Grandad’s Gifts
Program: / Round the TwistYear Level: / Year 5 to Year 9
Curriculum Study Areas: / English
Themes/Topics: / Film Language; Narrative Structure; Humour and Satire; Symbolism and Icons
Description: / With this set of activities students analyse narrative structure in fantasy stories and the notion of poetic justice.
Resources: / Grandad's Giftsep. 3 vol. 5Round the Twist 2
Lesson plan:
Charting narrative structure
ViewGrandad's Gifts
This episode is constructed around two parallel stories, one of which is part of the continuing narrative and the other self contained in the episode. They can be described as Dad Twist's story and Linda's story.
Class discussion
After viewing the full episode, chart the narrative structure of each story on the board. Begin by establishing the similarities between the two stories. For example:
Linda's story:- begins with a dream
- about emotions and feelings for an animal
- her feelings are ignored
- story is part of fantasy and the improbable
- story has a happy ending / Dad Twist's story:
- begins with a dream
- about emotions and feelings for a person
- people do not take his hurt seriously
- story is part of the real world
- no ending - the story continues
Closed and open texts
Class discussion
Use the notes on the board as an introduction to the discussion of closed and open texts. Linda's story has a conclusion but Dad Twist's does not. Discuss the possibilities of the continuing narrative.
Text analysis
Re-view the episode
The opening scenes are useful for teaching the skills of textual analysis and the construction of the episode. Play the DVD up to the point at which Linda wakes from her dream.
Class discussion
Discuss the following, emphasising the use of visual clues and the recognition of codes and conventions (costumes, props, sepia tones, music, angles of shots, surrounding environment). Discussion questions:
- How many time periods have been seen?
- Are we to believe the first shot of the cliff' below the light house is from 'now' or in the past?
- What visual clues are we given that the next scene is set in the past?
- How does the music contribute to the sense of the past?
- How is it different from modern day sound tracks?
Poetic justice
Class discussion
Discuss poetic justice as it is presented in Grandad's Gifts.Use these questions as prompts:
- What are the gifts?
- What do the gifts bring Grandad and the fox? What effects do they have on them?
- Who gained the most from the gift?
Fantasy stories
Individual activity
Grandad's Gifts has a slightly spiritual feel to it. The events which happen (such as the fox coming to life) are improbable but fantasy stories are about possibility rather than probability. Read (or ask students to name stories from other media) another similar fantasy story from literature then ask students to create their own. Some suggestions are:
- a magic rock,
- a friend that no one else can see,
- the ability to cure sick people.
Symbolism
Class discussion
This episode is useful for teaching the concept of symbolism and its cultural and meaning-making links. Discuss the changing condition of the tree as symbolic of the fox's need to be buried in peace.
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