Over the last two weeks, our kids were taking the ISAT and killing time while other kids took the ISAT (while I was on a tropical vacation). Stephanie and I talked a lot about what they could be working on during those two weeks so we could really dive right into the project this week and came up with a plan.
While I was away, Stephanie led discussions about Choice and the everyday choices people have that might go unnoticed, and for homework the kids had to respond to the following reflection questions on Edmodo:
1. What do you think is the most important thing (or things) to think about when making a choice? Why? Do you feel that you already do this? Explain.Some responses:
2. What kind of choices do you make in your life? How do you make those choices? Do you feel you mostly make good choices? How do you know?
Student A:
1. I think the most important thing to think about when making a decision is the consequences or outcome of that choice. Like what we were discussing today, if you chose to drop out of school then you get no education, no job, no money, and eventually your living on the street. I know not many people think about that when making a choice. I personally do it once in a while not all the time but if its something big I make sure to do so.
2. After today conversation, I realized I make way more decisions than I thought. I choose to do many things even if its the simplest things as charging my phone or putting on my glasses. I also don't really notice the outcome of my choices most of the time. All I really know is that some of my choices are good like being able to see by putting my glasses on and some are bad like not being able to contact anybody during an emergency because my phone died from me not charging it. Which is mainly why its better to think long-term rather than short-term most of the time.
Student B:
1) I think that the most important thing(s) to do is that you should mostly or always listen to your heart instead of your mind. I always/mostly listen to my heart and the decision is mostly right. The mind thinks practical and your heart speaks the truth with emotion. I am always correct when I listen to my heart well mostly.
2) I choose to go to school and turn in my homework on time no matter what happens. I make these choices by finishing my homework, not procrastinate, and go to school by waking up at 7:50 A.M. I also finish my long-term projects before time. When I know the day a project is due and that is the day that I need to go somewhere I turn in my work at least the day before it is due.
Student C:
The most important thing to think about when making choices is about the long-term outcomes because what you do know can have a big effect on your life later even if it doesn't happen instantly. I feel that I some times do this because at most times I think about what will happen if I do a certain thing, and most times I just don't think about it and just make certain choices based on gut instinct and don't think about it.
The kind of choices I make in my life is sometimes good and bad, I make these choices based on my surroundings and influences around me.
The next day, as an experiment we were both very interested in, Stephanie told the kids, "You have an hour and a half. Get in groups and make a 30 second movie." Bam! And guess what they did? They made four movies! And not only that, they critiqued their movies and reflected on them later for homework. When I asked them about the process today, the class seemed to be in agreement that, as it turns out, having a plan before you start filming (or doing anything) can make the process a whole lot easier. The kids seemed really prepared in the reflections to assess their group work and the products in an honest and clear way. Super exciting!!
Stephanie also introduced the class to how films use different techniques to create a mood and convey messages (and how they already know some of those techniques from Language Arts!) through clips from Up!, Dark Knight, and a youtube playlist I created for them. Here are some responses they had to the clip-watching day:
Student A:Can't say enough how awesome Stephanie is. To have the kids responding in these ways is thrilling, and in talking with them in person it's clear that they aren't just regurgitating things. They are really thinking about this stuff as a group and as individuals and it's just so exciting.
I learned a lot about film making today. I learned the basics of film faking today. We saw what mistakes we made, by reviewing our films in class and I knew what we could've done better and what we didn't do. Like in our film, even though I was in another classroom taking the ISAT, I saw what our group could have done better. We needed a resolution. We just kind of left it hanging at the climax. When [K] got mad and left, we should have showed some more. We should have at least showed [K] realizing her mistake and she would apologize to [F]. Maybe we could've put some low music in the part, we should have made of [K] realizing her mistake. Then we should have showed them being happy friends and everything. Well, now we know what to do. Also I learned about a bunch if different film making techniques which I would like to use in my project. Such as the cutting and putting them together, that's definitely helpful to the mood and tone of the person. I'm gonna do that. Basically, it's editing. A lot of editing. I also learned about the different camera angles could make a person look superior or inferior. How low camera angle can make a person look big. And how a high camera angle can make a person look small. Interesting. I learned about the structure of a film. Everything basic.
Student B:
Today, I learned many things. I saw things I don't usually notice while watching a movie like the music in Up. It's like you don't sense it but you feel the mood change. In The Dark Knight I never noticed that they all used dark colors besides Joker. I just used to think they had really bad lighting. I'd really like to use a lot of this stuff in my movie
Student C:
I found things interesting today in photoshop class. I really like the video [Papillon] because it gave such suspense and kept having you think whats gonna happen. I also like the fact the they used mirrored images to make the video. The mirror shots really made the video stand out and gave a really creepy yet sad tone. I would really love to try using the mirrored images in my video. I also like the video of the moth, only to find out that it was only moth wings stuck to tape and being rolled down on a camera for a minute. I found that interesting and cool because I never saw something so simple be turned into a video that looks like a real moth flapping! I also learned that little things in movies or videos might make a big difference in the actual meaning. Like if it's a sunny day or there's one flower sitting on a coffee table it might mean something. Today I really that little things make a big difference.
Student D:
I think that what stuck to me good was the type of colors that were been used. I think that the colors are important because it determines the mood. Also, for example if the movie is scary we should wear dark colors, or if the mood is happy, we should wear bright colors. I think that this is cool because it's just a little detail but it helps so much in a film and at the same time it's important to include, as well as the shapes and music. Music was another thing that kind of stuck to me because if something is scary it has a low sound but if it's exciting it's a loud and high tone
Stephanie also had them respond about how they are feeling about the project at this point. They're in small groups and they've been working on scripts and storyboards so we're well into the process and it's important to both of us to know what's going on in their heads. The specific questions were:
1. How do you feel about the project so far? How is it different from what you usually do in school?And some of the many interesting responses:
2. How do you feel about your group? Do you feel things are going well so far? Any problems or concerns?
3. What concerns do you have about the project at this point? Anything confusing or unclear? Anything you are worried about? Any questions you have?
Student A:
1. feel really excited about the project so far. It really is different from all the other things we do for school. We have a really wide range of topics we can choose from and we get to decide how to make it and stuff. Today's activity was basically to find our topic, outline it, we worked on our storyboard and script as well. we just basically got started into the project. It went pretty well.
2.i feel okay about my group. well first of all because all of them are my friends, which helps me express my ideas better than if they were other classmates. The fact that they are friends help a lot. i think we started off on the right foot, lets just see what happens. i wonder if we could use the smart board to be our background place? do u think that's possible? no problems so far, thankfully. just that i hope i can act. its gonna be hard, i think i might keep on laughing.
3. so far there is no concern except that do we have to go to the beach (one of our movie's settings) to film or is there another way? nope nothing confusing so far. im just worried about my acting, but nothing more, haha. no questions.
Student B:
1. I actually really like the project! Its different from any other project I ever had because its our own thought and there's no teacher direction. We aren't completely on our own but we still have the freedom to do what we want. Plus, the topic of our films is really great because we can really relate to it. But also, I've never been filmed while doing a project! :D
Student C:
1. I feel pretty confident that this project will be something fun because this is kind of new to me. This is really something really different because this is kind of like a longer project.
Student D:
1. i feel great about the project. what usually different is that i think its fun, we get to move around, helps us make better choices and think about them, we get do whatever we want and be creative.
Student E:
1. I'm really enjoying this project. We are all excited of how our movie is going to turn out! This project is very different from what we usually do in school. I think it's a great way for students to get involved in the visual arts. It's also a good way to build our independence, since we are on our own.
2. I'm glad with my group. I'm glad of how much progress we've already made. We've got the story, the storyboard, the conflict... I feel like we are ahead of schedule! There aren't any problems or concerns. We've been working hard, we've been working well together and we've made great progress.
Student F:
I feel that the project is doing good. This is different from what we usually do in school because we get more responsivility. I feel that my group is doing good because we are working together. Things are going good because there are a lot of team work. I don't think that there are any concerns.or problems for now.
Student G:
1) I think the project is challenging and quite different from what students usually do in school. It is different from what students usually do in school because normally teachers make the rubrics, give the students a topic, and give the students deadlines. But now it is like the students became the teachers even though there are still some deadlines (but students don’t have to follow them and can create their own).
2) Our group is getting a lot done and is really having fun but sometimes we have just too much fun and forget about our work. My only concern about our group is that sometimes we get off task and goof around a little, but after that we really get into work.
3) My only problem is that we should have more time for a short film like about 5-6 minutes instead of 2-4 minutes. Also about one more thing which is when the final project will be due. Can we get out of school during school hours?
Gah, I want to post so many more! Even a group that has had some personnel problems thus far has been able to articulate the problem and stay optimistic and ambitious. Swoon. I love this class! Long post over, brief update on today's session to follow!
