Objective
Students will demonstrate an ability to analyze a text and develop a central story by choosing a genre for their poem and by writing a storyline or narrative for their poem.
Materials Needed
Several film clips from different genres
Interpretation worksheet Interpretation Worksheet
Lesson Directions
Anticipatory Set/Hook
Name that genre! Prepare a ten to fifteen minute presentation for students with several different genres. Ask the students to quietly write down on their paper what genre they think the performance is. (Options: Read a portion from a text, describe a play story that you saw and how it was staged, show 2-3 short film clips.)
Genres: Tragedy, Comedy, Farce, melodrama, Drama,
Black Comedy: Have a student read a short excerpt from “On Vacation”.
Tragedy: King Lear (video clip)
Comedy: The Importance of Being Earnest, Much Ado about Nothing (film).
Drama: All my sons (film clip)
Melodrama: Spiderman
Farce: Around the World in 80 days (film)
Instruction
Step 1 (Guided Practice): Go through the clips and performances and have students share what genre’s they thought the film clips were. Discuss that it is very important to know what genre you are working with. What are different types of genres? Knowing the genre of your text will help you make an interpretation that makes sense to the audience and unifies your performance. Genre becomes as important as the story itself.
Step 2 (Instructions) Instruct the students that they will be writing a story for their poem this class period. The students need to “collaborate” on this project and seek to get each person’s input. Students are to use the mood and message of the poem they decided upon from the last class period to pick a genre or type of performance.
Then students can begin writing a storyline for their poem.
The story needs to have specific characters, and each person in the group needs to be a part of the play.
Ask students: What makes a story interesting? (Characters, conflict, specific location). How can they develop a story that other people want to see? (Relevant to the audience).
Assessment
Give students the Interpretation worksheet as a guide. They will turn this in at the end of the class period. Give students as much time as they need to finish this assignment. If students are off task, or finish their story early, move on to the next lesson.