This document describes a study where 38 5-year-old children were shown silent movies and asked to narrate the storylines. The goals were to see if a non-verbal visual narrative would encourage children to express themselves orally, help them be more creative with language, and take liberties with an existing story. The study involved children watching movie clips, discussing unspoken parts of the story, and then writing and performing their own dialogues to dub over the films. Results suggested that the process motivated communication and language learning as children interacted authentically with the storylines.

1. How does it
sound?
Adding dialogue in silent
movies and changing the
storyline with 5-year old
children.
ELENI MELIADOU,
Educator, M.ed.,
eni.meliadou@gmail.com
ALEXANDRA NAKOU,
Educator, M.ed.,
alexandranakou@gmail.com

2. Media literacy
as a pedagogical approach
“creative” methods
Production of media works
In Kindergarten?

3. The project
• Use of a non verbal story to create a
new sound movie with dialogue.
• (38) 5-year old children watched a
silent movie and narrated to the
researchers the basic storyline

4. The questions
• a non verbal but visual narrative would
encourage children to express orally ?
• this tool of expression will help children
be more creative in the use of language?
• children would take liberties in an already
made story and play within the meaning
of the story?

5. Methodology
• The project is divided into three sessions
Children are watching
parts of silent movies
and recreate orally
the storyline
Learning about the
history of cinema and
the transition from
silent movies to the
“talkies”
Children are writing, -
with their teacher’s
help- dialogues and
perform them in front
of the screen-dubbing

6. • Watching the movie,
• discuss the not spoken story and
• find by observing the characters their
thoughts and sentiments
• increasing visual, sound, oral language,
creativity, and thinking skills (Porter,
2004).
The Lion Cage

7. Finding his voice
• the history behind the moving image
• Media education
• the message is mostly carried by the
action

8. Making voice recordings
• creating their own dialogues by writing
their words
• children dictated the dialogues and
sounds and
• dubbing

9. Results
• motivation for communication and
language learning
• Authentic dialogues and interaction with
the storyline
• Pupils from foreign countries were active

10. Lion Charlie Tiger Donkey Dog Girl
32% 42% 21% 13% 18% 32%
Lion growling 100
Dog barking 100
Feet walking 95%
Feet running 92%
Door closing 78%
Pan with water 26%
Door lock 10%
Water for lion 6%
Which characters would you choose to add sound?
Which other sounds would you hear if sound was heard?

11. Discussion
• a new point of view to an old medium,
seems to be a challenge that children
enjoy.
• Pupils played active role in the whole
process