Objectives
Using film in the classroom can meet objectives from a huge array of disciplines. I have organized my objectives into the categories listed above and in this section will elaborate on them.
The use of standards and testing to monitor student achievement of the standards is the mode of operation in almost every public school system in this country. I would never attempt to introduce film into the classroom without considering carefully how the film festival will aid students in mastery of skills tested on our state exams. But it is a simple task to do so. This unit addresses Pennsylvania standards in three areas: Arts and Humanities; Geography; and Reading, Writing and Speaking. In the last of these areas, many skills of film viewing and responding are similar to those needed for reading and responding to text. In this unit students will identify basic facts and ideas using specific strategies; demonstrate understanding and interpretation; draw inferences; compare and contrast themes and techniques in several films; and identify and analyze elements including characterization, setting, plot, theme, point of view, tone and style that pertain to both literary texts and film.
Students will also be asked to write in this unit, thereby working towards meeting standards for writing. Ideas will be presented for writing activities both in the fiction and nonfiction genres. Nonfiction writing tasks will direct students to write with a sharp, distinct focus and write with controlled or subtle organization. As mentioned previously, some time will be spent attempting to identify cultural modes of storytelling. Students will have an opportunity to experiment with the fictional style that they find most attractive.
Large and small group discussion will be promoted and students will practice strategies of accountable talk such as asking probing questions; responding with relevant information, ideas or reasons in support of opinions expressed; and listening to and acknowledging the contributions of others.
In the area of Arts and Humanities a variety of objectives will be met. Students will comprehend specific technical skills of filmmaking. They will explain the historical, cultural and social context of individual films and analyze how culture impacts the form, technique and purpose of films.
State standards in both the arts and geography share language that promotes cross-cultural understanding. The arts and humanities standards state that students must relate works in the arts to geographic regions including Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. Geography standards relate to five fundamental themes of geography; this unit relates to four of them: location, place, human-environment interactions, and unity of a region in terms of physical and human characteristics.
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