Week 1
Lesson 1
ANIMATION EXPLORATION
We will start off the class by learning and experimenting with animation techniques.  Students will learn the importance of animating with clarity and simplicity.  They will receive instruction on common animation techniques and will be given resources on how to animate basic movements (walks, runs, jumps, flips, etc), specific movements (parkour, gymnastics, breakdancing, ice skating, combat, etc) and acting (showing feelings, pantomime gestures, talking, and lipsync).
Lesson 2
BRAINSTORMING AND PLANNING FOR YOUR ANIMATION
Next we will cover how to build characters, props, and backgrounds that are best suited for animation.  We will explore limit setting and simplicity that can help with completing a movie on time.  This includes designing an animation set that is a reasonable size and can be completed in a limited amount of time and that has props which are out of the way so they are not knocked over during animation.  We will cover how to build background and prop parts that can be animated.
Lesson 3
STORYBOARDING AND ANIMATION
Now it’s time to plan your final story.  We will cover how to use a storyboard including making rough sketches of important moments in the story (similar to drawing a comic book), plan ahead by drawing camera angles to show the focus in each moment (zoom in, medium shot, full shot, and establishing shot), plot development in case students want to create a typical story structure (not required), and how to use limited dialogue so they can match the character’s actions to words. 
Lesson 4
ANIMATE YOUR MOVIE!
With a set, characters, and a story plan students are now ready to animate their final movie!  Before starting their movie they will watch a brief presentation that encourages patience, taking your time, and showing detail for each part of the animation.  It’s common to feel excited about a movie and to rush the process, so emphasis is given to slowing down the process and showing as much detail as possible.  Example comparisons are also given.
Lesson 5
CONTINUE YOUR ANIMATION AND ADD SOUND AND VISUAL EFFECTS
We will cover how to add sound (voice, sound effects, music), title credits, comic speech bubbles, video filters, hand drawn special effects, and more to get a polished look for the final animation.  There will also be a reminder about quality and clarity in animation from session 4.  During the last few minutes of class students will have the opportunity to share their final animation if they are finished.