers while celebrating different perspectives.
WeVideo assignments like My View, My Place, My Story, Me in Three, Design Your Name, or Introduce Yourself invite students to share their unique stories and perspectives. A number of other assignment ideas can be used for informational pieces and persuasive writing.
After finishing any of these video projects, you can use Book Creator to compile the above multimedia pieces into a dynamic digital book.
See an example of this project below:
Other creative ways to tell your story
Teach poetry
Explore WeVideo's 'Bring Your Book to Life' video project.
Teaching poetry is a great way to build vocabulary and develop students’ understanding of figurative language.
Teach poetry with WeVideo and Book Creator
Students use WeVideo to turn their written poetry into a video, pairing images with a voice recording to bring their poems to life. Pre-made WeVideo assignments like Where I’m From invite students to use video clips and photographs from their life in order to create a window into their personal experiences. This activity is a great way to build community in the classroom, as students get to know each other in ways they would previously be unable to.
Similarly, the ‘I Am’ Poem assignment invites students to write an ‘I Am’ poem from the perspective of a character in a book, creating a video that brings us closer to the characters and promotes greater empathy for experiences that may differ from our own. These videos can then be compiled into a book using Book Creator to create a collection of stories that represent your classroom community or the characters from a book.
Publish for an authentic audience
Here’s one of many great things that come from using WeVideo and Book Creator to teach literacy — publishing to an authentic audience. Instead of simply turning a paper in to their teacher, students share the media and books they create with peers and others, teaching them valuable lessons about publishing and customizing a message for an intended audience.
Throughout the process, students build confidence as they learn to share their opinions and share knowledge in a more public format.
Focus on 21st century literacy skills
In the video project examples above, students develop all foundational literacy skills connected to reading and writing that they would from traditional reading and writing assignments, while also gaining valuable digital and media literacy skills that prepare them to decode, analyze, and create content in today’s digital age. It’s a win-win!
Additionally, students learn 21st century skills connected to creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. On top of it all, activities like these lead to higher engagement, joy, and connectivity in the classroom.
So…win-win-win-win?
Book reviews
Explore WeVideo's 'Bring Your Book to Life' video project.
One effective approach to developing reading comprehension and analysis skills is through book reviews. Writing an effective book review requires students to analyze a story for literary devices such as theme, plot, and character development. As they write, they develop their ability to summarize, formulate an opinion, and support it with text-based evidence.
Create book reviews with WeVideo and Book Creator
Students use WeVideo to turn their book review into a video or podcast, pairing a voice recording with images, music, and sounds to transport their listeners into the story. These can then be compiled into a digital book using Book Creator, resulting in a collection of reviews students can reflect on and share with others.
This highly engaging app-smashing technique not only enhances reading comprehension, but also allows students to practice their speaking and presentation skills.
Where to start?
You can get started app-smashing WeVideo and Book Creator right away with this teacher guidebook and other resources that provide fresh, innovative storytelling strategies and bring literacy to life. Jump in and don't forget to have fun!
