The document describes a 5th grade art and writing project where students create superhero characters and backstories, take photos of themselves against a green screen, and use photo editing software to combine the images with digital backgrounds. Students brainstorm character ideas, write narratives, and add special effects to their photos. The final products allow students to express their creativity and combine art, technology, and writing.

1. Green Screen Superheroes
Combining Art, Technology, and
Creative Writing
Margie Jackson

2. Standards
5th Grade Art
 VA5PR.1 Creates artworks based on personal experience and
selected themes.
 b. Makes design decisions as the result of conscious, thoughtful planning
and choices.
 d. Generates artworks to express individual ideas, thoughts, and feelings
from memory and/or imagination.
 VA5PR.2 Understands and applies media, techniques, and processes
of two-dimensional art processes using tools and materials in a safe
and appropriate manner to develop skills.
 h. Creates art works using available technology (e.g., computers, cameras,
digital/video recorder).
 VA5C.1 Applies information and processes from other disciplines to
enhance the understanding and production of artworks.
 a. Makes interdisciplinary connections applying art skills, knowledge, and
ideas to improve understanding in other disciplines.

3. Standards
5th Grade Writing CCGPS
ELACC5W3: Write narratives to develop real or
imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
ELACC5W4: Produce clear and coherent writing in
which the development and organization are appropriate
to task, purpose, and audience.
ELACC5W5: With guidance and support from peers and
adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, and editing.

4. Supplies
Paper
Pencils
Digital Camera
Green Screen
Green Screen Program (FXHome PhotoKey 4 Pro)
Photo editing program
 PhotoShop Elements
 GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
Student computers with internet access
Color printer

5. Day One
Explain the project to the students.
Show some examples of the finished
project.
Play a slideshow of the available
backgrounds to give students ideas.
Students brainstorm by working with a
graphic organizer.

6. Examples of Backgrounds

7. Graphic Organizer
Main Character
The Enemy
Superpower(s)
How does the main Title
character travel?
Background
Costume
Other:
Is the main
character part of a What problem are
group? If yes, who you creating or
are they? solving?

8. Day Two
Take individual student photos
with the green screen
Students complete the graphic
organizer and write their rough
drafts.

9. Pictures with the green screen

10. The PhotoKey Program

12. Day Three
Demonstrate how to use
Photoshop
Students use Photoshop to
add special effects to their
pictures.

13. Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0

16. GIMP

17. Days Four and Five
Students continue to work
with Photoshop and/or
write a final draft.

18. Day Six (Optional)
Use the website befunky.com
to include additional graphics
and special effects.

21. Final Results

26. The Candy Girls
One day there was a loud scream.
“AAAH!” Then there was a phone call and all of
a sudden, there was an evil laugh on the phone. It
was Dr. Toothpaste! “Ha, ha, ha, you will never
find me, Candy Girls I have captured all the
candy in the world!”
We ran as fast as we could and then
we passed a little girl crying. She said, “Dr.
Toothpaste took my lollipop!” Sweet Tart made a
lollipop appear, gave it to the little girl, and said,
“Come on, Candy Girls! Let’s go!”
When we found Dr. Toothpaste, he
was in the world’s biggest candy store. He shot
mouth rinse out at us! We fell! He was getting
away. Sweet Tart got up and shot candy canes all
around him so he couldn’t escape! The girls
quickly got up and ate the top of the candy canes
to make points.
The Candy Girls put all the candy
back in its right place and Dr. Toothpaste in his
right place: Candy Jail! He had to eat candy all
day, every day. He was never healthy again!

27. Wolves Of Water
One day a girl named Katara went to
the beach. She was going to meet her
friend, Dolphin Girl. When she got there,
there were no people. Katara changed
into a dolphin and made a clicking noise.
No answer.
She quickly went to shore, changed
into the wolf queen, and called her pack.
Almost at once, her pack came to her side.
The queen said the words of the pack:
Waters come and bend. The pack swam
down into a reef and found a cave with
Azula on top. Katara made a ball of water
and went in. She found Dolphon Girl in
the cage, but Azula saw Katara.
They fought and fought. Finally,
Katara won and she trapped Azula.
Dolphin Girl she knew where the people
were. With the help of the wolves, the
people were saved and they went back to
the forest.

28. Nature Strikes Back
I was face to face with The
Controller. I did not know what to
expect. I could feel something
weird in my brain, like he was
controlling it. I finally realized I
was not moving even when I tried.
I said to myself, “I must not fail!”
Then I got enough strength to
break free.
I made the ground fly up
under his feet and he flew up, but
he came back down like a feather.
I ran as fast I could right under his
feet. Then, I shot fire up like I
was shooting bullets. Then he was
gone and all that was left was a
pile of ashes.

29. Flooding
Today, I am known as the world’s most feared villain.
However, I was once a great superhero. Here is my story. At the
feast of the superheroes, I met a superhero I did not like. His
name was Sun Shine, but he was also known as Lighting Bolt.
He boasted to me of his importance, how the world needed heat.
He told me how the world didn’t need me, that superpowers were
wasted on me. I thought this very rude, so I told him a common
fact, that 75% of the Earth was water. Sun Shine laughed at this.
He called it stupid, mortal “knowledge.” This angered me
tremendously. This was the reason why I am a villain.
I planned to get my revenge on Sun Shine. But how? I
planned to flood the earth with cold ocean water. That way, I
could overpower Sun shine’s heat. He would be helpless! It was
a great idea. But there was one tiny flaw. How would I do it?
I couldn’t just shoot water out of my hands randomly.
That would be too slow. So, I decided to become a flood. It was
simple. All I had to do was coat myself in water and turn aournd
and around. In a few minutes, I was done. I started shooting jets
of water everywhere. Suddenly, I heard shrieks, screams, and
people freaking out. I knew Sun Shine would try to help when he
looked down and I was right.
He did. Now, thanks to that wretched man, my powers
have been reduced. He took my powers and I can have them only
when I gather all my strength and throw them everywhere. That’s
why floods only happen occasionally. Because my powers are
hard to gather up.