Short Screen Play Lesson Plan
Grade Level: 8
Subject: English
Author: Matthew McCutcheon & Michelle Halliday
Unit: Screen Play
Thesis Statement
Students will work independently to manipulate their short stories into screenplays.
Credit
This assignment has been our own creation. It was originally conceptualized as the perfect project to finish the year in Grade 8 ELA. Websites that we consulted to aid in this process were as follows: www.imsdb.com (internet script database), http://www.screenwriting.info, http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Screenplay, http://www.scriptologist.com/Magazine/Formatting/formatting.html (this one is equipped with a very useful example for the students, effective step-by-step approach)
Background to Lesson
· Students must have a story with the key elements (characters, theme, setting, conflict, plot)
· Students will be required to have the draft of their story available for this lesson
Goal
· Students will gain an understanding of how to format their story into a screenplay to create a proper and useful script
· The ultimate goal of this first class is to get the students to begin to format correctly à they should aim to get their first scene formatted
Tasks
· Students will begin by sharing the hook in each of their stories – this can be one by one as a main group, or in small groups, or partners
· Students will then take nothing but their story’s hook and curtail that into an opening scene in their screenplay
· They will learn the proper formatting to create an effective header to their screenplay (ex. INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT) à this tells the reader whether the first shot is inside (INT for Interior), where it’s shot and the time of day
· Students then take time to briefly describe the opening setting and the main character introduced at the beginning à in both of these descriptions, the physical/visual characteristics are vitally important
· Teacher scours the room to help each child individually to make sure that they are on track
· Students will then begin scripting their story, keeping a few rules in place: always centre the character that is speaking and their lines (underneath the speaker, students must identify how the lines are uttered), always keep the action descriptions to the left hand side, as well as the movement/blocking of characters
Outcomes
· 10.2 & 10.4 are being primarily focused upon but we could assess any or all of the following outcomes.
Outcomes:
GCO 2: communicate using clear oral communication
2.1 contribute to small-group and whole class discussions using a variety of strategies for effective talk
2.2 use appropriate vocabulary, sentence structure, speed of talking, and tone for different audiences and purposes
2.3 give instructions and follow instructions
2.4 respond appropriately to instructions, directions, and questions
2.5 evaluate the effectiveness of their own and others’ talk based on the context and message
2.6 understand how the content and message are affected by verbal and non-verbal language (repetition, eye contact, and volume)
GCO 3: interact with sensitivity and respect
3.1 demonstrate active listening (eye contact, rephrasing, clarifying, extending, refining, and summarizing)
3.2 show respect and sensitivity toward others and their differences when giving personal opinions
GCO 9: create a variety of texts
9.2 consider and craft writing (content, word choice, style, tone, form, structure, organization) to suit the audience and purpose
9.4 ask for feedback about writing and apply it to future drafts
GCO 10: produce clear and effective writing and other representations
10.1 use spelling conventions for familiar words and attempt difficult words; check for correctness; use standard punctuation, grammar, variety of sentences, vocabulary, and paragraph structures
10.2 choose and apply the appropriate prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, and presentation strategies when creating texts
10.3 use various technologies for the purpose of communicating (video, email, word processing, audiotape, Internet)
10.4 demonstrate a commitment to crafting writing and other representation
Activity / OutcomeShort Story Brainstorm / 9.2, 10.4
Short Story / 9.4, 10.1, 10.2, 10.4
Conferring / 9.4
Screenplay template / 10.2, 10.4
Screenplay / 10.2, 10.4
Presentation of screenplay / 2.1, 2.2, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2
Screenplay roles / 2.3, 2.4, 2.5
Auditions / 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2
Production / 3.1, 3.2, 10.3
Screenplay – final product / 10.4
Assessment and Evaluation
· Students will be assessed at the end of the class based on the work they submit
· Their brief introductions will be assessed for the above mentioned outcomes and then returned at the commencement of the next class à this will help fix any bad habits before they become a problem
Tools
· LCD Projector
· Internet Connectivity
· Website: http://www.scriptologist.com/Magazine/Formatting/formatting.html
Technology Integration
· Eventually all students will be transferring their screenplays onto the computers à in this initial lesson, a few students may log in to show the other students how they formatted theirs
· Technology integration isn’t immediate with this lesson, as we try to get the students to first learn by free-hand how to properly format their screenplays
Student Expectations
· Students should be looking to understand the process of transferring their work into the screenplay format
· For this lesson, students should be aiming to convert their first scene into a proper screenplay format à on loose-leaf first, then onto the computer
Goals
1. The ultimate goal of this assignment is to create short films – this process is not only relevant and contemporary for the students, it’s also capable of assessing multiple intelligences corresponding to multiple outcomes
2. Students will learn to work together in this process by sharing ideas, acting in films, supporting production and contributing to the finished editing
3. Students will gain experience in the three stages of project production beginning with story writing, screenplay conversion and then the creation of short films
Objectives
1. Students will be able to create a story with a particular focus on making their ideas visual
2. Students will meet many ELA outcomes pertaining to speaking and listening and writing and representing
3. Students will be able to understand the proper way to create a very relevant medium of communication as they learn the necessary components of a screenplay
4. Students will work collaboratively to complete this assignment
Creativity
· Students are given absolute creative license to write any type of story they wish
· Every idea is entertained and students are given dozens of prompts to assist in beginning the writing process
· Students are asked to pay particular attention to the visual components of this assignment to ensure that they create work that can be represented in film
· Creativity is further developed as the students manipulate their work into screenplays and then into short films
· Students are involved in every aspect of the short film – they film, direct, produce and act in the short films à the teacher acts merely as a moderator in this process
Rationale
Project based learning has been something that we both believe in and have tried to implement into our respective curriculums. One project idea that arose this year was the idea of taking stories and making them into short films. The key component of this exercise was to teach the students to learn how to properly format a screenplay. This project was designed for a Grade 8 ELA curriculum and ideally would be implemented in Term 3.
The resulting screenplays would provide the platform for the making of a short film with group members available in the class. The beautiful aspect of this assignment is the multiple intelligences it taps into through the duration of the assignment. Every student is expected to write a story that they create, with any genre available to them (Comedy, Drama, Mystery, etc...). Brainstorming for the story involves looking at visual images to use as story starters. This helps with the visual concept of the assignment. The story is completed using the workshop model and through extensive conferencing.
Once the student has created the story, they are taught how to convert the story into a screenplay. Students are given a template of a screenplay that we create and asked to use it as a reference to help them in their creation of their own screenplay. We look at various screenplays of movies they know – one great screenplay and video combo is “Stranger Than Fiction.” Students begin their screenplay line for line with as much direct help as possible.
Upon the creation of their screenplay, students are then asked to conference with the class and “pitch” their idea for a movie. This is where we as educators have to assess both the likability and compatibility of the movie idea in order to see it created by members of the class. All students that want their film created will have opportunities to do them on their own, but as a class we will create 3 of them.
At the end of the year all the classes in Grade 8 gather in the movie theatre available at Bicentennial School and watch their short films in a “Film Fest” type of format. Parents are invited and the entire project is created by the students.
The multiple intelligences that are met in this assignment are Bodily Kinesthetic, Visual-Spatial, Linguistic, Interpersonal and Musical. The entire assignment essentially meets the entire ELA curriculum if you wanted to assess it that way, but we tend to focus on only a few of the outcomes. Writing outcomes are assessed in the early part of the assignment, while speaking and listening outcomes are assessed later on during the short film creation. This is designed to encourage students to stay focused at the end of the year. It is an amazing project to finish the year with.