BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA Teaching Resource: Key Stage 2 Released: 2007 | Certificate: PG | Duration: 96 min | Genre: Drama Synopsis Jess Aarons has trained all summer to become the fastest runner in school, so he's very upset when newcomer Leslie Burke outruns him and everyone else. Despite this and their many differences (her parents are well-­‐off, his struggle for money; she is a lone child, he’s from a big family; she's a city girl, he's a country boy) the two become best friends. Together, they combine their creative imaginations to create the magical land of Terabithia, as a refuge from tough times at home and bullying at school. A heartfelt story of growing up, friendship and the challenges life can present, this adaptation of the famous novel is full of useful life lessons. Please note that the film does deal with the death of a character, which whilst handled very carefully, some children may find upsetting. Links to the Curriculum BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA explores bullying themes in a fresh way and there are many opportunities to build upon the experiences of the characters in relation to your pupils via literacy, cineliteracy, PHSE, SEAL, citizenship and art and design. ©Created by Declan McGill with additional material from Hilary Pearce for Picturehouse Education November 2012 Learning Activities Perfect School Jess and Leslie go to Lark Creek Elementary. In groups ask the class to think about the following two questions, one at a time: Q What would the perfect school be like for bullying? Q What would the perfect school be like for no-­‐bullying? Characteristics of the school to consider should include: • School building e.g. classrooms, corridors, toilets. • Playground and other outside areas. • Pupil attitude. • Staff attitude. You can bring out elements of your school’s Anti–Bullying Policy to use as examples and match to each area OR you can use some of the examples brainstormed to create an Anti-­‐Bullying Policy for your class/school. Pre-­‐screening: ask your pupils to look for ways that they think Jess and Leslie’s school, Lark Creek Elementary, is good for stopping bullies or actually makes it easier for bullies! Post-­‐screening: review what the class observed in the film. Were there some elements of Lark Creek Elementary that were good for preventing bullying? How could it have been improved to stop bullying? EXTENSION – invite pupils to use their imagination to come up with a fantasy invention that would be in the perfect bully-­‐free school e.g. a positive mirror that shows your special talents! Friendship Poem This activity can be introduced by using a clip from the film showing the class singing a song together, ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends’. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGhuYsMW4VY&noredirect=1 Q How did the class look to you during this scene? How about Jess? Explain that today the pupils will be writing a poem on friendship thinking about: • What their best friend is like and why they like them? • Characteristics of a good friend. • What kind of a friend do they think they should be to others? Have these points on the board and take some ideas for each one before the children begin their writing. ©Created by Declan McGill with additional material from Hilary Pearce for Picturehouse Education November 2012 • Pupils will then share their poems with a partner. The two will compare their poems and make a list of any similar qualities and characteristics in their poems. The class will then collaborate to make a class list of what makes a good friend. • Encourage pupils to read their poem aloud to the class, if they feel comfortable. • After pupils have discussed and shared their poems the teacher will lead a discussion on friendship and why it is so important. Instead of a poem pupils could write a rap or you could alternatively write a song together agreeing together on the chorus, with different groups writing a verse each (and maybe teacher playing the guitar!) New kid in school Leslie is new to Lark Creek Elementary and at the beginning is teased for being different (e.g. her clothes are a different style to the other children’s clothes, she doesn’t have a TV at home). Talk with the class about what it is like to be a new kid in school. Ask the pupils what they think it must feel like to come to a small school where everyone knows each other already? Perhaps pupils could share their own experiences of this. • In groups the children are to write ‘First Day of School’ in the middle of a large piece of paper and then use the clustering technique (i.e. adding associated words around the central word or phrase) to describe what it would be like. They may include things like: nervous, new classmates, new teacher, excitement, fun, scary. • Some of these words can be highlighted and put on the board as a vocabulary bank. • Children to write a creative piece imagining their first day at school and then share with the class. My Special Place Jess and Leslie use their combined talents (he is an artist, she is a storyteller) to create the wondrous land of Terabithia. What would your special place be like? • Explain that you want pupils to draw a picture of their favourite place on earth where they feel happy and safe, their Terabithia. • Take some ideas about what that place could be like (e.g. a beautiful beach, a jungle full of friendly animals, a castle in a cloud city) and why it would be special to them. • After drawing the place they are to write in four sentences or more why this place is so special and how they feel when they are there. • If they have time they can colour their picture in. ©Created by Declan McGill with additional material from Hilary Pearce for Picturehouse Education November 2012 A Bully Outline Janice Avery is the school bully at Lark Creek Elementary but in the film we learn that one of the reasons she bullies others is because she is bullied at home by her father. It is important to discuss why some people act like a bully and how maybe we can help them. Ask the class: Q What are different examples of bullying behaviour? These can be recorded on the board and may include: • Name calling. • Gossip/spreading rumours. • Teasing. • Intimidation. • Leaving someone out. • Theft/taking possessions or money. • Damaging someone’s property. • Barging and pushing, hitting, pinching or kicking. • Extortion/blackmail. • Cyber-­‐bullying. Q Why do you think people act like bullies? These can be recorded on the board. Examples may include: • Their home life is difficult. • They are copying behaviour seen at home or by others. • Maybe they are jealous. • Maybe they are scared that nobody likes them. • Insecurities and low self-­‐esteem/confidence. Children can draw the outline of a boy or girl on a sheet of A4, maybe in the act of bullying, or you can provide them with an outline. Remind the class it is important that they do not fill it in, as they need to leave space inside the outline to write in. On the inside children are to write reasons why the person bullies others. Q. How do you think we could help the bully to feel better and change what they are feeling on the inside so that they will change what they do on the outside? ©Created by Declan McGill with additional material from Hilary Pearce for Picturehouse Education November 2012 Cineliteracy Essentially Cineliteracy is the understanding and appreciation of moving image texts. Just as a book is a text, the same is true of a film -­‐ hence the term 'moving image text'. A moving image text can be 'read' in similar ways to a print text. As with all art forms and other forms of communication, the moving image has its own set of concepts, values and rules of construction. These can be described and understood using terms and language specific to moving image media, as well as terms that moving image and print literacy have in common. Why work towards cineliteracy? Literacy skills are vital to children's ability to think, talk and write creatively and purposefully. The moving image has a crucial role to play in the development of those literacy skills. It is a powerful medium with which children are generally familiar and comfortable. For many, it stimulates creative activity that would otherwise be unforthcoming, including meaningful talk and purposeful writing. Key concepts in film and literacy Throughout their primary education, children who undertake learning activities in relation to a range of moving image texts will also be addressing targets relating to reading and writing including: • Descriptive writing. • Openings and endings. • Story settings. • How settings influence events and characters. • Distinguishing between first and third person accounts. • Using expressive and figurative language. With continuing focus, from the Foundation Stage upwards, on the development of children's communication and language skills, important objectives that can be addressed using moving image texts include: • Extending vocabulary. • Using story language. • Re-­‐telling stories. • Sequencing. • Identifying characters. As children progress, similar and new language and literacy objectives that can be clearly met through analysis of a moving image text include looking at: • Narrative structure. • Openings and settings of stories. • Character profiles. ©Created by Declan McGill with additional material from Hilary Pearce for Picturehouse Education November 2012 Through a focus on cineliteracy activity children explore and understand how image and sound work together to create meaning. In addition, children will be developing their film language in order to discuss these elements competently in relation to film itself as a medium. Key Concepts in Film Language Key concepts in film language that shape how we analyse and understand a text can be broken down into the following elements: Colour Camera Character Composition Story Sound Setting Focusing on the Cs and Ss individually helps to breakdown the overall impact of a film and understand how and why a film has been constructed in a particular way. We can also explore how the elements are combined to make the film an effective text, e.g. • How do Camera, Sound and Colour work together to introduce, develop, influence or create more understanding about Character, Story and Setting? • How are Camera shots and sound used to create a feeling of suspense or to draw the audience into the life of the film? • How and when do colours change to denote a setting or change in time or atmosphere? BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA and Cineliteracy A key part of work on cineliteracy is questioning. It is important to frame children’s viewing before a film and structure their response afterwards. Preparatory work -­‐ Framing Viewing This is a very important part of children's viewing experience. The amount of preliminary work and information will depend on several elements. Some focusing questions to ask include: • Why are we watching this film? • How much do pupils already know about the film? • How much do pupils already know about the subject matter? • What areas of the curriculum are we focusing on? • What are the important areas we will focus on immediately afterwards? • How much preliminary information do the children need to understand the film? With any film it can be useful to think about the plot and characters beforehand. This allows children to have an idea of the scenarios and the people they may meet who are crucial to the film's story. Consider the basic plot and the main characters including Jess (a loner who escapes from reality by drawing in his journal), Leslie (a new girl in the school who is a great storyteller) Janice (the school bully). Invite the children to discuss their expectations of the characters and how they might be connected in the story based on these few facts. ©Created by Declan McGill with additional material from Hilary Pearce for Picturehouse Education November 2012 Follow up work Questions play a vital role in encouraging analytical and creative thinking around a film text. For example: • How did the film work to tell the story? • How were we introduced to the characters? • How was music used throughout the film? • How were sound effects used in the film? • How were important ideas and actions introduced? Camera shots Think about how the camera was used to tell the story of the film. Why did the director choose different shots at different times? How did we see the action from different perspectives / viewpoints? Long Shots: the frame includes all of the setting and people in it. This shot can be useful to establish the environment in which the scene will take place including type of landscape, weather, buildings, people. A long shot can be a good opening shot to set the scene. Mid-­‐shots: the frame includes part of a person or thing, with some of the setting in the background, perhaps drawing you into the action more. Close-­‐ups: used to just show a detail or a small part of a person such as the face. Sometimes they focus on an object or action very tightly, e.g. a hand opening a door or picking up an object. Why would the director choose a close up? (e.g. to show the emotions of one character.) Point of view (POV) shot: often POV shots are used to help us see things through a particular character’s eyes, like telling the story in first person and giving a character’s own perspective. This helps us to empathise with them. A POV shot is also useful to show size or the relationship between characters, or a character and the setting. How are POV shots showing scale different to long shots? What is the difference in effect on the audience? High angle shot: the camera looks down on person/object, making them look vulnerable. Low angle shot: the camera looks up at someone/thing, making them appear powerful. Lighting Lighting can be used to quickly create an atmosphere on screen. Bright lighting can be used to create a happy and lively mood, if it is dark and shadowy we might be made to feel uneasy, as in a thriller. Sound There are three elements to a film soundtrack: Dialogue: reveals plot and character type and relationships. Music: creates atmosphere, affecting us on a very emotional level. Sound effects (SFX): again, very effective at creating atmosphere and enhancing the action on screen. ©Created by Declan McGill with additional material from Hilary Pearce for Picturehouse Education November 2012 Cineliteracy activity Book to Film Remembering some of the ‘Key Concepts in Film Language’ mentioned above, consider what elements could be used to turn a section of the book version of BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA into a film version? Explain to pupils, or tease out if they know, the cinematic vocabulary of ‘adaptation’ of the written story into film. Pupils can use: • Sound (including music and sound effects). • Light and colour. • Choice of camera shot (as outlined above). • Special effects. Q. What different ways could you vary the above elements? Put together a list of creative options as a class. Examples may include: • Camera shot (long, mid, close up, POV, high angle, low angle). • Light (bright, gloomy). • Colour (a wide palette of bright colours, autumnal shades, black and white). • Sound (volume, tempo, style of music). • Special effects (only limited by the imagination! Mythical beasts inhabit Jess and Leslie’s Terabithia). Read an extract from the book as a class. In groups the children have to make creative choices from the list of different options that have been developed as a class. This should be a collaborative exercise (like filmmaking) but individual elements can be divided amongst the group if preferred. Each group should have a copy of the text being adapted and using different colours for each creative element can annotate this with notes on creative decisions. Each group presents their scenes by the children each taking filmmaking roles (actors, director, lighting, sound, special effects) and explaining what is happening in the scene with each of their creative elements. They also need to explain why they made those particular choices. Note 1: The focus in this activity is less on drama and more on creative decisions for the screen but this activity could be expanded into a longer series of lessons involving adapting the book text to screenplay. Note 2: This activity could take place after having seen the film OR it could be interesting to see what the pupils decide on before watching the film and then compare their choices with those of the filmmakers. ©Created by Declan McGill with additional material from Hilary Pearce for Picturehouse Education November 2012 Useful Links and Further Reading Interview with author http://www.terabithia.com/questions.html Questions asked by children and teachers in an online interview with Katherine Paterson. Anti-­‐Bullying Sites www.anti-­‐bullyingalliance.org.uk The organisation responsible for establishing Anti-­‐Bullying Week. www.childline.org.uk www.antibullying.net www.bullying.co.uk www.beatbullying.org Other learning resources Film Education resource http://www.filmeducation.org/pdf/film/Bridge_To_Terabithia_Bullying_Teachers_Notes.pdf Note: the CD Rom digital resource is not currently available, so to accompany ‘Part One – Film Clip Analysis and Discussion’ you could use a link on YouTube • ‘Free to pee’ Clip (1.05 min) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXFRbgR1wIY Rio Cinema resource http://www.riocinemaeducation.org.uk//index.php?sect=Coming%20soon&page=Bridge%20to%20Terabi
thia%20(PG) Resources from Walden (publishers of ‘Bridge to Terabithia’) http://www.walden.com/education/bridge-­‐to-­‐terabithia/ ©Created by Declan McGill with additional material from Hilary Pearce for Picturehouse Education November 2012 Bullying
‘Leslie liked to make up stories about the giants that threatened the peace of Terabithia, but
they both knew that the real giant in their lives was Janice Avery.’
Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson (Puffin, 1995)
Unfortunately, most of us have experienced bullying at some point in our lives, either as a
victim, a bully or a bystander. For Jess and Leslie in Bridge to Terabithia, the bully is
Janice Avery.
Use these notes to form part of your school’s anti-bullying policy. They use a clip from the
film Bridge to Terabithia called ‘Free to Pee!’ (which can be located in the ‘Bullying’
section of the Bridge to Terabithia Digital Resource CD-ROM), plus background notes for
use in a whole-school assembly context.
©Film Education 2007, ©Icon Film Distribution 2007 All Rights Reserved
www.filmeducation.org www.bridgetoterabithia.co.uk
PSHE and Citizenship – Bullying
Years 4 – 6
Film Clip Analysis and Discussion
Discussion – ‘Free to Pee!’
Jess’ little sister, May Belle arrives onto the playground proudly proclaiming that her daddy
has given her a ‘Twinkie’ (a kind of doughnut) Jess tells her to be quiet, or else she will lose
her Twinkie to the school bully, Janice Avery.
Discussion point 1:
Is it fair that May Belle isn’t allowed to be excited about her Twinkie?
Do you think Jess is right for telling her to be quiet?
Have you ever experienced this type of atmosphere where you have to keep quiet about
something to stop it from being taken? How did it make you feel?
What is the solution to this problem?
It’s not long before Jess is proved right, and May Belle comes running to him in tears telling
him that Janice has taken her Twinkie. She asks him for help, but he is reluctant to get involved.
She pesters him, saying that Janice and her gang are charging people to use the toilet!
Discussion point 2:
Why do you think Jess is reluctant to get involved?
What would you do in this situation?
Leslie comes over and suggests that Janice is being unfair and that she needs to be
challenged. She starts a mini rebellion, leading a group of small children towards Janice and
her gang shouting ‘free to pee!’ over and over.
Discussion point 3:
How would you describe Leslie and her actions?
How do you think Jess feels about what Leslie is doing?
The group don’t win this particular battle, and Jess tells his sister that he can’t help because
if he does, he’ll be in trouble for hitting a girl. May Belle is crying. Leslie tells her not to
worry – they’ll get Janice back some day. Janice and her gang are laughing cruelly in the
background.
©Film Education 2007, ©Icon Film Distribution 2007 All Rights Reserved
www.filmeducation.org www.bridgetoterabithia.co.uk
Discussion point 4:
Describe how each of these characters feels at the end of this scene:
May Belle
Leslie
Jess
Janice
What impact has Janice’s bullying had on the school as a whole?
What is the solution?
One way of addressing the problem of bullying in schools is to make sure everyone (pupils,
teachers, staff, parents) is aware of the school’s Anti-bullying Manifesto.
PSHE and Citizenship – Anti-bullying Manifesto
Whole School Assembly Notes
Show the ‘Free to Pee!’ clip to the whole school and ask for feedback.
Explain that there is acceptable behaviour, and unacceptable behaviour, and that bullies will
not be tolerated.
Display this Anti-bullying Manifesto on the interactive whiteboard and elsewhere so that
everyone can see it. Go through each point carefully, explaining the terminology and giving
examples where necessary.
Anti-bullying Manifesto
In this school, we treat each other with respect.
We do not:
1. Call each other names
2. Hit, punch, kick or hurt each other
3. Ignore people so that they are isolated
4. Spread rumours about each other
5. Threaten people
6. Steal things or take things from each other
7. Laugh at people
8. Scare people
9. Gang up on people
10. Make jokes about people because they are different
©Film Education 2007, ©Icon Film Distribution 2007 All Rights Reserved
www.filmeducation.org www.bridgetoterabithia.co.uk
At the end of the assembly, show the clip entitled ‘The Music Lesson’, which can be found
in the ‘Keep Your Mind Wide Open’ section of the Bridge to Terabithia Digital Resource
CD-ROM. Before you show it, explain that the aim of the Manifesto is to ensure that
everybody in the school feels safe and happy, and to encourage people to work and play
together, as friends. ‘The Music Lesson’ clip shows children singing together and attempting
to make friends – an exemplary model of behaviour for any school.
Make sure teachers and pupils are aware that they can share their thoughts, views and
experiences of bullying at the Film Education / Bridge to Terabithia ‘Bullying Blog’ website
– found at www.filmeducation.org/bridgetoterabithia
Send letters home to parents stating the school’s Anti-bullying Manifesto and asking for
their support.
Being a Bully
Sometimes, bullies can’t help being horrible. They have reasons for their actions. In the film
Bridge to Terabithia, Janice Avery is the biggest bully of all. She is horrible to Jess, Leslie
and May Belle. Leslie and Jess have to take drastic actions to make her stop.
One day, Leslie finds Janice crying in the girls’ toilet. It turns out that Janice is being bullied
at home. It is often the case that children who see bullying at home copy it when they are at
school. It is important to remember that a bully may be bullying because they are so scared
of becoming victims themselves.
When Jess and Leslie offer Janice friendship, she stops bullying them.
ICT, PSHE and Citizenship – Bullying Issues
Years 3 – 6
Activity – Bullying Blog
Children who are victims of bullying or bullies themselves are invited to add a blog to the
filmeducation.org/bridgetoterabithia ‘Bullying Blog’. They could use the forum to share
their experiences of bullying, or to make suggestions about how bullies can be tackled and
stopped.
©Film Education 2007, ©Icon Film Distribution 2007 All Rights Reserved
www.filmeducation.org www.bridgetoterabithia.co.uk
Useful anti-bullying websites:
Anti-bullying Week 2007 will be 19-23 November
www.beatbullying.org/
- seminars, training courses and conferences for young people and professionals plus
anti-bullying tool kits.
www.bullying.co.uk/
- people are invited to write letters into the website to which responses are posted. Widely
used in schools to cover bullying in the curriculum:
The charity's work has expanded over the years and includes work with schools, youth
organisations, police forces and health trusts, running workshops and speaking at
conferences. They help up to 50,000 pupils a year through the distribution of leaflets and
other anti-bullying resources.
www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/page.asp
- the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) was founded by NSPCC and the National Children's
Bureau in 2002. The Alliance brings together 65 organisations into one network with the
aim of reducing bullying and creating safer environments in which children and young
people can live, grow, play and learn.
www.antibullying.net
- information for schools about how to deal with specific problems;
e.g. how to deal with homophobic bullying.
www.kidscape.org.uk
- provides DVD’s and a helpline for parents of bullied children. Also deals with abuse and
sexual abuse.
©Film Education 2007, ©Icon Film Distribution 2007 All Rights Reserved
www.filmeducation.org www.bridgetoterabithia.co.uk