A. Engage the Learner - RI.7.7 (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: Students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 2.

• Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use the Dance Card protocol to have students share their responses with a strategic partner.

1. 1. Move students into pairs, and invite them to label themselves A and B.

   2. Pose the first question, and give students time to think independently and silently about their answer to the question.

   3. Invite partner A to ask partner B the question.

   4. Give partner B a specified time frame (e.g., 30 seconds, 1 minute) to share his or her response.

   5. Have partners reverse roles and repeat steps 3-4.

   6. Using a total participation technique (e.g., cold call, equity sticks), invite students to share their responses with the whole group.

   7. Repeat this process with different partnerships for items 2 and 3.

• Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as in previous lessons.

• With students, use the vocabulary strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart to deconstruct the words transcript (a written version of spoken words, as in a movie) and portrayal (portrait, or description of a subject). Record the words on the academic word wall and domain-specific word wall with translations in home languages, where appropriate, and invite students to record words in their vocabulary logs.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

For the entrance ticket in Opening A, encourage students to work independently at first to highlight key words and phrases in the transcript and grapple to answer the questions. Then they can share their highlights and responses with a partner to check and expand their work. Grappling first and then working with a partner will increase student engagement, independence, and speaking and listening skills.

For the entrance ticket in Opening A, encourage students to work in pairs to highlight key words and phrases in the transcript and to answer the questions. Pair students by either content or language proficiency. Strategic grouping affords students the opportunity of supporting and being challenged by others.

A. Watch and Analyze the Video – SL.7.2 (20 minutes)

• Review the appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can identify the main ideas in a clip of A Plastic Ocean and explain how they are conveyed.”

• Explain to students that today they will analyze a clip from the documentary A Plastic Ocean, focusing on identifying the main ideas in the video and the techniques the filmmakers use to convey their ideas.

• Distribute the Analyze A Plastic Ocean (14:20–16:07) note-catcher and the Analyze A Plastic Ocean (14:20–16:07) note-catcher ▲ as necessary. The differentiated note-catcher supports students’ comprehension and writing with sentence starters. ▲ Explain the design of the note-catcher: in the top box, “Common techniques in a video,” students will brainstorm ideas about what techniques the filmmakers use to convey their ideas as a class, after they watch the clip. Students will add the main ideas and the techniques in this specific clip in the appropriate boxes on the note-catcher. Point out the “Zoom-in on excerpt” box and explain to students that they will focus on a portion of the transcript, or the written version of the movie, and compare it to the video in the following activity. Reference the Analyze A Plastic Ocean (14:20–16:07) note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as needed.

• Play the clip (14:20–16:07) of A Plastic Ocean, and invite students to take notes in their note-catchers about the gist of the clip and the main ideas they hear and see.

• Use a whole-class participation technique to ask students what the gist of this clip is. (People use a lot of plastic, and it stays in the environment.)

• Invite students to form partnerships with either a Dance Card partner or another classmate. Then ask them to Think-Pair-Share about the main ideas they identified in the clip. (Two main ideas are that people use a lot of water bottles and single-use plastic and that plastic is wonderful and terrible because it is durable.)

“What does durable mean as it is used in this clip? What in the video helps you understand the meaning of the word?” (Durable means that something lasts a long time. This meaning is clear from the clip because the narrator is talking about how plastic stays around for a long time.)

• Record the word durable on the academic word wall with translations in home languages, where appropriate, and invite students to record words in their vocabulary logs.

• Use a whole-participation technique to ask students what techniques they noted on their entrance tickets as well as from watching the clip the first time. (Some of the techniques filmmakers use include specific images, video, maps, graphics, narration, interviews, and music.)

• Play the clip a second time, and tell students to pay attention to what techniques they see and hear in the clip.

• Display the Techniques anchor chart from Module 3 and ask students to recall their work identifying the common techniques in literature, art, dance, and music and the effects these techniques had. Reference the Techniques anchor chart (example for teacher reference) as needed. Tell students that documentary filmmakers are also using their medium to tell a story, even though it is based on facts and about the real world. Throughout the unit, they will be thinking about how the common techniques in video add to the story and information conveyed in A Plastic Ocean.

• To guide discussion about the common techniques used in video, use a total participation technique to ask the following questions:

“What do you see and hear as you watch the video? How does this affect the ideas that are being discussed or the information that is given?” (We see images of the huge amount of plastic and text explaining how much plastic is used. This gives us an idea of what the plastic looks like and how much of it there is. We hear the voice of the narrator explaining how much plastic is used. We also hear music in the background, which makes the film more interesting.)

• Record the ideas students generate on the Techniques anchor chart.

• Redirect students’ attention to their note-catchers, and ask them to complete the section titled “Techniques used to support ideas in the clips.” Inform students that they should use the techniques they brainstormed as a class to fill this section out, while being more specific about how each technique is used in the clip. Display and model filling out the note-catcher with the class.

• Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

Some students may have familiarity with either documentary film techniques or plastic pollution content. If so, before Work Time A, ask them to share their experiences with their classmates. As necessary, prompt these students with questions such as the following: 

What techniques do directors use when making a documentary? How do they create mood or emotions in the viewers? What do they do with lighting and camera angles? Why? What is plastic pollution? Where does plastic pollute? Why is it bad? What can be done about it?

Asset-based instruction increases students’ confidence and engagement with the topics of film techniques and plastic pollution.

Some students may have familiarity with either documentary film techniques or plastic pollution content. If so, before Work Time A, ask them to share their experiences with their classmates. If students don’t feel comfortable sharing their experiences with their classmates, they can draw or write about them. They can also share with a partner or with the teacher who can share with the class. Asset-based instruction increases students’ confidence and engagement with the topics of film techniques and plastic pollution.

During Work Time A and B, invite students to use the Analyze A Plastic Ocean (14:20–16:07) note-catcher ▲. This resource features sentence starters that support students with comprehension and writing.

B. Compare Transcript and Video - RI.7.7 (15 minutes)

• Review appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

"I can compare the way a transcript of A Plastic Ocean portrays a subject to the way it is portrayed in the video."

• Explain to students that now that they have watched the clip and thought about the main ideas and techniques used, they are going to focus on an excerpt of the transcript from the clip in order to see how the techniques filmmakers use add to the ideas and information found in a transcript of the video. Remind students of the definition they found of transcript in the opening activity, of the written words said in a video or speech.

• Direct students' attention to the section on their note-catchers titled "Zoom in on an excerpt." Ask students to read this excerpt of the transcript, and then replay the video clip.

• Invite students to Turn and Talk: 

"What techniques do the filmmakers use in this section of the video? How do the techniques that the filmmakers use in this section add to the words and develop the ideas in them?" (The video starts off by showing a lot of plastic to develop the ideas of how much plastic is being made and used. Next, the video shows the speaker sitting on a large mound of plastic. This makes the statistic in the transcript about the large amount of plastic even clearer, as the camera zooms out and we see how large the pile of plastic is. Then, at the end of the video a graphic and text appear to tell how much plastic has been produced since we started watching this video. The graphic and text make the point from the transcript about the amount of plastic even clearer.)

• Play the clip again and use a whole-class participation technique to ask students what else they noticed about the clip and how the video adds to the ideas and information in the transcript. Allow time for students to record their responses in the last box of the note-catcher. For possible responses, see Analyze A Plastic Ocean (14:20-16:07) note-catcher (example for teacher reference).

• Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

Asset-based instruction increases students’ confidence and engagement with the topics of film techniques and plastic pollution.

During Work Time A and B, invite students to use the Analyze A Plastic Ocean (14:20–16:07) note-catcher ▲. This resource features sentence starters that support students with comprehension and writing.

A. Silent Discussion on Habits of Character (5 minutes)

• Distribute a piece of lined paper to each student, and ask them to write their name at the top. Explain that they will use this paper to conduct a silent discussion. Explain that in a silent discussion, students write a sentence or two in response to a prompt and then pass their paper to a partner who writes a sentence or two to add to their ideas. The silent discussion continues as papers continue to get passed from student to student. Post and read aloud the following prompt:

  • "What habits of character did you see in this film clip? Who demonstrated them? What did they look/sound like?" (Possible response: Craig Leeson demonstrates contributing to make the world a better place by informing the public about the problem of plastic pollution and inspiring environmental action.)

• Instruct students to respond to the prompt by writing one or two sentences. Then ask all students to pass their papers to a classmate who will add to their ideas. Instruct students to pass their papers several more times. Then have students return the papers to their original writer, and allow a minute for students to read their discussions.

• Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS 

In Closing and Assessment A, allow students to respond to the discussion prompts in the modality that best suits them. They may want to record their responses in writing or practice their oral responses with a partner before sharing them out. Allowing students to respond in multiple ways increases their confidence and success in analyzing habits of character.

In Closing and Assessment A, allow students to respond to the discussion prompts in the modality that best suits them. They may want to record their responses in writing or practice their oral responses with a partner before sharing them out. They may want to share their responses in their home language. Allowing students to respond in multiple ways increases their confidence and success in analyzing habits of character.