Inquiry for Literature Study
In one project-base learning unit, grades 6-8 students in one school started their
literature study with 'big idea' questions for inquiry. The teachers chose a variety of
books of interest to the students, with a focus on action-adventure stories. The prereading, during reading and post-reading learning tasks were guided by the big idea
questions for critical thinking and development of a message for the final
production of digital book trailers. The questions were built around citizenship,
community and social responsibility, as reflected in the story and by the characters’
choices and actions.
A focus on Media Literacy, learning about the elements of effective trailers, gave the
students a new medium by which to demonstrate their understandings about the
books. The collaborative development of digital book trailers involved script writing
for dramatized scenes and creative uses of technology for video production. The
lens of target audience and trailer ‘pitch’ set the success criteria for the final
product.
Literature Study: Stop Points
The students began the Language unit with a literature study. A literature circles
approach guided the students through the questioning, comprehension and critical
literacy connections. While reading the book, the students were asked to tab points
on the page that seem important or to note the page number in a list. They were to
indicate exciting points, emotional points, points of strong character moments,
points of learning new things in the story. The ‘stop points’ were used as references
for planning the book trailers when the students sequenced them on a story board,
in graphic and written formats.
From Book to Trailer
The post-reading task was to review the stop points and sketch a quick storyboard.
Each student met with three other individuals in the class to share their storyboard
and view the others. From these discussions, the students formed a production team
of 4-6 individuals. They finalized a collaboratively modified storyboard and had it
approved by the teacher for the next stage of development.
From the storyboard they developed and practiced a skit. They added props and
costumes to set the scene and did a final rehearsal, for approval, before filming.
Group and individual conferencing served as both an Assessment As Learning with
the question "Does your trailer pitch your book and its story well?" and an
Assessment of Learning, for Media Literacy, with the question, "What elements of an
effective trailer have you included?".
Trailer Pre-production: Elements of Effective Trailers
View Sample Movie Trailers:
On a Mac you may wish to use Front Row, which has sample trailers of the latest
cinematic releases. Otherwise view online trailers at the home websites for
individual movies or theatre websites. Consider carefully the appropriate choice of
sample trailer, in terms of content and genre. For example, you may wish to show a
trailer for 127 Hours as an example action adventure, survival story that is
appropriate for viewing by Intermediate students and as a match to a literature
study of Safe as Houses, by Eric Walters. This particular trailer incorporates a
number of obvious yet effective techniques.
Look for criteria:
Audio – dialogue, music, fade ins, fade outs, mood
Visuals – camera shots (long shots, midshots, close-ups), camera angles (bird’s eye,
ant’s eye, straight), use of text and font choice, mood
Directorial & Marketing choices – mood, choice of scenes, promotional statements,
quotes, indications of target audience
The students need to be able to identify and briefly explain each of these elements.
An explanation of how these elements are used to create mood and an effective
‘pitch’ or promotion of the movie would indicate a thorough understanding of the
medium. An assessment of learning about the elements of effective trailers is an
important instructional step to take before group work for video production.
Below are a few good reference sites to review for lesson preparation.
mediaknowall: re: camera shots, angles and movement
http://www.mediaknowall.com/camangles.html
mediaknowall: re: sound, recording, dialogue, voice overs, sound effects and music
http://www.mediaknowall.com/sound.html
Movie Trailers As Persuasive Texts
by Frank Baker copyright 2008
http://www.frankwbaker.com/movie_trailers_as_persuasion.htm
Trailer Pre-production: sample book trailers
View Sample Book Trailers:
Once there is a clear understanding of the elements of effective movie trailers, the
more familiar use of the medium, shift the viewing experience to that of book
trailers. A number of publishers, book stores, authors and the public libraries post
book trailers as promotional highlights. The more professionally created ones use
advanced technology and techniques, but the choices for representation of the
books are replicable by students. A number of student-made book trailers can also
be found online, which serve as more accessible samples of replicable quality.
One critical consideration while viewing is the to decision to dramatize scenes from
the books or to gather images and sound elements that will represent the book. A
combination of these choices also works well. Teachers and students can
collaboratively decide on, plan and develop effective techniques for the type of
digital book trailer that best suits their class work.
View Sample Book Trailers:
Safe As Houses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-7als34lgc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZH-tQ9O1iA&feature=related
In a Flash
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fe6gxmb4nU&feature=related
Alexandria of Africa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvHuWYK02qs&feature=related
We All Fall Down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwkSKaH0Foc&feature=related
Check out this site about book trailers, including the pages ‘How to Make a Book Trailer’
http://www.squidoo.com/booktrailers
Trailer Production: assessment
Assessment and evaluation is on-going. Earlier assessments regarding the Literature
Study may well have been completed by the time the Book Trailer is the work focus,
or the two may coincide. As the Production Team groups or individuals apply their
understandings of the story to the medium of trailers, the storyboard will be the
first demonstration of their learning. Earlier lessons about story boarding may
incorporate some assessment for learning (diagnostics), but individual storyboards
from the book can serve as assessment as learning (formative) per individual
student. As such the first row of the rubric* can be used for evaluation of the story
board and be a reference for a teacher-student conference. This will give each
individual an opportunity to refine their thinking and contribute to the group as a
whole, for a final decision of the group storyboard for the trailer production. The
mark for the individual storyboards could be used for the Writing strand, but can
well be used for the Media strand, along with the following evaluations.
Having learned about the Elements of Effective Trailers by viewing and
deconstructing examples during the class lesson, each group member can be asked
to explain the effectiveness of the elements of their group’s produced trailer.
Question prompts like the following will give each student an opportunity to explain
the effectiveness. “How does your trailer target a specific or wider audience? What
is the target audience?”, “How do the audio and visual elements express a mood? In
what ways do they match?”, “What about your trailer persuades other to read the
book? What is the pitch?”.
Trailer Production: filming
Students involved in this book trailer production worked in groups to dramatize
important scenes from their books. In production teams individuals carried and
shared the roles of scriptwriter, storyboard creator and editor, choreographer,
actor, video director, photographer/videographer and video editor/producer.
Filming locations were coordinated throughout the school and on the school
grounds outdoors. Student production teams were responsible for arrangement of
costumes and props and negotiating quiet zones for filming. Filming sessions were
consolidated with conferences between the teacher and production groups in order
to assess the quality of video captured and adherence to the storyboard plan.
Students were coached to review the still images and video that they'd captured and
to consider the camera shots and angles that would serve the mood that they
wanted to develop for the trailer. This was an opportunity for Assessment as
Learning as students reflected on what they'd learned about different camera angles
and the effective use of these techniques in their own creation.
Trailer Post-production: technical creation
Student production teams uploaded their videos and still images from the digital
cameras to lab desktop computers and/or laptops. Mini-lessons and teacher
conferencing supported effective file management, quality assurance of individual
files, introduction to movie creation software (Movie Maker and iMovie) and
searches for online images and sound files. Students were instructed to use
copyright permissible images and sounds found online, best supported by searches
on http://creativecommons.org/ . Production teams worked together in terms of
project management, to collate files, sequences clips, match audio and visual
elements and create the mood and message that was planned in the original
storyboard. Text was inserted to develop promotional slogans and add production
credits. Individuals took the time to schedule extra lab time and add final production
elements to complete the project. Once all the projects were submitted, the whole
class viewed each other’s digital book trailers for enjoyment and peer assessment.