10/2: HOMEWORK: Read through chapter 2 in All Quiet for Thursday. Continue to work on the assessment (due Friday). You can see sample storyboards from class on the "sample storyboard" page (it's on the drop down menu under this page).
In class, work day for the projects/papers.
10/1: HOMEWORK: Continue to work on the assessment. You can see sample storyboards from class on the "sample storyboard" page (it's on the drop down menu under this page). Also, read through chap 2 in All Quiet on the Western Front for Thursday.
In class, we worked with the poem "Facing It" and practiced storyboarding using an image.
9/27: HOMEWORK: Continue to work on the assessment.
Here's the grading criteria for the projects.
Here's a sample text mark up. You'll notice that the mark up includes patterns and notes. On the side, I am working out what I think about what I discovered, including trying out a couple of possible thematic ideas. The one at the bottom (boxed) is the one that I think works best.
Here's my sample list of close reading a scene from the film
Here's a draft of a film paragraph. You'll see that it has a topic sentence that states the theme and then uses two scenes to make the argument.
Here's a video that gives you background for storyboarding.
Here's the graphic organizer for storyboarding, if you want it.
Children of Men clips:Opening scene, Julian's death, battle scene (long take), Theo and Kee's escape with baby (ceasefire), Compilation of every take longer than 45 seconds, (1:16 - tv screens on bus, 2:09 Julian and her explanation of the ringing in Theo's ear, 7:50 Julian's burial, 9:00 Fishes plot revealed, 9:57 Escape, 11:45 Faith and chance, 13:42 Janice's death, 17:06 arrival at Bexhill, 18:00 birth, 21:20 Sid's death. 24:22 - battle scene, including Luke shoots Theo).
9/26: HOMEWORK: Complete at least one of the close reading assignments (either the 2 sections from the book or the 2 scenes from film - see links below). In class - worked on assessment. For those thinking about storyboarding, check this list of changes Cuaron made from novel to film.
Here's a video that gives you background for storyboarding.
9/25: HOMEWORK: Please read the Boot Camp assessment and come with questions. In class, we worked on filmic techniques looking at two scenes in the film (added Deep Focus and montage to the film vocabulary and worked with "Home."
9/21: HOMEWORK: Work with Warsan Shire's poem "Home." Poem and instructions are here
9/20: HOMEWORK: Continue reading and respond to end of film and connections to book. In class, we watched the rest of Children of Men.
9/18: HOMEWORK: Continue reading - finish for Friday. In class: we continued watching Children of Men.
9/17: HOMEWORK: Continue reading - finish for Friday. In class- 15 minutes in reading groups to talk/share best thematic ideas. I collected Friday's classwork. We started Children of Men.
9/14: HOmeWORK: Read at least 60 pages for Monday. In class, close reading work
9/12: HOMEWORK: Read at least 30 pages before Friday. Finish revising for Friday. In class, we practiced filmic techniques with the opening to Batman and practiced close reading with an excerpt of Children of Men.
9/11: HOMEWORK: Read at least 30 pages before Friday. Finish revising for Friday. In class, we worked on revision techniques for the "Movie I Love" assessment.
9/10: HOMEWORK: Read for at least 45 minutes 2times between now and Tuesday. In class, work on the "Movie I Love" sticky paragraphs.
9/7: HOMEWORK: Read for at least 45 minutes 2times between now and Tuesday. In class, we explored close reading by practicing together, then applying it to choice books. Students met in groups to share what they discovered.
9/6: HOMEWORK: Read for at least 45 minutes. Mark places where scenes stick and would be worth revisting for close reading.
In class - working on camera techniques.
9/5: HOMEWORK: Read for at least 45 minutes for Friday.
In class: What's sticky about the story? When you close your eyes and think about the story, what stays with you? Character? Relationships? Belief? A particular scene? The way a character or scene makes you feel? Choose one scene that is sticky and describe in as many details as you remember, then reflect on why it matters (fill at least one side of the notecard).
We looked again at the the opening of Blade Runner in order to talk about film techniques.
8/31: Homework: Read 45 minutes of the book you chose for Wednesday's class.
In class: We worked on revision using two student drafts. The key is less plot summary, more specific detailed description of scenes.
8/30: In class - to start, complete whichever assignment you did not do for homework last night (movie I love paragraph or Kelly Marie Tran's essay). We'll start first with a discussion about your responses to Tran's essay, to the ideas she expressed and to connections between her ideas, your movie-watching (and reading) experiences and Daniel Taylor's quote. Next, response and revision of the paragraph: from others, what lines best convey a reason for your love, where can plot be condensed, what details can be added to really sell the idea that the movie is worthy of your love? Revise for tomorrow. Here's my paragraph
8/29: HOMEWORK: Complete one of the following for homework tonight. Either write the first draft of your "Why I love this movie" essay (it should be a solid paragraph with three specific examples to convince others it's a movie worthy of your love) or read and respond to Kelly Marie Tran's essay about stories and identity.
In class, we paired up to talk through our prewriting/first draft of the film we love essay and we watched a scene from a film in order to take our first steps toward practicing reading a film.
8/28: HOMEWORK: Please read the guiding quotes (HOME page) and the syllabus and other course materials on the Novel and Film page. Bring any questions and the syllabus sign off with you to class.
In class: Please freewrite in your journals for 8 minutes about what kind of a reader you are. What do you read? When? What do you love? What is difficult for you as a reader? What/who influences your reading choices? After you've written: on the front of the notecard, list the 5 most important things for me to know about you as a reader. On the back of the notecard, What is your relationship to film? How/how often do you watch movies? Do you watch in theater, in one sitting, in parts but in order, randomly? What kinds of films are you drawn to and why? What genres do you avoid and why? Please hand in the notecard at the end of class.