BC Education - Film and Television 11 and 12

Sample 4: Grade 12

Topic: The Impact of Film and Television

Prescribed Learning Outcomes:

Exploration and Analysis

It is expected that students will:

analyse how the artistic components of film and television affect meaning
collaborate to solve acting, scriptwriting, and technical production problems

Context (Social, Cultural, and Historical)

It is expected that students will:

analyse how social, cultural, and historical contexts influence and are influenced by film and television images and messages
analyse the economic and social impacts of film and television production on the local and global communities
compare how artistic components in film and television are constructed for specific audiences and purposes in a variety of social, cultural, and historical contexts

Context (Industry)

It is expected that students will:

delegate and accept responsibility in a group
identify the skills and training needed to pursue careers related to film and television

Overview

The teacher developed a unit that focussed on the impact of film and television on a variety of aspects of personal and community life. Activities engaged students in analysing how film and television influence attitudes and behaviour, researching their economic impact, and exploring career possibilities in these fields. Evaluation was based on:

group projects and individual reports on the impact of film and television
research project on the economic effect of film and television
contributions to a career display

Planning for Assessment and Evaluation

Students worked in small groups to brainstorm ways in which film and television influence individual choices, lifestyles, behaviour, and beliefs. The teacher posed questions such as:
- Which programs are currently the most popular? What effects have these programs had on fashion? Language? Beliefs about what constitutes a successful life? About various groups (e.g., gender, age, geographical location, economic status, occupation, social status, race)? About careers?
- What is the connection between film and television images and violence? Gender roles? Stereotyping?
Each group created a list of the influences they identified and categorized them as positive, negative, or neutral. The class shared and discussed the lists.
Students formed groups of four or five to monitor a variety of locally available television channels from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. They developed questions such as the following to guide their viewing:
- Who is the target audience?
- What are some of the key images used to reach that audience?
- What biasses and implicit messages are conveyed (e.g., about success, gender roles, happiness)?
Groups compared and discussed their findings, using the following questions and assignments as prompts:
- Is there bias in news reporting from one country to another?
- Which type of program do you believe has the strongest impact on the beliefs and behaviour of the target audience? Why?
- In the programs your group watched, identify three potentially positive and three potentially negative impacts on society, social values, and personal values.
Students reported on their discussions, then the teacher posed various questions to stimulate discussion and debate about the impact of film and television. (e.g., What would your life be like if there were no film or television? How would our community be different? How has television changed businesses and the economy?)
Students worked in groups to develop and present messages about the impact of film or television in formats of their choice (e.g., video, multimedia, simulated talk show, commercial, public service announcement). Before students began, the class agreed on criteria for the projects. When completed, the projects were presented to the class.
The teacher asked students to brainstorm local businesses related to film and television (e.g., cablevision company, video rental store, video equipment shop, movie theatre). For each business, students identified and listed the specific jobs involved. The list of businesses and jobs was posted in the classroom and frequently updated.
The class used the list to assign research tasks. In pairs, students researched the impact of film and television on the local economy, using interviews (e.g., manager of the local cablevision company, representatives from the local Chamber of Commerce, employees) and print and electronic media. Each pair created a one
to two-page summary of its findings, which included the following information:
- economic impact (e.g., number of employees; purchase or rental of outside supplies, materials, and services; sales)
- career possibilities (e.g., current and anticipated needs; key skills, training, and education required)
The teacher arranged a visit to a location shoot. Before the visit, pairs of students were assigned to focus on different members of the production team. Each pair reviewed what they knew about the particular job and used electronic and print sources to gather more information. At the shoot, students used a standard research form that they had created to record their observations. With permission, they took pictures and conducted brief follow-up interviews, in person or by telephone.
Students used the information and photos to prepare material for a career display. The display included information on various careers and related job responsibilities, key attributes or skills, challenging features, and qualifications and training required.
To conclude the unit, each student created an individual report reflecting on the past, current, and future impact of film and television on his or her own life. Students were free to choose the format for their reports (e.g., portfolio of items, videotaped monologue, scrapbook, audiotape, poster, essay, video images with voice-over). The class agreed that the reports would include:
- a unifying theme or message about the influence or social impact of film and television on their generation
- at least one example of how film and television affected their beliefs (before age 7; from age 7 to 12; from age 13 to present)
- at least one example of how film and television affected their behaviour (before age 7; from age 7 to 12; from age 13 to present)
- at least two examples of how they expect to participate in film and television, through careers or as consumers, over the next 10 years

Defining the Criteria

Group Project and Individual Report

To what extent do students:

create clear and powerful messages that engage the audience
include relevant and convincing images and examples
present logical generalizations or conclusions about the impact of film and television
show insights into some of the more subtle and complex factors
include original and creative elements
use a variety of approaches to successfully solve problems relating to their projects
demonstrate smooth and efficient teamwork (group project only)

Research Project and Contribution to Career Display

The same criteria and rating scale were used for the research project and the career display.

To what extent is the information:

carefully researched, complete, and accurate
relevant, with important details
clearly presented

Assessing and Evaluating Student Performance

Group Project and Individual Report

The teacher developed a checklist and rating scale to provide feedback and assign ratings. Students used the checklist and rating scale for self-assessment before presenting their assignments. The group projects were also assessed by peers.

Research Project and Contribution to Career Display

The teacher used a rating scale to evaluate students' work on the research project and the career display.

**Group Project and Individual Report**
Checklist: Note the extent to which each of the following criteria is demonstrated.
Criteria	Yes	Partly	No	Comments
includes required content
message is clear and powerful
images and examples are relevant and convincing
generalizations and conclusions are logical
shows insights into subtle and complex factors
provides original and creative elements
shows successful problem solving
demonstrates smooth and efficient teamwork (group projects only)
Rating Scale: Use the information from the checklist to help determine which of the following ratings best describes the overall quality of the work.
Rating	Criteria
5	Exceeds project requirements. For example, may be particularly engaging or powerful, show outstanding depth of insight, or show innovation and creativity in format and use of techniques.
4	Meets all requirements. Some elements may be more proficient than others.
3	Addresses all requirements and is successful in most cases. May be uneven, dealing with some aspects in a cursory way.
2	Attempts to address most requirements, but is unsuccessful in several instances. May be confusing or incomplete in places.
1	Incomplete. Does not fulfil several requirements.

**Research Project and Contribution to Career Display**
Criteria	Rating		Comments
Self		Teacher
information is complete and accurate
includes relevant and important details
clearly presented
Overall Rating

Key:
5—Outstanding. Exceeds requirements.
4—Very good. All requirements met.
3—Satisfactory. Most basic requirements met; may be inconsistent.
2—Marginal. Some requirements met; some deficiencies.
1—Unsatisfactory. Requirements not met.

Revised: January 28, 1999

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