We start every day with a "How is everyone?" session which usually turns into a "No, really, how are you in your life right now?
I teach at a large urban high school that is one of the most diverse schools in the school district.
The school is socioeconomically and racially diverse. I am lucky to be able to teach English literature to both our amazing English as a Second Language students who are from 15+ countries and speak a variety of languages and our AP Literature and Composition to our high-achieving 12th grade students.
My Project
My students will build and practice essential literacy skills by learning to "read" film They will be able to identify and analyze types of shots, lighting, framing, focus, angels, etc. while transferring these skills to their reading of print texts. Film reading is my passion and I've always incorporated it into my classroom. I start every first day of the year by having my students "read" the opening sequence of Citizen Kane. The scene contains only one word "Rosebud" and the rest is a sequence of shots illustrating the setting from which we make inferences about characterization, setting, mood, point of view and symbol. Film reading piques their interest and hooks them. I will use the films and the film textbooks to teach and practice essential literacy skills in a way that keeps my students interested and keeps them reading.
When my students are engaged in "reading" film, I find they naturally employ the skills they acquire in this medium and use them while reading texts: they notice how the description of the setting develops the mood because they just verbally explained how the dank, dilapidated setting in Citizen Kane develops the film's mood within the first three minutes.
Understanding how media is created can help them become better readers and reveal the "tricks" of the media world to them.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Barto Wiley and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
