Strategies
As stated previously, the goal I want to achieve with the present curriculum unit is to provide my students with the tools to recognize some of the cultural aspects depicted in the films that we will be working with. But above all that, my main aspiration is to be able to interest my students in looking at films with a different perspective, with a critical and analytical eye.
The unit is unmistakably ambitious since I am opening more than a couple of fronts at the same time: the literary world by working with three different genres (novella, drama and novel); the film world by timidly opening the door of film analysis (something Professor Andrew has done for me, for which I am extremely grateful); the music world by trying to understand opera; and finally, the dance world. Film participates and extends cultural expressions.
"Reading and thinking" Literature
Throughout the unit I will provide my students with various activities to emphasize the importance of structure and style when dealing with literature and/or film. Since we are to work with three different literary genres, students will be given tasks that will help them to acknowledge the main characteristics of each. I am also interested in developing critical thinking strategies that will assist students to make connections, logical deductions, and inferences while reading.
"Films, films, films"
Viewing Cues
Since I want my students to learn to analyze films, I will start many of the lessons introducing one or two "Viewing Cue(s)" contained in Timothy Corrigan's The Film Experience (7), since "they are designed to encourage critical viewing habits and offer cues for film analysis." I will sample these with scenes of the movies we are working with throughout the unit,using other films when necessary. This will take a good 10 to 15 minutes every day we work on this strategy, but I consider learning to look at a movie important. In addition, students will be practicing their listening comprehension.
As they enter the room, students will get a piece of paper with a brief description of the "Cue." Next, we will discuss it as a group to make sure everyone understands, and then we will view the example previously selected by me.
Segmentation
Viewing all the movies completely is not necessary. We will be using fragments of most the films except, hopefully, Love in the Times of Cholera and Saura's Bodas de Sangre. This latter film is not too long and the students will not be too distracted with the dialogue, since the only sound in the second part of the movie is the music.
By the time we watch the film, students will be familiar with Garcia Lorca's text and the original story, so it will be of great interest to see my students' reactions to the adaptation, as well as to see how they would segment the movie. Students will be given specific instructions on how to take notes and how to proceed with this task so it is well structured and meaningful for everyone.
Still Images
Along with the segmentation, I would like my students to learn how to take still images—using a computer— of the fragments of films we will be viewing. While doing so, they will have to decide and explain why a specific image has been chosen. Students will be asked to analyze their chosen images in detail, using film vocabulary they have learned.
Writing Dialogue
Students will create dialogue for scenes I will select in advance. After watching the scene(s) chosen for the first time, students will be asked to describe what they have seen. What is the setting, time of the action, who are characters and how would they describe them, etc. We will then view the scene a second time in order to verify students have not missed any important detail.
We will then brainstorm. Each student or group will write subtitles. Students/groups will present the dialogue to the rest of the class and everyone will vote for the best one based on the grammar, etc, according to a rubric provided for this purpose.
"The Unit's Soundtrack"
As an educator I try to expand my students' views by bringing different disciplines into the Spanish classroom. Focusing on other cultures is an aim I try not to forget about, but it is necessary to increase students' background knowledge as much as possible. By introducing them to opera and flamenco, two musical genres they are not necessarily used to, I am hoping to activate some kind of interest in the arts as develop their skills and understanding within and across disciplines.
Opera
Opera is not going to be a main center of interest within the unit. I am going to introduce it to my students in order to serve to get students interested, to have them understand it and to let them explore what it feels like, to value the artform as an adaptation product.
Flamenco
As mentioned before, the flamenco component is key in the unit. Students will be able to recognize or at least understand flamenco as a genre that involves strong musical and cultural traditions. We are going to work with the three forms of flamenco, the toque (playing of the guitar), the cante (singing) and the baile (dancing) by listening to some of the main figures and viewing some short performances or fragments from movies, as Sauras' Carmen, Bodas de Sangre, Flamenco or Iberia and others.
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