Provide students with a project rubric that lists the required content and elements for their filmstrips.
Give each student several 4 1/4-inch-by-11-inch strips of copy paper. Instruct students to glue them together end-to-end to make a long strip.
Ask students to draw lines to make 4 1/4-inch squares along the length of strip. These are the panels of the "filmstrip."
Instruct students to add words and illustrations for the focus content. For example, they might draw three ships and add, "Columbus commanded the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria" in one panel of a filmstrip about the discovery of North America by the explorer.
Cover the shoebox and the lid separately with white tissue or wrapping paper. Alternately, paint the box white.
Measure 1 inch from the top of the box lid and make a 5-inch line, centered from side to side. Repeat 1 inch from the bottom of the lid. Cut slits in the lid along the lines. The strip will slide through these slits for viewing.
Mark a spot 1 inch from the end and 1 inch from the base of the shoebox, on both sides. Repeat from the opposite end. Cut four 1/2-inch holes where you marked. These will hold the "winders" for the filmstrip.
Cut the transparencies to the same size as the paper strip. Tape them end-to-end to make a long strip.
Place the transparency strip over the paper strip. Tape them to the work surface so that they do not shift. To make winding easier, do not overlap the ends.
Trace the content from the paper strip onto the transparency with a permanent marker. Color in the outline with other permanent markers.
Slide one end of the plastic strip through the slits in the box lid, coming up from the bottom, across the lid, and back to the underside of the lid.
Slide the pencils through the holes on the sides of the box. Students will use these to wind the filmstrip. If you are using shoeboxes wider than pencils, substitute 1/4-inch dowels.
Tape or glue each end of the strip to a pencil. Wrap the film around the pencil at the bottom of the box, as you look down at the lid. Place the lid on the box.
Show the filmstrip by holding the bottom pencil and turning the top one to pull the film through the slits, one frame at a time.