Abstract of

Teaching Tips
Lights, Cameras, Pencils! Using Descriptive Video to Enhance Writing

Helen Hoffner

Eileen Baker

Kathleen Benson Quinn

Students of various ages and abilities can increase their comprehension and build vocabulary with the help of a new technology, Descriptive Video. Descriptive Video (also known as described programming) was developed to give individuals with visual impairments access to visual media such as television programs and films. Described programs, currently available on major television networks and in theaters, contain additional audio tracks that can be activated by using the Secondary Audio Program feature on a television, videocassette recorder, or DVD player. The description is intended to explain a program's highly visual elements (such as an actor's unusual costume or a car chase scene) to an individual with a visual impairment. Classroom research, however, suggests that descriptive programming can enhance comprehension and vocabulary for all students.

Abstract from Hoffner, H., Baker, E., & Quinn, K. (2008, April). Lights, Cameras, Pencils! Using Descriptive Video to Enhance Writing. The Reading Teacher, 61(7), 576–579. doi: 10.1598/RT.61.7.8

Related ReadWriteThink.org lesson plans:

    Descriptive Video: Using Media Technology to Enhance Writing

    Writing a Movie: Summarizing and Rereading a Film Script