Absolutely. With 14 junior IT students, 4 groups, 40-minute lessons, and only two weeks left, I would keep the project simple, highly structured and practical. The goal should be for each group to produce a 30–60 second short film, then bring it into Canva and use editing/effects to turn it into a finished film.

I’d structure it as a 2-week Short Film Challenge with a clear assessment at the end.

🎬 Junior IT — Short Film Challenge

Class

Junior IT / Years 7–8

Students

14 students → 4 production groups

• Group 1 – 3 students
• Group 2 – 3 students
• Group 3 – 4 students
• Group 4 – 4 students

Lesson length

40 minutes

Project length

2 weeks / approximately 4–6 lessons

Final product

A 30–60 second short film, edited in Canva, including:

• filmed footage
• title
• transitions
• text
• music/sound
• at least 2 Canva effects/editing techniques
• credits

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🎯 Learning Intention

We are learning how to plan, film and edit a short film using digital technologies.

Success Criteria

By the end of the project, I can:

☐ Work effectively as part of a production team ☐ Create a simple short-film idea ☐ Plan my scenes using a storyboard ☐ Record clear video footage ☐ Use different camera shots ☐ Import video into Canva ☐ Edit and arrange video clips ☐ Add transitions and effects ☐ Add text, music and/or sound effects ☐ Export and present a finished short film

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🎬 THE SHORT FILM CHALLENGE

Give the students this challenge:

Your group has been hired as a film production company.

Your job is to create a short film that tells a story in 30–60 seconds.

You have two weeks to plan, film, edit and present your movie.

Your film must have:

🎥 At least 5 different shots 🎭 Characters 📖 A beginning, middle and ending 🎵 Sound/music ✨ At least 2 editing effects 📝 A title 🎬 Credits 💻 Final editing completed in Canva

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👥 GROUP ROLES

I strongly recommend giving every student a job.

This prevents one student from doing everything while others watch.

🎬 Director

• Leads the group
• Makes sure everyone knows what is happening
• Checks scenes before filming

📱 Camera Operator

• Records the footage
• Thinks about camera angles and framing
• Keeps the camera steady

🎭 Actors

• Perform the scenes
• Practise lines/actions
• Stay focused

💻 Editor

• Imports footage into Canva
• Cuts and arranges clips
• Adds effects, text and sound

Important: Roles can rotate so everyone gets experience with different IT skills.

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📅 LESSON 1 — TODAY

Introduction + Start the Film

Learning intention

We are learning what makes an effective short film.

0–5 min — Do Now / Hook

Ask:

What makes a movie interesting?

Write student responses on the board:

• Story
• Characters
• Music
• Camera shots
• Lighting
• Sound effects
• Editing
• Special effects
• Beginning / middle / ending

Then tell them:

"In two weeks, you are going to become film makers."

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5–10 min — Explain the Challenge

Show students the requirements.

Your film MUST have:

30–60 seconds

5+ different shots

Beginning → Middle → Ending

Title

Sound/music

2+ Canva effects/editing techniques

Credits

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🎥 10–15 min — Teach Camera Shots

Keep this very simple.

Teach:

1. Wide Shot

Shows the whole scene.

2. Medium Shot

Shows the person from approximately the waist/chest up.

3. Close-Up

Shows a face or important object.

4. Extreme Close-Up

Shows a small detail.

5. Over-the-Shoulder

Camera looks over someone's shoulder.

Challenge students:

Can you use five different shots in your movie?

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💡 15–20 min — Choose a Story

Give groups 5 minutes to choose an idea.

To prevent them spending the entire lesson deciding, give them possible story starters.

Short Film Ideas

🎒 The Missing Bag

🔑 The Mystery Key

📱 The Mysterious Message

👀 Someone Is Watching

⏰ Late for School

💰 The Missing Money

🎮 The Video Game Comes Alive

👻 Something in the Classroom

🕵️ The School Detective

🤫 The Secret

Or let them create their own.

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📝 20–30 min — Storyboard

Each group creates a 5–8 shot storyboard.

Example:

Shot	What happens?	Camera shot
1	Student walks into room	Wide
2	Student sees something	Medium
3	Student looks shocked	Close-up
4	Shows mysterious object	Extreme close-up
5	Student runs away	Wide
6	Object moves	Close-up
7	Student returns	Medium
8	Ending	Wide

This is important because it stops students randomly filming lots of footage.

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🎥 30–37 min — START FILMING

Students begin filming their first scenes.

Your role:

Teacher = film producer

Walk around asking:

• "What is happening in this scene?"
• "What camera shot are you using?"
• "Can I see your storyboard?"
• "Is your camera steady?"
• "Can we hear the actors?"
• "What happens next?"

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37–40 min — Pack Up + Exit Ticket

Students answer:

What is your group's film called?

What is your story about?

What is your job in the group?

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📅 LESSON 2

🎥 FILMING DAY

Goal

Complete all filming.

0–5 min

Quick recap.

Ask:

What are the five camera shots we learnt?

Students demonstrate them.

5–8 min

Groups check:

☐ Story completed ☐ Storyboard completed ☐ Roles assigned ☐ Props ready ☐ Filming location ready

8–33 min

🎥 FILM!

Students should complete their footage.

Your key rule:

"Don't just film. Film with a purpose."

Encourage students to film each scene 2–3 times.

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33–38 min — Footage Check

Every group must show you that they have:

☐ Beginning ☐ Middle ☐ Ending ☐ 5+ shots ☐ Clear footage

38–40 min

Save footage somewhere safe.

No footage left on random student devices.

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📅 LESSON 3

💻 INTRODUCTION TO CANVA EDITING

This is your Canva teaching lesson.

Learning intention

We are learning how to edit video using Canva.

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0–5 min — Demonstration

Open Canva and demonstrate:

Create Design → Video

Then show students how to:

1. Upload footage
2. Add footage to timeline
3. Trim clips
4. Split clips
5. Move clips
6. Add transitions
7. Add text
8. Add music
9. Add sound effects
10. Add effects/filters

Don't teach everything at once.

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✨ CANVA EFFECTS CHALLENGE

Each group must use at least two of the following:

☐ Transition ☐ Text animation ☐ Video effect/filter ☐ Speed change ☐ Sound effect ☐ Background music ☐ Title animation ☐ Fade in/out

Teacher demonstration

Show them a simple example:

Raw footage

↓

Trim

↓

Transition

↓

Text

↓

Sound

↓

Effect

↓

Finished scene

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📅 LESSON 4

💻 EDITING DAY

This should be mostly practical.

0–5 min

Remind students:

Today we turn our footage into a movie.

5–35 min

Groups edit.

They must complete:

Step 1

Put clips in the correct order.

Step 2

Trim unnecessary footage.

Step 3

Add transitions.

Step 4

Add title.

Step 5

Add music/sound.

Step 6

Add two effects.

Step 7

Add credits.

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🎬 LESSON 5

FINAL EDIT + FILM FESTIVAL

If you have a fifth lesson, make this the presentation lesson.

0–10 min

Final editing.

Students check:

🎬 FINAL CHECKLIST

☐ 30–60 seconds ☐ Title ☐ Beginning ☐ Middle ☐ Ending ☐ 5+ different shots ☐ Clear footage ☐ Music/sound ☐ 2+ Canva effects ☐ Transitions ☐ Credits ☐ Everyone contributed ☐ Film exported correctly

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🍿 10–35 min — CLASS FILM FESTIVAL

Each group presents their film.

After each film, students give:

⭐ Two Stars and a Wish

⭐ Star: Something I liked.

⭐ Star: Something that worked well.

💭 Wish: Something they could improve.

This makes the assessment more positive and meaningful.

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📊 ASSESSMENT RUBRIC

I would keep your assessment simple for junior students.

Short Film Assessment — 20 marks

Criteria	4	3	2	1
Story	Clear, creative story with strong beginning, middle & ending	Clear story	Story mostly makes sense	Story difficult to follow
Filming	Excellent use of 5+ camera shots	Good use of different shots	Some variety	Little variety
Editing	Excellent Canva editing and effects	Good editing	Basic editing	Very little editing
Sound & Effects	Sound/effects strongly enhance film	Good use of sound/effects	Some sound/effects	Little/no sound/effects
Teamwork	Everyone contributes positively	Most students contribute	Uneven contribution	Poor teamwork

Total: 20 marks

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🏆 OPTIONAL AWARDS

This could make the final lesson really fun.

Give out:

🏆 Best Short Film

🎥 Best Camera Work

🎭 Best Acting

💻 Best Editing

😂 Funniest Film

😱 Best Thriller

✨ Best Special Effects

🤝 Best Teamwork

💡 Most Creative Idea

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🗓️ YOUR TWO-WEEK TIMELINE

Because you only have two weeks, I'd put this on the board from Day 1:

Lesson	Main Goal	Outcome
1	🎬 Plan	Story + storyboard + begin filming
2	🎥 Film	All footage completed
3	💻 Learn Canva	Students learn editing tools
4	✨ Edit	Finished film
5	🍿 Present	Film Festival + assessment

If you only have 4 lessons remaining, combine Lessons 4 and 5: spend the first 25 minutes editing and the last 15 minutes presenting.

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⭐ A GOOD RULE FOR THE PROJECT

I would put this prominently on the board:

PLAN → FILM → EDIT → CREATE → SHARE

And underneath:

🎬 Your job is not to make a perfect movie. Your job is to tell a story using technology.

That keeps the task achievable for junior IT students while still giving you evidence of planning, digital skills, creativity, collaboration, filming and editing.

If you want, I can also create the actual student-facing Short Film Assignment sheet, including the brief, storyboard template, group roles sheet, Canva editing checklist, student-friendly rubric and a 40-minute Lesson 1 PowerPoint-style teaching sequence so you can essentially hand it straight to your 14 students.