Thematic Poetry Videos
Description
Overview: Youth literacy can be promoted by leveraging youth culture, such as rap/music videos. By merging sound and visual imagery with text, a poetry writing task can be transformed into a multi-media video assignment. English teachers with access to a computer lab equipped with video editing software (e.g. i-Movie) can carry this out with their classes. Alternatively, English and computer lab teachers can collaborate to have their students produce thematic poetry videos as the culminating activity of an English poetry unit. It assumes that students have been taught the basic forms of poetry. Furthermore, by having students discuss the process of producing their poetry videos with peers in face-to-face or on-line workgroups, they develop the literate and social skills necessary for functioning effectively in the project-based team culture of today's workplace. Students will use the resources of takingitglobal.org to become informed about a theme of their choice. They will then compose a poem that expresses their thoughts and feelings about that topic. This poem will then form the basis for a video. Introduction: How can you use poetry, pictures and the sound of your voice to express your thoughts and feelings about an issue of global importance? For example, some music videos combine lyrics, music, and visual images to communicate the artist’s opinions about serious issues. If you can identify an important issue, you can become informed about it, and express your thoughts and feelings in a poetry-based video. What you need to know before you start: How can you use Understanding the Issues from takingitglobal.org to find a topic of interest, and become informed about it? How can you participate in a TIG Discussion Forum? What are different forms of poetry? How can you make a video with i-Movie? How can you find images on the internet? Task: using i-Movie construct a video that integrates your poem, written in subtitles, with a spoken-word recitation, and visual images that compliment the text.
Time Required: Varies
Learning Objectives
Students will use the resources of takingitglobal.org to become informed about a theme of their choice. They will then compose a poem that expresses their thoughts and feelings about that topic. This poem will then form the basis for a video.
Teaching Process
1. Go to takingitglobal.org and select a topic of interest from Understanding the Issues. Become informed about that topic by checking all of the related links and reading the information they contain.
2. Participate in the TIG Discussion Forum for your topic and/or post an opinion survey question.
2. After being placed into a workgroup by your teacher, tell your partners about your chosen topic, including what you think is the most important idea.
3. Compose a rough draft of a poem that expresses your thoughts and feelings about your topic. You should have at least eight lines.
4. Share your rough draft with people in your workgroup, and get feedback from them.
5. Revise your poem.
6. Use TIG's Global Gallery or your favourite search engine to find pictures that go with the words of your poem. You can also create your own art work.
7. Use a video editing program, such as i-Movie, to combine subtitles containing your written words and pictures that compliment them. Add your voice to recite your poem as spoken word, rap, or a song.
8. Share your rough version of your video with your workgroup, and get feedback from them.
9. Revise your video and submit it for teacher and peer evaluation.
Assessment/Evaluation
These items will be evaluated: 1) your contribution to your workgroup 2) your video.
Other Tools
Access to TakingITGlobal and iMovie or other video editing software.
Creative Commons
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
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Administration:Edit Resource
Source:Taking it Global
Resource Type:Lesson Plan
Subject(s):English / Language Arts, Arts,
Topic:Air, Atmosphere and Climate, Solutions, Taking Action,
Level:Intermediate / Middle
Grade: 6 7 8 9