Creating Vocabulary Stop Motion Videos Using Google Slides

Vocabulary review can be a critical part of student comprehension; but, finding new ways to review or practice vocabulary can be challenging.

Creating stop motion videos using Google Slides can be a fun and engaging way to solidify vocabulary terms - and it's easy to do!  

Stop Motion Vocabulary Example

For this post, I will create another very basic example but remember, you can make this as intricate as you want! 

First, open a new Google Slides presentation.  Select the first slide and go to Insert>Word art; then, type the vocabulary word in the pop up box.  Change the font & fill color and move the word to the desired placement on the slide.       ​

Now, add a text box and type the definition of the word.  Format the text and place the box where you want it to appear throughout the video.  You'll want the text to be fairly large and easy to read.

For my stop motion video, I want my definition to appear one letter at a time - like it is being typed onto the screen.  To save time, you could also make the definition appear one word at a time - rather than letter by letter.

First, add a rectangle shape directly over the text box.  Make sure to fill the shape so that it is the same color as your background.  Also, make the line transparent.

Now, click on the shape and resize it to show the first letter of the sentence ONLY.  Then, select the entire slide and press Ctrl + D
(Command + D on Macs) to duplicate the slide.  Resize the box again to show the first AND second letter of the first word.  Repeat this process of duplicating slides and resizing boxes until the entire sentence is visible. 

To demonstrate understanding of the definition, students should add an icon that somehow correlates with the vocabulary word.  To select an icon go to flaticon.com and search for thousands of FREE icons!  Find an icon that you like, right click, and copy/paste it to your slide.  Resize the icon and place it where you want it to appear on the slide.  Be sure to site the icon at the bottom of the slide!

Now, this is where the creativity comes in!  Students can decide how they want the icon to move or change throughout the video.  

For this example, I want the cupcake to be "devoured".  So, I will use the cloud shape and, slide-by-slide, I will cover the cupcake to give the appearance that it was eaten. 

Create a cloud and make it the same color as the background of the slide with a transparent line.  Place the cloud on part of the cupcake to give the illusion that someone took a bite.  Then, duplicate the entire slide.  On the new slide, click on the cloud and duplicate it, too (Ctrl+D or Command+D for Macs).  Move the cloud to another part of the cupcake for another "bite".  Duplicate the entire slide again and repeat the process until the cupcake is completely covered and looks like it was "devoured".  

For the wanderlust example HERE, I had the car move across the screen.  To achieve that, I followed the same premise above, but rather than covering the car up with a shape, I moved it an inch forward, duplicated the slide, and moved it another inch on the new slide.  I continued this process until the car was off the slide. 

Once the slides are complete, it's time to make it into a stop motion video!  Go to File>Publish to the web.  Check BOTH of the boxes under Auto-advance slides: and change the timing to every second.  Hit the blue Publish button and then OK.  Copy the link for the video.  

Now, paste the link into a new browser tab, BUT DO NOT PRESS ENTER!  Once you paste the link, you'll see the following at the very end: 

​&delayms=1000

This shows how many milliseconds will pass before the slideshow automatically flips to the next slide.  There are 1,000 milliseconds in 1 second.  While that sounds fast, it is NOT fast enough for stop motion.  You can speed up the slideshow by making this number smaller.  By changing 1000 to 500, it would be 500 milliseconds or one-half of a second.  In other words, 2 slides would display per second.

​For this example, I decided to change 1000 to 125 - or 8 slides in one second.  

Quick tip:  After viewing your video, if you'd like for a certain slide to last a little longer than others, duplicate it in the presentation!  Each slide lasts the same amount of time, so duplicating a slide multiple times will give it a longer lifespan on screen.

Try experimenting with the number in the link to find the right speed for your video.  Below are what my sample video looks like at different speeds.  

&delayms=125

​&delayms=250

&delayms=500

Once you've changed the speed on the link, you can send it out and share it with others.  Email it, make a QR code, or hyperlink it in a slide!

​Stop motion can be used for many other classroom projects - not just vocabulary. Here are a few other ideas:
1.  Retell a story read in class
2.  Explain a math concept
3.  Detail a historic event
4.  Illustrate a scientific concept

Stop motion videos could be a fun and entertaining way to review important concepts!  How will you use this in your classroom?  Please share!
​