The reality of having to return to work in only 4 days has me once again in "school mode" as my husband likes to call it. I've been working for a good portion of the day (on and off, between lunch time for my kiddos, playing a couple of rounds of Trouble, dressing them to go outside and play in the glorious snow we're getting here, a couple of loads of laundry,... etc...) on getting some lesson plans ready for January. I've successfully planned TWO full weeks, which takes me to the end of the 2nd quarter. It may not sound like much, but I rarely plan more than a week in advance, so I'm considering this a huge accomplishment!! (Yay, me!!)
I need to grade the papers I brought home over break, but before I grade them I decided I should share the assignment with you. It's one that I look forward to every year, and I think most of my students enjoy it as well. In 8th grade we do a rather large unit on plate tectonics, which includes studying earthquakes and volcanoes. As we near the end of the volcanoes part of the unit, I like to show the movie Dante's Peak in class. Since it's rated PG-13 I do usually send home a permission slip, although it only received that rating for "disaster-related peril and gore," and the "gore" is really nothing compared to what I'm sure most of my students watch on a regular basis anyway. It's just a bit of CYA for me. :) (Oh, and the permission slip I use is more of an "opt-out" so they only have to return it if they are NOT allowed to watch the movie.) We have 40-minute periods, so it takes 3-1/2 class periods to watch the movie in full. As they watch the movie, I have them take notes on activities that are occurring related to the eruption of the volcano - earthquake swarms, increased hot springs temperatures, pyroclastic flows, etc. After we've watched the movie, their job is to research the things that they wrote down and find out if they could actually happen during a real volcanic eruption. Basically, they're separating fact from fiction... where did the producers stretch things a bit to make the movie more interesting? (For instance, could someone really drive across lava? Does a lahar really move that quickly?)
The final step in their assignment is to write a movie review. They are required to include at least 3 realistic parts, and 3 unrealistic parts, and they must support each of the 6 parts with scientific proof. Their movie review must also include classic movie review elements, such as a brief summary of the movie and a rating.
I can't link the worksheet on here (sorry, I'm not that proficient at this whole blogging thing yet!), but here is a copy of what the front of the worksheet looks like! (If you would like to use the worksheet, feel free to comment below with your email address and I'll be glad to send it to you!)
You
will be watching the movie Dante’s Peak
in class for the next three days. The
movie dramatizes some real-world concerns faced by a community located near an
active volcano in Washington. It
portrays the roles of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) scientists and
local public officials during the re-awakening and eruption of this fictional
volcano.
As
you watch this action-packed movie, use your knowledge of volcanoes and make
detailed observations to determine what is represented accurately – and not so
accurately – by the filmmakers. Your job
is to separate fact from fiction!
Your assignment: A major California newspaper has
asked you, an expert volcanologist, to write a review of the movie, Dante’s Peak. Your aim is to point out the scientifically
related plot elements that you think are accurate and realistic, and those
where the writers stretched things a bit to make the movie more exciting. This review should be written as a newspaper
movie review article.
DUE DATE:
____________________________________________
The following rubric details how
your movie review will be graded:
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
|
Brief summary of
the plot
(5 points)
|
Describes who the actors & characters
are & gives a short synopsis of
the story line
|
Lacking in one of the previously
mentioned criteria
|
Lacking in two of the previously
mentioned criteria
|
Lacking in three of the previously
mentioned criteria
|
Does not attempt to describe the
characters or the plot
|
|
Scientific
critique
(15 points)
|
Clearly states at least 3 realistic &
at least 3 unrealistic parts, and includes reasoning for each from a
scientific viewpoint
|
Includes a total of 5 realistic or
unrealistic parts, and includes reasoning for each from a scientific
viewpoint
|
Includes a total of 3 or 4 realistic or
unrealistic parts, and includes reasoning for each from a scientific
viewpoint
|
Includes between 3 and 6 realistic and
unrealistic parts, but does not include
scientific reasoning.
|
Includes fewer than 3 realistic or
unrealistic parts.
|
|
Movie rating (5
points)
|
Includes a movie rating and a reason for
it
|
|
Includes a rating, but does not give a
reason for the rating
|
|
No rating included in the review
|
|
Format, Grammar
& punctuation (5 points)
|
Well written. Seems like part of a newspaper’s movie
review section. No grammar or punctuation problems.
|
Written like part of a newspaper’s movie
review section. Few grammar or punctuation problems.
|
Well written, but not in proper format
for a movie review. Few to no grammar
or punctuation problems.
|
Proper format was attempted, but not very
successful.
OR
Format is good, but there are several
grammar and/or punctuation problems which make the paper difficult to read.
|
Poorly written. Not in proper format. Many grammar and punctuation problems.
|
|
Sources Included (5 points)
|
Sources are included and are correctly cited
|
|
Sources are included, but they are too
vague
|
|
Sources are not included
|
The back of the worksheet includes spots for them to write down names of important characters, important plot points, and things that are happening surrounding the volcanic eruption (including a space for them to write down their research findings after the movie).
Having done this activity for a few years now, I'll close with the pieces of advice that I have for you regarding this activity. These are things that I learned after my first year of using this with a class!
1 - Really emphasize the importance of focusing on the science, not special effects or other unrealistic parts. (For instance, at point in the movie an 8-year-old boy drives a pickup truck up the side of the mountain. While likely unrealistic, it has nothing to do with the eruption of the volcano!)
2 - Encourage them to keep the summary part of the paper short. It should be about a paragraph long, not the bulk of the paper. (This year I actually gave my students a copy of this paper that I found online from Austin Peay State University. I think it was helpful as most of my 8th graders have never had to write a movie review!)
3 - For each aspect that they deem realistic or unrealistic, they must give scientific reasoning! This is on the rubric, but some students still tend to overlook it.
4 - Encourage research. If they're searching the right things, they may even come across one of a couple of really great websites that outline the realistic/unrealistic parts of this exact movie! (I used to get annoyed when they found these, but really my focus is on whether they are learning something about volcanoes, not on how difficult it was for them to complete the assignment!)
This is a rather lengthy post, so hopefully it all makes sense! ;)
Happy New Year! Enjoy these last few days of your break!
Rachel
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