An Interesting Way to Teach.

Today I came across a fantastic visual literacy website; The Literacy Shed, that offers animation that can be used within educational planning. In their Shed Full of Animations there is a fantastic array of animations to choose from to incorporate into lesson planning.

This animation; BROKEN: Rock, Paper, Scissors offers a wonderful insight for children into what it would be like if Rock, Paper and Scissors from the popular game, ever met.  The animation itself creates an awe inspiring atmosphere without words with the ambiance created through the fabulous 3D animation and atmospheric music.


 

The story line is gripping, a little scary and extremely moving which, in my opinion, will entice the viewers attention and create Identification, empathy towards the characters thus allowing the educator to embed many of the aspects of the curriculum such as P,S,E, Literacy, Creativity, Communication, Thinking Skills and ESDGC into this creative lesson.

 

The Literacy Shed offer these ideas into meaningful and thematic lesson planning for this particular animation which will cover most learning objectives in Key Stage 2 however could be adapted to Year 1 and 2 in the Foundation Phase, and supports outcomes required by the Literacy and Numeracy Framework.
 

Teaching Ideas

• Write character profiles for the 3 main characters.
• Compare and contrast the character traits.
• Write a description of paper from the point of view of Rock.
• Think about the game and how Rock could defeat scissors.
• Create a wanted poster for Scissors.
• Create models of each character out of suitable materials, e.g. origami for paper and clay for rock.
• Create setting descriptions for each character's home.
• Write the story from the point of view of each character.
• Write the dialogue between Rock and Paper when he tried to persuade her to come with him.
• Add tension to the narrative for the chase and battle scenes.
• Focus on story endings, starting when Paper wakes up. 
• Write 'Origins' stories for each of them, where have they come from? How where they created?

This web site really is a fantastic resource and I am glad that I found it.  Planning creative interesting lessons for children that will engross and interest the children is a key requirement for todays learners so they believe that learning is fun and is also invaluable to the practitioner to combine many curriculum requirements into one lesson. 

Watching animation to deliver a lesson however comes with many angles of learning and as Ploetzner and Schlag (2013) explain learning strategies must be developed for the learner to internalise and draw meaning from the animation.

The Importance of Sound

'[Sound] is a magical thing...it is the thing that can add so much emotion...it's a thing that can add all the mood...It sets the tone...'         

 David Lynch

Silence can arouse emotion in itself, it can feel peaceful, mournful, lonely, moody or sinister, but in film can it mean the same thing?  If you have ever tried to watch something without the sound it can be quite boring and meaningless.  Sound in film, as David Lynch film producer states, can be 100% of the film itself.  Sound relays meaning and mood, giving the viewer a feel for the situation the film is portraying.  Reflecting on this I was reminded of the famous Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho shower scene.  This 1960's classic horror is filmed in black and white, a far cry from modern HD high specification colour films.  However this film is iconic and a perfect example of how sound sets a mood and conveys the emotion of a character.  Try watching the scene without the sound first, then watch it again with the sound, you can see and hear that the appropriate sound makes a tremendous difference to the film.







 

Knowles-Marshall for Film Sound lists three different types of sound that is used in film.

   

1. Voice

Voice adds personality and expression to film.  It can transfer feelings such as fear, hate, love, comedy or simply give dialogue to tell a story. 

2. Sound Effects

Synchronous sound effects will allow the viewer to hear a door opening while watching a door opening of footsteps crunching through autumnal leaves. Asynchronous sound is added to increase emotion or add a touch of realism to a scene.  For example the sound of cars beeping their horns could connote a sense of urgency and also give a realistic view of time of day.

2. Music

Music in film is not normally noticeable but can add mood and emotion to scenes. It can also be used to link different scenes together or be used to recognise the oncoming of danger or happiness.  Music can also be linked to a particular character or area of the set for instant recognition for the viewer.

 

Similarly, in animation sound is used to connote actions, emotions and pace within the story which makes the animation come to life.