Using Student-Created Stop-Motion Movies to Explore Math

Highly entertaining stop-motion movies like Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit, and Shaun the Sheep are made with an astounding level of complexity. But the basic principles are simple, which means that making a basic stop-motion video is accessible even for early elementary students, which is why I have been creating stop-motion math movies with my second-grade students to solidify understanding of math concepts and provide authentic opportunities for planning, practice, and collaboration.

Stop-motion animation consists of a series of still photographs stitched together to make a moving picture. It’s an excellent medium for capturing a variety of concepts in mathematics, especially ones that are best exemplified and explained through motion, such as the passing of time, growing or shrinking patterns, number composition using manipulatives, addition and subtraction with jumps on a number line, and the creation of symmetrical patterns.

I chose to have my students use stop motion to explore the relationship between size and quantity when measuring length with nonstandard units, such as paper clips and toothpicks. We were investigating whether we would need more units if the length of our units was shorter, or fewer units if they were longer.

Here are the steps we took to create our movies.

Introduction and NonCurricular Playtime

I started by exploring the medium so that my students could develop an understanding of how stop-motion movies are made. Students shared their experiences with stop-motion movies, and I shared some examples (there are plenty of appropriate ones). I then introduced the app that we would be using, Stop Motion Studio, by Cateater, and provided a quick tour of the interface and how to perform basic tasks: taking pictures, deleting pictures, watching your movie, etc.

This next part is very important. After introducing the app, I gave my students exploration and problem-solving time to try it out and learn the basic features and more advanced functions. We paused midway to share tips and tricks that we were learning so that we could pull from the wisdom of the room. Several tips emerged, including the most important ones: It’s very important for both the main object and the recording device to remain still so that the only change between shots is the addition of a new object. The students learned quickly that clear communication with their partner is key when filming.

Sharing the Mathematical Concept

Next, we found several items in our classroom that we could use as nonstandard units for measuring length, such as building blocks, paper clips, and mosaic tiles. Each group was required to measure one object two times, using a different unit item (with a different length) for each measurement. We then made educated guesses about our main question. We also defined our audience and talked about accuracy. We discussed how it would be important for our movies to show accurate measurement skills and talked about how we could do that.

Forming Groups and Gathering Materials

Stop-motion animation is naturally collaborative. I find that groups of three are ideal. It’s best when you have at least one student moving the objects and another who is responsible for the camera.

There are also lots of decisions that need to be made during the planning stages of the project that are best made collaboratively. Students need to choose their materials so that they will have tools of varying lengths, and they need to set up a consistent spot for making the video. It often requires creative problem-solving and resourcefulness for the students to figure out how to make sure the camera stays in one spot throughout the filming and does not move around.

Process, Practice, and Precision

During the process, we brainstormed ideas about how to prepare for a project like this. We talked about how planning would support our success now that we had a specific task and outcome that we wanted to achieve.

To help with this, I created a planning sheet, and I also encouraged students to run through their full movie to practice their flow, make sure they had all of their materials, and work out the kinks. Mistakes are inevitable and lead to excellent mathematical conversations and more collaborative problem-solving. Discussing precision during this part of the process is helpful, too.

Making the Movies and Showcasing Them

Before we began making our final movies, we cocreated a checklist of “must-haves” for awesome math movies. We also reviewed our tips and tricks. The students then started making their movies with great excitement and momentum. It was awesome to see the amount of iteration and tweaking that happened. Students added their unit items one by one, taking a photo after each addition, so the accumulation of length was animated after the video was finished. They finished off their movies by adding two sticky notes that showed the totals for each type of unit.

Showcase time was also very exciting. Before sharing our final movies, we returned to our main concept and reflected on what we had learned about nonstandard forms of measurement. Watching all of the movies really solidified the concept and provided an opportunity for further mathematical discussion.

Additional Benefits

The development of these math movies provided us with an opportunity to have rich math conversations as we decided which items to measure and which tools would be best to use. As we celebrated our success and shared our movies, we discussed whether we had proved or disproved our main assumptions and had a chance to review and solidify our understanding.

Making a form of media that the students see in their daily lives adds a layer of authenticity to the project, and I find that students approach moviemaking with a high level of maturity and commitment to a successful product. Making stop-motion movies also requires strong communication between the moviemakers. In my experience, working together to create the movies fosters a deep connection between students as they problem-solve together and rely on each other to be successful.