Guest post written by Valerie Viggiano.

I am a second-grade special education teacher at East Ramapo Central School District in Rockland County, NY.

More than 80% of my students speak a language other than English at home, and many have just entered the US less than 2 years ago. My students also lack cultural, social and experiential experiences both at home and in school which puts them at a huge disadvantage when compared to students in more affluent communities just 2-5 miles away.

This year my students and I entered the world of stop-motion animation using the HUE Animation Studio kit. My students were learning all about pollination and how there are different pollinators that help pollination occur. We received a Donors Choose for the HUE Animation Studio around the time that our projects were being finalized and realized a great way to show the process of pollination was by bringing the students’ research to life in stop-motion animation.

Each student researched a pollinator of their choice and learned about what they’re attracted to, what they eat, and when they pollinate. They then created a storyboard, props, and a script about their pollinator. Each student had a job: director, photographer, or materials manager, to help facilitate the project and work as a team. Finally, they used the HUE HD camera to capture their pollinator and bring their stop-motion movie to life.

You can watch the videos created by Valerie’s students about Bat Pollination, Butterly Pollination and Fly Pollination.