Lesson+Plan+2

Lesson Plan 2 by Tiffany Dunn, English Proteach**
 * Applying Todorov’s Model of Equilibrium and Disequilibrium to After Oz


 * Content Objectives** SWBAT**:**
 * Utilize new technologies and literacy skills to outline narrative stages of a text


 * Language Objectives** SWBAT:
 * Use the metalanguage of Tordov’s Model of Equilibrium and Disequilibrium while critically examining and analyzing narrative structure in a short film
 * Apply terms from metalanguage to new texts

This lesson will begin with the teacher reviewing concepts and terms from the previous day with students. The teacher may wish to make a short powerpoint to review the five stages of Tordov's model and the screenshots denoting each stage.
 * Lesson # 2 begins with a Review from Lesson 1**

Class will review Todorov’s model of equilibrium and disequilibrium and the 5 stages of the narrative:
 * 1) a stage of equilibrium on the outset (norm established)
 * 2) a disruption of equilibrium by some action
 * 3) a recognition that there has been a disruption
 * 4) an attempt to repair the disruption
 * 5) a reinstatement of equilibrium (return to norm which may or may not be changed or altered by events)

The teacher may wish to have the class contribute each the narrative stages, and draw a visual diagram of the stages onto the smartboard or whiteboard. The teacher will pause to clarify any areas of general class confusion about the five stages of narrative, assessing any points which may need to be revisited before proceeding.

The teacher will explain to students that today they will be watching a new short film, After Oz and continue thinking about narrative.

Teacher will display film's "Title shot" and ask students what do they think this story may be about? What do they see that makes them guess those things? (Students will be able to practice pre-reading strategies, such as anticipation, here.) Ask students the VTS questions. What do they see?
 * Applying Reading Skills to the Text (Anticipation)**

Explain that film is made up of 24 frames per second. Each frame is like a photograph capturing an exact moment. When we capture screenshots, we are capturing an exact moment in the film. The director decides what goes into each moment, everything is planned. Nothing is accidental. Introduce design tools of camera shot and angle. Allow time for students to play with these ideas by creating practice situations for students to explore different types of shots.
 * Introduce new terms through Overt Instruction**

Ask students to think about the following questions about narrative while viewing the short film: "How does it start?" "What is normal?" "What throws things into disarray?" "How are things resolved?" "How are things different now?"

Ask students think about the following: "What are some similarities between the two films?" (Both are animated, star robots, music, no dialogue or voice-over). "Can we any patterns in Theme? Setting? Characterization?"

(View short film)

Upon first viewing //After Oz//, the teacher will tell students they will be participating in a group activity where they will be picking screen shots from //After Oz// to represent each of the 5 stages of narrative.
 * Instructions for Activity**

Teacher will explain to students that they will be reviewing the film and locating one point in the film, like a landmark or beacon, which marks a specific point on the Narrative Roadmap. Think of a narrative as a map which charts the story. Each screenshot is a landmark which signals an important place in the narrative.

After explaining the assignment, the teacher will assign students pairs.

Working at class computer stations in small groups or pairs, students will review the entire film again. This time they will be starting and stopping, noting elements in the screen shot. After a negotiation process, groups will select one screen shot from the film to represent each stage. Students will capture screen shots and paste into a Word.doc.
 * Activity**

In the Word.doc, students will arrange screen shots in to the correct narrative order, label the stage represented by each shot, write a short description of what is occurring in the screen shot and making observations on the design choices such as shot and angle made by the text creators. Students will then upload it to class wiki or each student's own digital portfolio. Students may link this project to past or future writings, readings, and creative work, using the portfolio as a source for writing prompts and discussions, drawing contrasts and similarities between projects, and reflecting on one's progress.

As this is an opportunity for students to practice their skills (recognizing and labeling narrative shifts, describing the content of a frame, capturing screenshots, pasting objects into a Word.doc, emailing and uploading documents to online portfolio) I feel they should be given a classwork grade based on the individual student's in-class group participation and completion of each required element in the assignment. The teacher will be circulating among groups and making note of student participation. The emailed Word.doc will be assessed according to criteria listed on the handout.
 * Assessment**

The Word.doc created through this activity will be included in each student's digital portfolio, which will be assessed at regularly scheduled points in the school year (the end of month, 9 weeks, and/or semester). The digital portfolio will be a place for students to store and share their work, link to other classmates' projects, draw similarities and contrasts among texts and projects, and routinely reflect on personal progress. Students could be required to regularly record reflections (oral or written formats) on ongoing issues and topics of class discourse.
 * Digital Portfolio**

A set number of items in the digital portfolio will be student selected, edited, and revised, and become part of the "highlighted" work from the school year. The digital format makes the portfolio easy to store and will be available to students beyond the current school year, allowing students to, at a later point, build upon concepts and ideas explored in the digital portfolio. The digital portfolio is also a way for parents to review student work and progress. Perhaps awards may be given for areas of student success in their digital portfolios.


 * Extend this lesson by having students use Drama to interpret the short film:** students create vignettes or //frozen moments// from important narrative points in the story and perform a series of vignettes (representing different narrative stages) to class. Students could photograph each vignette and upload the photos to their digital portfolio. The vignette photographs could then be compared with the screenshots Word.doc. These Narrative Roadmaps would provide future writing prompts draw upon these comparisons and create new contrasts for students to examine.


 * Extend this lesson by having students write about narrative in the short film Dangle** Have students watch the short film Dangle. Have them ask themselves "Is Dangle a Narrative (a story) ? Why or why not? What story elements do you see? What do you notice about the setting? Character? Plot? Theme? (Lesson idea by Dr. Pace.) What does the Narrative Roadmap look like?