Middle School English

Unit 3: Film

The 'Grammar' of Television and Film Television and film use certain common conventions often referred to as the 'grammar' of these audiovisual media. This list includes some of the most important conventions for conveying meaning through particular camera and editing techniques (as well as some of the specialised vocabulary of film production). Conventions aren't rules: expert practitioners break them for deliberate effect, which is one of the rare occasions that we become aware of what the convention is.

Great site with lots of curricular resources for teaching the film unit

The Video Guide is a resource for both students and teachers to use as they explore the world of video. We hope you'll find these advice sheets, activities, glossaries, and more, useful whether you're just getting started or have already been using a video camera for a while.

Free music for the background of student films

Film Studies Unit

Camera Shots A camera shot is the amount of space that is seen in one shot or frame. Camera shots are used to demonstrate different aspects of a film's setting, characters and themes. As a result, camera shots are very important in shaping meaning in a film. Reviewing the examples on the right hand side of this page should make the different camera shots clearer.

As we know from watching movies, the angle at which a character is shot in a lm can dramatically affect how we perceive that character. Film directors often choose to shoot characters using different angles in order to make an authorial comment on the role and importance of that person in the lm. There are ve basic camera angles used to shoot scenes in a lm. The angles are determined by where the camera is placed

Film Studies Unit

What is media literacy? "Media literacy refers to composing, comprehending, interpreting, analyzing, and appreciating the language and texts of...both print and nonprint. The use of media presupposes an expanded definition of 'text'...print media texts include books, magazines, and newspapers. Nonprint media include photography, recordings, radio, film, television, videotape, video games, computers, the performing arts, and virtual reality...constantly interact...(and) all (are) to be experienced, appreciated, and analyzed and created by students.

Before students can begin to study film, they must be provided with a focus. There are many ways to look at a film. Posted below is a suggestion for teachers. Throughout this teacher guide for To Kill A Mockingbird, you will find numerous resources which touch on many of the characteristics listed below.

Adolescent literacy has, for many years, been a forgotten area as educators have focused their attention on early literacy, in particular, Grades K-3. However, in the last few years adolescent literacy has gained more attention as policy makers and educators realize that literacy is a critical issue even as students transition into the middle and high school settings.

Great site with tons of reading strategies

These tools should be used to help students engage in rigorous thinking, organize complex ideas, and scaffold their interactions with texts.

Great resources for reading/writing organization

Unit 1

Unit 1

Students learn about child labor, as it occurred in England and the United States during the Industrial Revolution and as it continues around the world today. Selected websites describe the conditions under which children worked during the Industrial Revolution. Each student gathers information at these websites and prepares and presents a monologue in the "voice" of someone involved in the debate over child labor in England. After dramatically assuming that person's point of view on the issue, he or she responds to audience members' questions. Students then explore and discuss the conditions of contemporary child laborers and compare them to those of the past.

Lesson Plan for book Because of Winn Dixie, a high-interest text at the grade 4 reading level

Reading Level 4.0: Because of Winn Dixie tells the story of ten-year old Opal. She has just moved to Naomi, Florida with her preacher father. On an errand to the grocery store Opal finds a large, ugly, homeless dog. Opal is immediately attached to the dog whom she names Winn Dixie after the grocery store where she finds him. Together they make friends with Otis, an ex-convict who runs the local pet store; Miss Fanny, the librarian who has a desk full of "Litmus Lozenges" a type of candy which her great grandfather invented; and Gloria Dump, the lady the local children think of as a witch because of her jungle-like yard. This book will make you laugh as Opal and Winn Dixie make friends with these very likable characters in this small southern town.