Squigl makes it easy to create educational content from any source.
Copy and paste from your lesson plan.
Grab text from a slide you use.
One glossary word at a time.
Anything you currently deliver as text can become a more engaging Squigl video.
On occasions where you want to start with Squigl, you’ll need to write a script.
Here are five tips for writing scripts for education.
1. Write for the Recipient
There is a wide range of subjects to convey with Squigl. But all subjects have a learning level they are written for. The first thing to do is to identify the age or learning level of the recipient.
Educators may be creating content for their students. A school-wide initiative might be directed towards parents and faculty. Orientation focuses on new families joining the institution. Each group has a unique experience and needs with your school. The importance of this will become clear shortly.
2. Quickly Convey the Topic and Benefit
The video should start right away with the topic and why it matters to the viewer. You can put the benefit first and topic after as well. Either way, you don’t want to hide it. Your audience needs to know they clicked on the right link and are watching the intended content.
The “why it matters” will depend on the audience, and knowing their situation. Students may want to know how this connects to other topics they’ve learned about. Parents may be focused on outcomes for their students. If the video is for a large group of people, Squigl makes it easy enough to create a different video for each audience type.
Remember though, this part should be short. First, the viewers will get engaged with the content more quickly. Second, you can cover more of your topic with the time allowed.
3. Share through Story
This is the best advice we can give when writing any script, is to tell a story. Humans have been sharing information through stories for thousands of years. Even today, kids and adults, learn best when told a story.
Stories aren’t just characters and arcs. Stories give us relationships and progression; cause and effect. They provide context for ideas and help us picture the outcomes.
After the story, include a summary. What was the point?
4. Make Shorter Videos with Some Exceptions
One of the main questions we get about writing video scripts is “how long should they be?”
Audiences will engage with longer content for two reasons. The first is if the information is valuable to them academically, socially, and/or emotionally. The higher the value, the longer they’ll watch. Especially if they are seeking it out.
The second is because it’s required and monitored by your institution or educator. Audiences in the second group will still find more engagement if the content is of high value.
Even then, 10 minutes is generally the extent of our attention span before we need a break or refresh before returning to the topic.
Our recommendation is between 90 seconds and 3 minutes. That’s roughly 240 to 480 words. If you have more information than can fit in that time frame, it is best to break them up into a series of topics.
5. Give Your Audience Something to Do Next
What do you want the viewer to do once they’ve completed this video? Is this a series? Should they go to the next video? Is there a quiz or test to take?
What should they do with the information you just gave them? Will this be on the next exam? Does this fit with other content in the curriculum?
You’ve given your learners new information, let them know how to unlock it.
Explore Squigl for your School Today!
We hope this helps you write your next Squigl script for use in teaching or communicating within your organization. If you want to read more about writing scripts for whiteboard videos, check out these articles by our partner company, TruScribe.
