A Primer in (Film) Grammar (6-8)

According to research releasesd by the Nickelodian network in 2013, children born during the last ten years spend an average of 45 hours each week in front of a screen, with about 75% of that time devoted to television and the rest to other devices. Our students live in this image-saturated culture, but few of them have the critical tools to interpret the tidal wave of carefully engineered messages they encounter. Short films can provide a fruitful text for teaching the visual vocabulary required to analyze how ideas and emotions are expressed in pictures. This session wilil explore introductory mini-lessons that might launch a rewarding reading of images in your classroom.

About the presenter, Prof. Paul Grubbs - After emergency teaching in the Czech Republic, Paul was assigned to Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton, Wisconsin in 2003. For eight years, he taught junior-level literature and composition courses and assisted with yearbook and forensics. In 2011, Paul accepted a call to Martin Luther College. He teaches a wide range of English courses including an elective focused on Film and Mass Media.