Thursday, April 12, 2012

A creative lesson plan

The objective was for students to identify dramatic tensions in a text.
In the pre-activity the students will listen to two audio clips and are to write down three words that describe the the audio/vidoe clip.The first audio clip is from the Jaw's soundtrack (the theme song). The second is a video clip from the movie Shining. (It is a horror movie and the scene chosen shows a boy on a scooter riding along a narrow path, he will then hear the voices of two girls calling him and speaking to him. The clip will be cut before he sees a scene of the two girls lying in a blood pool). I asked students for their responses nd discusses with them how in an audio clip tensions can be brought out through the rhythm, beat and creseando while in a video it is through the silence, darkness, what is seen and unseen. The fact that most students wanted to know what happens next is evidence of the tension that is built up in the clip. I then discussed how tensions help in engaging the audiences' attention.
In the main activity I taught them four kinds of tension. They are tension of task (need to achieve a goal), tension of relationship (arguments between people), tension of surprise (you know whats going to happen but not when likewalking into a haunted house and knowing you will be scared) and tension of mystery (when you do not know hwat will happen next). I then discussed with the students how these tensions are similarly seen in play. We looked at extracts from the play and I modelled how to identify the tension and with what clues.
There were 5 extracts in the worskeet. I modelled and did the first one with the students. The second extract the students and I did it together and the students were told to do the third extract in pairs.
I then went through the answers and made them highlight relevant dialogue, stage directions and expression.
For the post-activity I showed them one more video and they were to identify what kind of tension was expressed.

Their homework was to do the last two extracts. 

1 comment:

  1. sounds like an interesting lesson - like your scaffolded worksheet.

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