At the start of each academic year, one of my biggest priorities is building rapport with new students. The energy of fresh faces, along with the familiar fatigue of returning students after summer break, creates a unique classroom dynamic. This year, I turned to poetry and WeVideo to forge that connection.
I lead a Creative Writing course for a magnet program that spans grades 6‑8 (and extends into high school for interested students). Over the semester, learners brainstorm, draft, revise, and submit their work to contests and performances. The program goes beyond technical instruction; it nurtures each student as an artist.
Poetry in Motion
Early in the year, we entered a local writing contest that challenged students to write poems reflecting their identities, hometowns, and personal stories. Using line starters and collaborative drafting, the pre‑teens refined their verses in class, reading aloud to hear rhythm and rhyme. They examined past contest entries to identify what made those poems resonate.
During that exploration, students discovered the power of pairing words with images. Rather than finishing with a static poem, they chose to animate their verses. Although I had considered slide decks, the interactive nature of video felt more engaging for visual learners. Students, who were already proficient with digital tools, guided me toward WeVideo—a cloud‑based editor that offers drag‑and‑drop functionality and a rich media library.
Each line became a frame. Some students uploaded personal photographs, while others accessed WeVideo’s stock footage to convey abstract concepts. The result was a gallery of poems that moved across the screen, each image echoing the emotional beats of the words.
Louder Voices
Reading aloud is rarely a default choice for middle school writers, yet it provides a fresh perspective on a poem’s cadence and impact. WeVideo’s voice‑over feature allowed students to record their own narration directly onto the video timeline. The recordings sparked lively reflection: Did the spoken word enhance the poem? How did pacing shift the meaning?
Encouraged by this feedback, many students experimented with soundtracks. Instrumental swells and ambient clips were synced to specific lines, creating a cinematic feel. Some even stepped onto the stage to perform live over their visuals, a testament to the confidence gained during the project.
Features for Differentiating Learning
Our 6th and 7th graders are digital natives, many of whom had used WeVideo in earlier grades. Their familiarity with the platform made the transition smooth and gave them ownership of the editing process. The intuitive interface allowed them to adjust pacing, layer media, and fine‑tune transitions in real time.
To maintain a cohesive timeline, I introduced peer‑review checkpoints. Students shared drafts within small groups, offering constructive feedback and suggestions. This collaborative loop replaced traditional worksheets and fostered an environment of shared expertise.
The culmination was a screening event that felt more like a film premiere than a classroom presentation. Students watched their own videos and those of classmates, applauding and occasionally shedding tears as imagery, words, and music converged. Those who won the poetry contest saw their work published in a city‑wide anthology and celebrated at a community reading. Yet, for me, the lasting impact lies in the videos—proof that the students could voice their stories in multiple modalities.
Above all, this project empowered students to find and express their voices. It became a staple of the curriculum, engaging varied learning styles and encouraging higher‑order thinking.