5472 Final: Using Film to Teach Literary Elements

For the 2009-10 school year, I will be teaching two sections of English Essentials 9 and two sections of English 9. The students in the Essentials classes have below-grade level reading and writing skills and therefore need an English course that is adapted from the "regular" English 9 curriculum. The two sections of English 9 assigned to me will also be comprised of students who struggle with reading and writing, but not enough so that they need to be in the Essentials classes. All students in my four ninth grade sections will also be taking an extra reading class with another teacher with whom I will work closely in developing ability-appropriate lessons. The goal of having these students in two English classes for a full year is to make more than a grade level's worth of growth within their freshman year of high school.

In past years, English 9 classes begin the school year with a short stories unit, when we teach/review common Elements of Literature: plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), conflict (character v. character, character v. self, character v. nature, character v. society), setting, characterization, protagonist, antagonist, tone, mood, foreshadowing, flashback, symbol, theme, and irony. The point of having the short stories unit first is so we can reinforce these terms throughout the school year as we read different short stories, plays, and novels.

Since so many of my students learn better visually, I want to teach them these literature terms first with looking at film, and then move into literature. I would also reinforce the terms throughout the year, and also have film to fall back on when the students get a little "lost" with the literature. There will be five main parts of the introductory unit, which will adapt and expand the former short stories unit.

1. Define Elements of Literature
2. Introduce Film Techniques
3. Read English 9 Short Stories
4. Narrative Analysis Critical Approach/Genre Study
5. Follow-up

1. Define Elements of Literature

I would start off the year going through the definitions of the elements. Students would take notes in a packet that had them define and provide examples for each term. I would require them to make a flashcard for each term and test their knowledge after we read the English 9 short stories.

• Plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution)
• Setting
• Conflict (character v. character, character v. self, character v. nature, character v. society)
• Characterization
• Protagonist
• Antagonist
• Tone
• Mood
• Foreshadowing
• Flashback
• Theme
• Symbol
• Irony

Although I would not spend too much time making sure they understood the terms at this point (it is much more effective for students to apply their knowledge as they read narrative literature), I would plan some hands-on activities to make the most abstract terms more tangible for my students. For example, to teach symbol, I would bring in common objects from around the house and have them brainstorm in small groups what the objects could represent. In the past, these objects have included eyeglasses, a flashlight, an apple, a heart-shaped decoration, and a pencil. To illustrate the meaning of irony, I would have students analyze the lyrics to Alanis Morrisette's song, "Ironic" to see which lines actually are terms of irony and which ones are simply coincidence. To help students understand theme, I would have them bring in well-known children's stories and list the morals, or lessons, of each story.

2. Introduce Film Techniques

Once I feel they have a basic understanding of literary elements, I would show a short film (15-20 minutes; perhaps Wallace and Gromit) and ask if they can identify the literary elements. Setting, characterization, plot, and conflict should be pretty easy to identify and discuss. The more advanced students should also be able to identify tone and mood, and perhaps symbol and theme.

Then I would tell them that there are certain techniques that film directors use to convey these literary elements to their audience. Students would take notes in a second packet (first one was for literary elements) to define different types of framing, camera angles, camera movement, lighting, sound, music, editing and pacing. I would provide visual examples of framing, angles, and lighting in the packet. Part of their notes would cover what effect each technique creates (example: a low-angle shot makes the subject appear more powerful). Again, I'd assign them to create a flashcard for each term to prepare for the Short Stories/Film Techniques test.

• Framing (close-up shot, medium shot, long shot, establishing shot)
• Camera angles (low-angle, high-angle, overhead shot, neutral shot, dutch angle)
• Camera movement (pan, tilt, tracking, zoom in/zoom out)
• Lighting (low-key, high-key, front/back, bottom/side)
• Sound (sound effects such as footsteps, screeching tires, doorbells, etc.)
• Music (slow, fast, soft, loud, with or without lyrics)
• Editing (cut, fade in/fade out, dissolve, cross-cutting)
• Pacing (storyboard)

We would then spend a few days focusing on the different techniques by viewing film clips. In the past, I have used the opening scene of The Last of the Mohicans to analyze camera movement and camera angles, the opening scene of Lion King to analyze framing and lighting, a middle scene from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to analyze editing and pacing, and the shower scene from Psycho to analyze sound and music. Of course, most techniques are used in all of these scenes, but I know that for my students, isolating one or two techniques at a time will be most effective for their learning. Students would have to record their observations on a guided worksheet.

To get back to the literary elements, I would show them longer clips of movies that have been adapted from literature. Two such clips that are a part of the McDougall Littel curriculum that we have recently bought are from Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, when Frodo and Sam are hiding from the approaching Ringwraiths, and the balcony scene from Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet. Students would have to again identify setting, characters, plot, etc, but I'd have them focus more on how different film techniques establish mood and tone. I like the selection of these two clips in particular because we'd have a chance to discuss how different lighting, angles, framing, sounds, music, and pacing really determine the director's tone and the audience's mood. The Lord of the Rings clip is very suspenseful, whereas the Romeo and Juliet scene is very happy and romantic. I think the contrast of the two selections would really help students understand tone and mood.

3. Read English 9 Short Stories

At this point, I feel that students would be ready to successfully identify and understand literary elements in the short stories that other English 9 classes read at the beginning of the year. These stories include, but are not limited to:

• "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury
• Excerpt from "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt
• "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe
• "The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty
• "Oh Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?" by Tim O'Brien
• "The Rights to the Streets of Memphis" by Richard Wright

Students will have to identify the literary elements in each story on a chart that I will give them. As we read through each story, we will discuss the similarities and differences between the stories and the elements involved. Since not all stories will have foreshadowing, flashback, symbol, and irony, I will make sure to spend more time on those elements when they do occur. We will also spend a day or two analyzing how authors use specific language to establish mood and tone. The Angela's Ashes excerpt is especially useful for this lesson, since there is a very obvious shift in mood and tone early in the story. Students will have to study this chart for the unit test.

For assessment before the unit test, I will assign pairs of students to create a storyboard for one of the short stories. How would they add visual elements (framing, angles, lighting, pacing) and auditory elements (sound and music) to the story so that the literary elements were obvious to the audience? I will try to pair them up so that at least one person in the group has some artistic ability. (They would both be responsible for any written part of the storyboard.)

The Short Stories/Film Techniques unit test will consist of matching sections for the Elements of Literature terms and Film Techniques terms, multiple choice questions that test students on their ability to apply such terms to the stories they read and the film clips they viewed, and a short essay section where they will identify a theme in one of the short stories and explain how that theme was developed throughout the story.

4. Narrative Analysis Critical Approach/Genre Study

Although most of the critical approaches that are outlined in Chapter 4 of Richard Beach's text seem too complex for my ninth graders to grasp, I do think they could delve into a Narrative Analysis assignment that would have them examine different narrative genres. I would introduce this critical approach by showing them a strong example that is written at their reading level. Of course, this would be read in conjunction with viewing (at least part of) the film that the analysis discusses. Once the students have an idea of what Narrative Analysis means, we would then brainstorm different narrative genres. To get them thinking on the right track, I'd ask what kinds of books they like to read when they're not "forced" to read for school, or if they don't read on their own, what types of movies they like to watch. The following is a list of genres that I compiled with my "blog buddy":

• Action
• Animation (computer, 2-D, claymation)
• Children's
• Comedy (Noir, Romantic, Satire, Slapstick)
• Crime Caper
• Documentary
• Drama
• Epic
• Fantasy
• Horror
• Monster
• Mystery
• Science Fiction
• Sports
• Summer Blockbuster
• Teen
• Western

I would require students to conduct basic research, watch a film, and read a novel of the same genre. They would have to analyze the similarities and differences in the narrative structure of the two "texts" and submit their findings in a written report and a visual presentation. To help them with the research, I would provide them with reliable websites and reference books from the high school media center. Questions they might consider are: 

• What iconic elements represent this genre? 
• What elements are often left out? 
• What do audiences expect/not expect when they read a novel or view a film of this genre? 
• What are some well-known novels/authors/films/directors/actors associated with this genre? 
• What is the most/least entertaining aspect of this genre? (Why is it popular?)
  

Students who study the same genre will not be able to view/read the same works or collaborate with the final observations, but before presenting to the class, I will give class time for them to meet and share what they plan to present so that they don't overlap and/or disagree too much.  

I will schedule the presentations so that students who studied the same or similar genres present on the same day. Students will have to turn in a written report of their findings along with a visual representation to help the audience follow their presentation. I expect that most students will opt to do a PowerPoint presentation, but I will also allow posters and video to be options since many students have limited access to resources. As long as they give the audience a clear idea of what the genre consists of, they will receive credit for the presentation. Any glaring "holes" in their information will be supplemented with my input.

Students in "the audience" will be required to take notes and ask questions during the presentations. There will be a Genres quiz to hold students accountable during presentations. The quiz will ask questions about narrative analysis critical approach, iconic elements of each genre, well-known novels and films of each genre, and anything else worthy of testing that comes from the student presentations.

5. Follow-up

Students will be expected to recall and apply these basic elements of literature and filmmaking as we work through the year's curriculum. They will learn how the same literary elements are developed differently by different authors:

• Heroes from Greek Mythology stories (Common Traits of a Greek Hero also studied at this point): Hercules, Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus
• Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird (will also watch the 1962 film)
• Sandra Cisnero's The House on Mango Street
• Ben Mikaelson's Touching Spirit Bear
• William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (will also watch parts of the 1968 Zeffirelli and 1997 Luhrman films)
• Independent (Sustained Silent Reading) novels

Students will be assessed with several assignments throughout the year. Part of the Greek Mythology unit requires students to write their own "Modern Hero" story, where they incorporate the hero's quest in a situation that they make up. After reading (English 9) or viewing (Essentials 9) To Kill a Mockingbird, students write a literary analysis that examines how one theme is developed through plot, characterization, foreshadowing, tone, mood, and/or symbol. Students track character change and compare/contrast different characters while reading The House on Mango Street (English 9) or Touching Spirit Bear (Essentials 9). Finally, everything is reinforced once last time with the year's final unit, Romeo and Juliet. As we all know, Shakespeare did it all in this play: foreshadowing, irony, symbol, characters that embody human nature, and one of the most famous plots in all of literature: love at first sight. Students are required to act out one key scene from the play, including costumes, props, and setting, in addition to a unit test.

In tweaking and adding to the current English 9 curriculum, I am confident that the addition of visual examples through film study will deepen students' understanding of the basic elements of literature, which will help them greatly in their future English classes.

Why Teach Graphic Novels?

I cut out this article from the 3/2/2008 issue of the Pioneer Press to post in my classroom. (Sorry if it's hard to read; I'm still getting used to using my scanner.)

I found it interesting how the newspaper wrote about a class using the graphic novel format. It caught my eye when I was skimming the paper that day, as is the effect of graphic novels on many young readers.

If you can't read the article, it tells about a middle school teacher who developed a 9-week graphic novel elective course, that students who choose to take it, take in conjunction with the "regular" grade level English class. The teacher reports on how the format of the graphic novel appeals to many types of "non-readers," from low-level readers, ELL students, and students who just aren't interested in reading.

I don't envision myself teaching graphic novels for a full 9 weeks, but after reading a few articles online and personally seeing how my own "non-readers" get wrapped up in graphic novels, I do want to work something into my curriculum. Students already choose graphic novels for their independent reading book; to ensure that everyone is familiar with the format, I would have students read at least one graphic novel during the course of the first semester. 

Then, during the second semester, I would teach a few lessons on the basic elements of a graphic novel, and what it does and does not have in common with "standard" novels. As part of these lessons, I would ask them if they thought of graphic novels as "pop culture" or something deeper, such as how "classic literature" is viewed. Are both genres worthy of study? Why? Why not? Do they think adults would have the same experience reading graphic novels as they did, or would they brush them off as merely extended cartoons?

Then, I would use Gretchen Schwarz's idea of adapting a classic literary work into a graphic novel as a major group writing assignment for one piece of literature we read as a class that year (To Kill a Mockingbird, The House on Mango Street, stories from Greek Mythology, Romeo and Juliet). Each person in a group would be assigned a responsibility, whether each person would do the drawings and writing for a certain amount of chapters, or a few people did the drawings and the others did the writing. It would be up to the groups to determine what is a fair workload for everyone involved. 

The groups' graphic novels would be due toward the end of the school year, when we'd have a day to read what everyone came up with. It would be fun to have several copies of each group's final product and have them bound, but that would depend on current resources, of course. As part of the publication day, I would have them discuss how the process of making the graphic novel deepened (or didn't!) their understanding of the original piece of literature. What did they learn about plot structure, character development, symbolism, theme, writing style, tone/voice, etc?

All in all, I think graphic novels are a valid resource in an English classroom, and probably in other discipline areas as well. Students are not "getting off the hook" in not reading text-only books; they are developing their literacy skills via a different, more visually appealing format.

Channel 5 Eyewitness News at 5:00

A friend of mine recently told me his theory about watching the news: "They save the weather and sports until the end, because that's all anyone cares about anyway. You're forced to watch the rest of the show because you're waiting to hear what the high temperature will be tomorrow, so you can plan what to wear." Well, after watching the 5:00 news on Saturday evening, I think he may at least be right about the weather part. I heard three weather previews before they actually got to the full weather report; one at the top of the hour, one that was embedded into a news story about the Red River flood, and one right before the first commercial break. It was almost to the point that I didn't need to watch the weather report; I had heard it all already! And, in case I missed it, they ended the show with weather, too.

Here's a breakdown of the 1/2-hour show (27 minutes to be exact):

• 5:00 Quick preview of top stories: Murder-suicide, Red River, Winter Storm Approaching
• 5:00-5:07 Red River Flood Watch News Story. Coverage included: reporter's narration of situation in several locations; video footage of families being rescued, a house that is now an island, zoom in on water hose, a pan shot across sandbags; interview of Fargo mayor who spoke in a very serious voice; reporter standing at site speaking in a tense, excited voice; caption at news station that reads "presidential praise." At 5:06, they talked about how "the situation is changing by the hour" and how it's related to the weather. (That was their smooth transition to preview the upcoming storm for the second time during the newscast.)
• 5:07-5:09 Murder-Suicide News Story. Coverage included: reporter outside the scene; shot of street signs showing the intersection; voice over narration with a timeline shown on the screen; long shots of caution tape, cut to police officer, cut to people walking by scene, cut to interviewee, and finally a cut to reporter.
• 5:09-5:13 Advertisements
• 5:13-5:15 World/National News Stories. About 30 seconds were spent on each of the following stories: "Put People First" Demonstrations in major European cities, Space Shuttle Landing, Spring Blizzard in Kansas, and National Guard brought in to help with Red River Flood. 
• 5:15-5:18 Weather. They talked about the Winter Storm Watch first, then current temps, Sunday's highs, Monday's forecast, tonight's weather, Sunday again, and finally the 7-day outlook.
• 5:18-5:21 On the Road Feature Story. They discussed how people are designing gravestones to include images from their lives, not just words. I noticed how there was light piano music playing in the background, which was more relaxing than the sounds from the leading news stories.
• 5:21-5:23 Sports. Brief coverage of the High School Boys' Basketball Tournament, the Minnesota Wild's upcoming schedule, and the NCAA Hockey Tournament.
• 5:23-5:26 Advertisements
• 5:26-5:27 Library Fundraiser Feature Story. They discussed how the St. Paul public library needed donations. They interviewed one man in charge, using a comfortable medium shot, and told viewers if they wanted information on how to donate, to look on the KSTP website. 
• 5:27 Weather and Sign-offs. Recap of 7-day outlook, and an invitation to "Join us at 6. Hope to see you then."
• 5:28 Advertisements

Reflection: The first thing that comes to mind is just how many ways the newscasters try to convey information to the audience. I was overwhelmed trying to record everything; it switched too often. Reporters on the scene, voice-overs, graphs and charts and lists, interviews, different background music, different shots and angles for video footage; the information overload certainly kept my attention! Which is their goal, so well done, Channel 5.

I was also struck with the tone each newscaster had. The newscasters are supposed to maintain their audience's attention; one strategy is to speak with an excited expression. No matter who was talking or what was being talked about (floods, murder-suicide, weather, boys' basketball), there was a sense of excitement and/or urgency in their voice. This was made clear with the contrast of the Fargo mayor's demeanor; he is truly being affected by the flood, there isn't anything exciting about it, and his tone in the interview was serious and weary. 

Last, it seemed the newscasters referred to the channel's website at least 3 times. I wonder, is there a quota they need to meet? Beach asserts that more and more people are turning to the web for their news, so it makes sense that the newscasters refer to their site often. I thought it was very clever of them to end the last story with a reference to the website; it is probably more effective then than in the middle of the newscast.

Facebook: "It's baller"

For this week's media ethnography assignment, I chose to focus on why and how my 9th, 11th, and 12th grade students use Facebook. I myself recently gave into peer pressure and joined this social network and was curious about how the younger generation viewed their participation in this forum. 

PROCESS: Of course, I am not "Facebook friends" with any of my students, nor do I want to be, so I didn't actually view their profiles online. Instead, I gathered "data" by distributing an anonymous survey on the last day before spring break.

My first question was "Do you participate in any social networks?" 10 out of 60 said "no"; the rest said yes, and many participated in 3 or more groups! (No wonder they don't get their homework done; that's a lot to keep up with every night!)

The next question was, "Which ones?" Since most said Facebook, I decided to analyze only the surveys that discussed Facebook. 

Question #3 was, "Why do you participate?" I compiled their responses on a Word document, creating one list for the 9th graders and a separate list for the 11th and 12th graders, thinking that there might be interesting differences in the two age groups' responses. For both age groups, the most popular reason to be on Facebook is to keep in touch with family and friends. A few people stated that they used it to meet new people (one recently joined a group for the incoming freshmen at the college he/she plans to attend next fall), and that it was simply a good way to pass time. My favorite response was, "It's baller." I guess so.

Question #4 was, "How do you decide what to post on your profile?" Both age groups responded that they like to post "funny and cool stuff," "nothing too personal," and items that "show who I am as a person." Everyone took their audience into consideration, too. One 9th grader wrote that he/she didn't post anything that would "make other people mad," and an upperclassman wrote, "my parents, bosses, and peers are looking at my profile, otherwise I just try to be myself." Now, I did warn them before they took the survey that they shouldn't tell me anything that I would have to report, so this could explain why I didn't get more shocking responses such as those that are seen in the news...but then again, maybe these students are learning from others' mistakes? I hope, I hope.

My last question was, "How does what you post reflect your attitude or stance toward certain issues?" Most surveys came back with this part blank, "IDK," "?", or "I don't really think about it." The 9th graders especially had little to say. One student said "music, that's all I care about," and another wrote about how 4H was being cut from the county and she/he posted items to raise awareness to stop it from happening. The upperclassmen had more "issues" that they cared about, including religion, Japanese culture, politics, saving the environment and rainforest, 4H, and supporting the troops/respecting soldiers. They also said they liked to post funny YouTube videos and inspirational quotes.

CONCLUSIONS: High school students mainly see Facebook as a way to stay connected with friends and family when they can't see them in person. This is made evident when they claim that they only post items that reflect their personalities and interests, but without getting too personal since it is a public forum. The underclassmen really only talked about friends and putting "cool" things on their profiles; many had never thought about their stances on issues, or if they even had any. The upperclassmen did have more to say about issues, showing their maturity level in caring more about world issues. This makes sense, as they are almost finished with high school and will be "entering" the world in the next 1-2 years.

It was refreshing to see that students didn't seem to be too sucked into the realm of Facebook; they use it to keep up with people they know, but they aren't going crazy posting a ton of items or forgetting that they don't always know who is looking at their profile. They don't seem to see themselves as the main attraction; they're there to see what others are doing and to support unique causes (although they still aren't willing to post anything that would portray themselves as "uncool," so they ARE still worried about how others view them; it's just not blatantly obvious. :-)). 

Gizmoz

Here's my first attempt at creating a CA. It was interesting that most of the "female over 14 years old" costume options were swimsuits or summer tops...not a whole lot of options for a young female teacher to look professional yet unsexy

research paper

By Cmeister / 01-Mar-2009

Edit

Families in Fox's Ads

I briefly sat down and watched the commercials between reruns of Seinfeld and American Idol episodes on Fox this Thursday. (Conferences were cancelled due to the snowstorm and I found myself with some unexpected downtime!) In those 4 minutes, I saw ads for:

1. American Family Insurance: A young couple signs up for American Family Insurance and immediately benefit from the housing and medical coverage; their house catches fire and a few months later, they happily await the birth of their first child.

2. Quest: A man in his late 20s/early 30s is on a stationary bike in a clearly very comfortable, large home, with plenty of trees in the backyard. He is explaining exactly what he needs from his cable service to the Quest employee, who patiently sets up his cable while the customer continues to happily pedal away.

3. Best Buy: A Best Buy employee in his early 20s retells a recent situation he was in at work: three generations of women came in needing computers; each with a different need. The daughter needed a laptop for college, the mother needed a pink one for her "Pinks" business, and the grandmother needed an easy-to-use computer because she had never owned one before.

4. Essure: A woman in her 30s considers how her life would change if she got pregnant again. A voiceover explains that Essure is a "permanent" birth control method for women, and the viewer sees the woman kissing her husband and playing soccer with her kids, smiling and carefree because of the convenient solution to her previous concern.

Not one of the commercials seemed to communicate a certain media representation/message, but taken as a group, I noticed some thought-provoking trends among the four ads. With exception to the Quest ad, the theme of the ads was family, and all families involved were happy, white people. The only non-white people were the Quest cable serviceman, who was black, and the Best Buy employee, who was Asian.

People watching this channel for long periods of time may not even realize how these trends are represented, for the ads aren't selling families; they're selling insurance, computers, cable TV, and birth control. However, the subliminal media representations imply that only white people are responsible enough to buy health insurance and therefore safely give birth to their child, and only white people have enough sense to realize when they've had enough children and thus undergo "permanent" birth control procedures. The ads also hint that service jobs are for non-whites, such as the black cable man and the Asian computer salesman. Both were depicted as knowledgeable and responsible employees, but I wonder why it couldn't have been the black man on the exercise bicycle and the white man setting up the cable? Or did the ad producers even consider the message they were creating?

I don't even watch that much TV (the woes of being a high school English teacher and having stacks of papers to read and grade, I guess), and I rarely watch Fox shows. Honestly, I was flipping through channels looking for inspiration for this blog. Reflecting on that fact, it's astonishing to see such similar media representations in a such a short amount of time, in succession on the same TV channel. I wonder what NBC, ABC, and CBS ads subtly communicate to their viewers during prime time.

As one might guess, different families view themselves differently, and it doesn't matter what race/ethnicity, or other grouping they fall under (Duh). In an interview with American Psychological Association (2/11/2009), Bertha Holliday answers the following question:

APA. Family life is very important for achievement by black children. Is it more important for them than for children of other races/ethnicities? Is President Obama an example of how a nurturing environment can buffer a child against prejudice?

Dr. Holliday: Whose family life is most important for whose children? Who knows? In reality, our knowledge of family life is somewhat limited. We know about family process, parent-child interactions, critical life events, child-rearing practices, etc. – but we really don't know a whole lot about the richness, complexities, contradictions and power that are the totality of family life—especially as experienced by various religious, racial/ethnic and other identity–based communities. Nevertheless, one can say with a great degree of confidence, it is always a good thing for a child to have a nurturing environment. And it is always good for a child to have a parent(s) who is not only a provider, but also a protector and advocate. President Obama was certainly the beneficiary of these and numerous other social and developmental benefits. It also should be noted that the bulk of his formative childhood years was spent in locations that lacked deeply rooted social traditions of racism against blacks -- as was the case in the continental U.S.

 But President Obama is also to a great degree the proverbial American “self-made man,” who with little in economic resources, embarked upon a relatively solitary and  focused journey in search of his identity and his own conception of his place in the world. I think this is the aspect of the man that intrigues so many.

Critical Approaches/Lenses

Rhetorical/Audience Approach: This lens examines how the audience is affected and persuaded by what they see and hear in the media. In teaching this approach, students need to learn how to identify media messages, analyze their own active participation in perpetuating the messages, and understand how people are socialized by the messages. 

Beach's book includes a teaching idea using the novel Feed, which is one title that my colleague and I also thought to use for next year's Writing about the Media class. Another more classic novel that would work well for this approach is Fahrenheit 451. Students could analyze how the main characters are so mired in media messages that they no longer have their own personalities. This novel was part of the NEA Big Read program, which provides more specific teaching ideas.

Another idea to reinforce how prevalent media messages are would be to have a "No Brand Names" day, or if possible, week; where nobody would wear clothing that had a brand name on it. At the end of the designated time, students would discuss if and how their perception of different individuals were affected by the lack of brand name clothing.

Semiotic Approach: This lens analyzes how the meanings of messages depend on one's social and cultural codes and signs. People will interpret messages differently in terms of their own culture's values and associations with different codes and signs.

 Teaching Media Literacy uses the archetypal hero's journey as an example, which I could incorporate in my English 9 Greek Mythology unit. When discussing Greek heroes, students always challenge the myths' ideas of what a hero should be. I point out to them that this makes sense, since their culture is different in many ways to the Ancient Greek culture. What defined a hero for them depended on their culture's values. Next time I teach the mythology unit, I will expand this discussion to an assignment that has students write a hero's story that reflects the values of their own culture. Going even further, I could have them revise their stories after researching other world cultures and myths, not just Greek mythology.

Critical Discourse Analysis Approach: This approach considers how certain cultures or communities would view media messages in terms of specific definitions. (i.e., Lawyers, doctors, businesspeople, and teachers will view the same message but construe a different meaning from it based on how their professions influence their ways of thinking.)

There are several teaching ideas that immediately come to mind to help students understand this approach. The easiest one, I think, is to have each student find magazine ads and analyze what the ads' messages are promoting in terms of different discourses (gender, class, race, etc.). Of course, this could also be done with other forms of media, but it is easy for everyone to bring in a couple of magazine ads, hold it up to the class, and explain it. Since it is a still image, the class has less to pay attention to, thus providing ample opportunity to really break down the ad's message in terms of different discourses. Once that is done I'd have them view their "favorite movie of all time" through one critical discourse , and come back to the class to share their discoveries.

Feminist Approach: This lens focuses on how males and females are portrayed in media messages, thus communicating with the audience how they as males and females should act, dress, and look. As these ideals have changes throughout history and how they differ between cultures, so have the media's portrayals of gender.

To further study the feminist approach, I think it would be useful to bring in covers of a variety of men's and women's magazines, and unpack the messages from the cover's picture and stories. For example, the look of Cosmopolitan, which many high school girls carry around in their backpacks, is much different than Good Housekeeping. Or isn't it? Of course, students could research how the magazines' messages have changed over the years. I recently received a forwarded email from a 1955 issue of Good Housekeeping from a newlywed friend that could be used in this context.

Postmodern Approach: Postmodernism explores how "modern improvements" do not actually make life happier, easier, or more fulfilled; they actually make us feel sadder, more stressed, and emptier.

In the classroom, I would definitely start with a discussion of materialism, and how students are obsessed with having the "latest and greatest" gadgets. I myself will admit to having (and loving) an iPod; and secretly wanting, but unable to afford, an iPhone. Why do we want these things? How are we supposed to feel once we have them? Are those feelings actually felt when that happens?

Eventually I'd move in the direction of watching a full-length film. I like the suggested list in Beach's book (p. 41), and I also think the current Oscar nominated films The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire would be well-received in the classroom. Both films use non-traditional narratives to examine what is/should be valued in life.

Commercial Shot-by-Shot Analysis

The title of this post links to the commercial that I am analyzing: the i-Pod commercial that uses "Disturbia" by Rhianna.

0-35 seconds: There is a combination of medium and close-up shots of a teenage boy dancing and singing along to Rhianna's catchy song, "Disturbia." The camera pans, zooms in and out, and tracks the boy's dancing, which gives the audience the sense that they should dance to the music as well. The quick cuts also give the audience the feeling of excitement and energy that is created through quick dancing.

35-40 seconds: The music stops, and the camera cuts to his friend who has just walked in. There is a low-angle, medium reaction shot on the friend. The audience is close enough to see the look of incredulity on the friend's face, but far enough to also see the body language; the friend looks uncomfortable with the first boy's choice of music. "Dude. Do you seriously have Rhianna downloaded on your iPod?"

40-45 seconds: The camera cuts back to the boy, using a closer frame. The close-up shot lets the audience see his discomfort of being "caught" listening to a "girlie" song, and he tries to lie, saying, "uuummmm, no?"

45-55 seconds: The camera cuts back to the friend for another reaction shot.  The awkward camera angle conveys the awkwardness the two main characters fell. As the friend shakes his head and leaves, the camera remains stationary, so the audience feels abandoned (the camera is focused on the chalkboard). 

55-60 seconds: After a slight pause, the boy shifts his eyes from side to side, looks at the camera, and starts playing his music again. The camera is close up, so the audience can see the happiness the boy feels from the song.

60-70 seconds: The camera cuts to a screen that says "iPod + iTunes,"then another cut to the Apple logo. The bright colors and the catchy music that are used heightens the audience's attraction to the iPod product.

A Justified Film Lesson Using Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Even though it smiles on truant high school students, I don't think I know one person in education that does not enjoy the classic film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I was quite pleased with myself when I was able to bring in a clip last fall to teach tone. Remember the roll call scene? It's a great example of different tones of voice, in which the audience understands each characters' attitude toward being present in a mundane class. My freshmen loved it, and begged to watch more of the movie. (Can you believe that many of them had never heard of it?!)

Looking more closely at the clip from YouTube, I think these scenes could also be used to examine camera shots, lighting, sound, and (lack of) music in film. The first minute of roll call consists of mostly medium shots, and we as the audience feel comfortable with that distance, just as students feel comfortable during roll call; they aren't yet expected to start thinking. Later, during the economics lecture, the audience sees close-up shots of different students in the room. These shots really let us know how each character is feeling; the facial emotions range from frustration, hatred, boredom, and just plain sleepiness. (We're close enough to see the drool, remember?) The audience is able to relate to many of these emotions, and the closeness of the camera helps create that intimacy/connection. 

In both scenes, there is high-key lighting, which gives the sense of the relentless, often headache-inducing fluorescent lights that abound in schools. There could have been a bluish tinted lens used to add to the fluorescent feel, but I'm not sure. 

I really like that there is not a lot of sound, and literally no music in this scene.  The only sound in the second part of this clip is the teacher's monotonous voice, and one incredibly loud SCREECH on the chalkboard. The class is quiet; the audience can feel how badly the students in the film want class to be over. This would be a great opportunity to discuss how effective it can be to NOT have sound or music, if used at the right time.

When I have taught film/editing techniques as a unit, I spend a few days going over definitions of terms, with still image examples. I have students bring in magazines and find different types of shots, angles, and lighting. Then we watch clips from different movies, again identifying film techniques and discussing the directors' decisions. (What effect did the director want to have on the audience? How do these techniques achieve that?) I try to vary the genres of movies that I show, in part to reach all students' interests, but also so they get a sampling of different directors' styles. Finally, we end the unit by watching a full-length movie and writing a film review. In Essentials 9, I show To Kill a Mockingbird, and when I taught General Writing, I showed One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. In both classes, students have to analyze key scenes of the movie, identifying and explaining why certain techniques were used during those specific moments. It goes pretty well, but like Beach advises on page 31, I've found it absolutely necessary for students to view scenes several times before they can write a decent review. Their first viewing is solely for comprehension of narrative elements; it's only the second and third times that they can pick out film techniques and explain their effects. When all is said and done though, my students can never passively watch movies again. Mission accomplished.

Why teach film, television, and media studies?

"This generation is the media generation." With this statement from the Kaiser Foundation's Key Findings on Kids and Media (http://tinyurl.com/d6yw5), it is clear that media studies should be taught to a greater extent in the Hastings School District.

Currently at the high school, there is only one course offered in the English department that centers on the media, Broadcast Journalism. This course covers the history of broadcast journalism, and students participate in authentic assignments such as the school's weekly broadcast news, The Ekko. However, Broadcast Journalism is an elective with a capped enrollment, and many students shy away from taking it because they do not want to be on the newscast. Hastings students need to have more options for media study.

For next year, curriculum is being developed for two new electives: Film Studies, and Writing about the Media. The 2009-2010 course description for Film Studies reads:

"This course consists of learning about film by studying its history, terminology, and industry through reading, discussing, and watching several major motion pictures. Students will be required to watch some films outside of the class, presenting various papers and at least one speech on related topics. Various themes will include concentrations on certain directors, periods, or genres."

Writing about the Media is described as follows:

"Students will develop and refine their writing skills by critically analyzing dozens of examples from contemporary films, television shows, commercials, and news, both print and video. Media topics slated to be examined include consumerism; gender and sexuality; media and politics; race and class; and, current events."

It is important for students to study film, television, and other forms of media for several reasons. First of all, although it is important for students to be able to read and write in the basic sense, data shows that students are using media now more than ever, and they are often using several types of media at a time. Both the Film Studies and Writing about the Media classes will embed reading and writing assignments into the curriculum, so it isn't as though the students in these courses will not be reading and writing regularly. It is just that, if media is so time-consuming for today's students, it makes sense that they hone their reading and writing skills while interacting with different types of media. Beach cites Manovich (2001) and Street (2004) to assert that using digital tools teaches students to interact with texts in diverse ways, and also increases digital literacies. 

This brings up a second reason to teach media studies; students need to know how to use digital tools as they are developed, otherwise they will not be prepared for the world outside of school. Technology and the way messages are conveyed changes at a dizzying rate; if students are not educated in how to use the technology and interpret messages, they will be completely at a loss when they step out of high school, or they will prefer to remain digitally illiterate. Film Studies and Writing about the Media will incorporate blogs, wikis, and online chat rooms so that students are familiar with these tools before they leave high school. As technologies change, so will the courses' curricula.

Finally, teaching film, television, and media studies fosters critical thinking skills; skills that have always been important to schools. Students are bombarded with media messages all the time; isn't it time schools taught them how to read and analyze those messages, and not passively accept them? Film Studies will cover the history of filmmaking and different techniques that are used to convey a specific message. Writing about the Media will analyze media from different lenses such as race, class, gender, and political persuasion. Both classes will reward students with the ability to hear, see, or read a message, and develop their own interpretation and reaction to it, which is a skill everyone should have.

Initial thoughts and connections

I really liked videos 1 and 4 at mediathatmattersfest.org. I felt that both videos used approaches that would appeal to high school age students. I am already thinking that video #4 would be a great addition to the curriculum that I am helping to create for the new elective "Writing about the Media" (hence the title of my blog). I don't think students realize to what extent the media is controlled by a select few, and video #4 explains it simply and clearly. Students would really respond to that, I think. I bet they'd even ask to create their own videos, which would be fantastic if they had access to required technology.

I was reminded of a few classroom experiences when reading chapter 1 in Beach's book. When he talks about showing the 1968 Zeffirelli Romeo and Juliet film, I absolutely agree that students really start to love that play once they've seen in on the screen. Every year I teach the play, I wish that I could take my class to an outdoor theater, to see the play how it was meant to be seen. It's spring, the weather is nice, the students are starting to behave more sophomorically and not so freshman-like, and it would be a great opportunity to get out of the classroom. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened, and showing Zeffirelli's version is the next best option. I show it bit by bit, as we read the play, instead of after reading the entire thing. I also show parts of the 1997 version with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, just to show them how the play is interpreted differently by different directors. It's always interesting to see which students prefer which version; it's usually a pretty even split!

I also show To Kill a Mockingbird when I teach Harper Lee's novel. This one also gets mixed reactions from the 9th grade crowd; some claim it's too slow and boring, some are upset that it leaves so much out from the novel, and others insist that it is a wonderful movie. Beach asserts "Students also need to be able to judge media texts according to criteria unique to a specific media type or mode," (4) and I've realized that I don't teach my students how to do that in English 9. (I DO teach it in my Essentials 9 class [students with low reading and writing skills], since I've adapted the curriculum so that they do not read the book. They only watch the movie, and then they have to write a film review in which they summarize the film, critique the actin, and analyze different cinematography techniques.) I think that as I teach the novel this spring, I am going to show the movie in sections, not in its entirety at the end, similar to what I do with Romeo and Juliet. I'll spend a little more time discussing cinematography with them, and then hopefully they'll understand the effectiveness of certain scenes in terms of angles, sound, and lighting, and not dwell so much on whether it was a "boring" part of the story.

I'll finish up this week with a question. Beach cites Buckingham (2003) in saying, "In critiquing media texts, it is important for students to recognize that the meanings of these texts do not actually lie 'in' the text, but rather how audiences construct the meaning of media texts within specific social contexts" (5). When teaching concrete thinkers such as my Essentials students, HOW do I achieve this? Or, when teaching a class where nobody wants to talk unless they are absolutely sure of the answer, which wouldn't be possible with a goal like this, HOW do I help them reach this realization on their own? I know that to start with, they need all the background information possible. But what else?