Evidence+and+Interpretation+-+Thinking+About+Relevance+in+Hollywood+Movies

EVIDENCE AND INTERPRETATION - Thinking About Relevance in Hollywood Trailers

 * Strategy/challenge: Drawing relevant and a plausible inferences from a clip of a hollywood movie.

Catalyst for Thinking: Trailer of a Hollywood Movie

Description: The Day After Tomorrow Twister 2012 Slumdog Millionare Roger and Me Dante's Peak Radiant City The Last King of Scotland Wag the Dog

Objective (purpose)**/occasions/applications**: - looking for data to answer a specific question Selection of Data: - Trailer needs to have connection to course, unit, themes, curriculum requirements, etc.

//Connect to students' previous knowledge

- Explain to students that we would like to show more Hollywood movies because we know you enjoy watching them. However, Hollywood movies are made for entertainment and we need to make sure that there is strong connection to our course, unit, themes, curriculum requirements. - Invite students to consider the reasons why Hollywood movies would be appropriate for a class to view //

//Introduce the task//

- Share with students their challenge: To draw relevant inferences from a movie trailer to determine if the movie would be suitable to purchase for our studies. - Suggest that is important to be circumspect when examining images, actions and the script. This means to hold off on jumping to conclusions and be tentative in one's beliefs until there is enough evidence to form a valid conclusion. Invite students to be circumspect by brainstorming why we might not trust the trailer presented (e.g. we don't know what scenes were not included, we don't know the intent of the editor, ect.) **

//Build Criteria for discovering what is relevant

- Show a movie trailer that is relevant to current studies (Ex. Grade 11 Physical Geography class could watch the trailer for Twister) - Invite students to work in pairs to discuss what criteria they would use to convince their teacher that this is a relevant movie to show to the class. - Pairs share their top two criteria for relevance with the class. - Based on their answer suggest that they have uncovered criteria for relevance. - Criteria for relevant: - appropriate grade level/audience - ideas/themes/plot relate to course - geographic content is accurate - visuals are applicable

////Apply the Criteria//

- Show the same movie trailer again and ask the students to complete "Criteria for Relevance" template and complete the recommendation to teacher.

**Criteria for Relevance** || **Evidence of Relevance** || ¨ Violence ¨ Language/vocabulary ¨ Rating ||
 * Grade level (Appropriate for audience, grade level)**
 * Grade level (Appropriate for audience, grade level)**

1 2 3 4 5 || ¨ Relates to current studies ||
 * Ideas/Themes (Plot)**
 * Ideas/Themes (Plot)**

1 2 3 4 5 || ¨ Are relevant to current studies ||
 * Visuals**
 * Visuals**

1 2 3 4 5 || ¨ Is accurate ||
 * Geographic Content**
 * Geographic Content**

1 2 3 4 5 ||
 * Recommendation to the teacher:** ||
 * Recommendation to the teacher:** ||

//Student selection and determining relevance

- Inform students that they are to find an additional Hollywood trailer that is related to our studies. - Have students complete the "Criteria for Relevance" template and the recommendation to teacher for their new Hollywood trailer. //

//Opportunities for Differentiation

- Instead of allowing students to find own trailers, teacher can provide a list of trailers - Flexible groups (ie. pairs or small groups) could be used//