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=Welcome to the wiki for Constitution High School's Film class.=

Feel free to e-mail Ms. Melville at kmelville@philasd.org. Check below for journal and class assignments.

Journal 33: What are your parents'/family's expectations of you? How are they similar or different from your own expectations for yourself? Have your parents or family ever expected something from you that you didn't think was reasonable?
 * Wednesday, June 2**

Class: We finished "Raising Victor Vargas" and started screening "Billy Elliot" and completing the viewing guide.

Journal 32: People often assume that young people are not as serious about love as older people. They think teenagers are mercurial (constantly changing) in their affections and that love won't last. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
 * Tuesday, June 1**

Class: We screened "Raising Victor Vargas" and completed a viewing guide.

No jounrnal. We finished watching "Real Women Have Curves" and completed the viewing guide.
 * Friday, May 28**

Journal 31: Who do you think has had a tougher time growing up - your generation or your parents' generation? Why do you think so?
 * Thursday, May 27**

Class: We screened the second half of Juno and completed a viewing guide. We started our next film, "Real Women Have Curves."

No journal. We screened the first part of "Juno" and completed a viewing guide.
 * Wednesday, May 26**

Journal 30: Think of a film you have seen in which the main character is a young person (between 10 and 20 years old). What challenges does this character face? What does he or she learn over the course of the film?
 * Tuesday, May 25**

Class: We did a reading of 4 student screenplays then began a discussion of coming-of-age films. We took notes on this hand-out and completed the response paragraph at the bottom.

HW: Response paragraphs due tomorrow.

No journal. We went to the computer lab to work on our screenplay scenes (assignment attached below).
 * Monday, May 24**

HW: Completed scenes due tomorrow.

Journal 29: If you were to write a film script about one scene from your own life at school, what would you write about?
 * Friday, May 21**

Class: We shared our practice screenplays and reviewed "given circumstances." Then, as a group, we came up with given circumstances and wrote a screenplay for a scene set at school. Student then worked independently on their own scenes highlighting an issue in education.

HW: Scenes due Tuesday.

Journal 28: Jaime Escalante has no problem making fun of his students or bringing their personal lives into the classroom. Do you think this is right or fair? Why or why not?
 * Thursday, May 20**

Class: We screened the second part of "Stand and Deliver." Then, we read a guide on writing screenplays. We defined "given circumstances" and in pairs, came up with given circumstances for a contentless scene. Then, we practiced writing a screenplay version of a short prose description of a scene.

Journal 27: What is the strangest thing a teacher has done to get your or your class's attention? Was it effective? Why/why not?
 * Wednesday, May 19**

Class: We screened the first part of "Stand and Deliver" and completed a viewing guide.

Journal 26: Do you think Mr. Clark was justified in throwing students out of his school? In firing and suspending his teachers? Why or why not?
 * Tuesday, May 18**

Class: We screened the rest of "Lean on Me" and completed a viewing guide.

Journal 25: If you were U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, what would be a major change in education that you would want to enact? How would you go about it?
 * Monday, May 17**

Class: Ms. Melville presented three teaching styles with a Powerpoint and students took notes. Then, we screened the first part of "Lean on Me" and completed a viewing guide.

No Journal. We screened the rest of Hoop Dreams and completed a final viewing guide. Then, we read a review of the film.
 * Friday, May 14**

Journal 21: Both Arthur and William want to become professional basketball players. What obstacles has each young man had to face so far? Do you think either of them will make it to the NBA?
 * Thursday, May 13**

Class: We screened more of "Hoop Dreams" and took notes on Viewing Guide 2.

HW: Complete Viewing Guide 2.

Journal 20: List any issues or problems with the American education system that you are aware of. They could be historical or present-day issues or problems.
 * Wednesday, May 12**

Class: We screened the first part of "Hoop Dreams" and took notes on this viewing guide:

HW: Complete viewing guide questions.

Journal 19: Of the three films we have seen - "The Godfather," "Sugar," and "In America" - which do you think gives the best impression of America? What specific scenes from the movie support your answer?
 * Tuesday, May 11**

Class: We worked on completing essays due tomorrow on the laptops.

HW: Essays due tomorrow.

Journal 18: What are the images of America that we have seen so far in "In America"? How is America portrayed? In what ways is it similar to or different from the portrayal of America in "Sugar" and "The Godfather"?
 * Monday, May 10**

Class: We screened the rest of "In America" and Ms. Melville assigned a writing assignment on the American Dream, due Wednesday.

HW: Essays due Wednesday.

No journal today. Ms. Melville was out, and students spent the period in the IMC, working on make-up assignments on the computers.
 * Friday, May 7**

Journal 17: If you had to choose one movie to show someone from another country to give them an idea about what America is really like, what movie would you choose? Why?
 * Thursday, May 6**

Class: We started screening "In America" and took notes on the elements of the American Dream.

Journal 16: Based on the standard plot of sports movies that we discussed in class, make three predictions about what will happen in the rest of the movie, "Sugar."
 * Wednesday, May 5**

Class: We screened the rest of "Sugar" and read a review of the film by A.O. Scott for the New York Times.

Journal 15: Do you like baseball? Why or why not? Why do you think baseball is considered the quintessential American sport?
 * Tuesday, May 4**

Class: We discussed some background information on baseball necessary to understand the plot of "Sugar." Then, we screened the first part of the movie and took notes on elements of the American Dream and sports movies.

Journal 14: What is the definition of the "American Dream"? Describe a movie that you have seen in which the characters are pursuing the American Dream.
 * Monday, May 3**

Class: We read an article that defined the "American Dream" with four distinct parts. Then, we looked for evidence of those four parts in several films selected by students. Then, we listed sports movies, and each student summarized the plot of a different sports movie according to a basic plot diagram. Finally, we analyzed the plot diagrams for similarities in plot structure for the genre of sports movies.

Journal 13: Do you consider the Mafia to be a benevolent or malevolent organization? Are they are a force of good that protects the weak? Or are they a terrorist organization that promotes corruption and violence?
 * Friday, April 30**

Class: We analyzed the baptism scene in "The Godfather" by comparing images and symbols from the church and the violent acts taking place outside the church. Then, we discussed our three possible essay prompts, and Ms. Melville conferenced with each student to help choose a topic and outline an essay.

HW: Essays due Monday.

Journal 12: Make 3 predictions about what you think will happen next now that Michael has killed Solozzo and a police chief.
 * Thursday, April 29**

Class: We screened the second half of the movie and took notes in the business/family packets.

No journal. Students began class by filling out a chart on the sights and sounds that make up the "business" and "family" worlds in "The Godfather." Then, students took notes in on the same two categories while we screened the first half of the film.
 * Wednesday, April 28**

Journal 11: What are some connotations of gangster life? (What objects or ideas do associate with gangsters?) What gangster movies have you seen? What stood out to you about them? Any notable similarities or differences?
 * Tuesday, April 27**

Class: We read about "The Godfather" and identified icons of the gangster genre. We watched and discussed the opening scene. Students wrote answers to a series of questions about the opening scene.

Journal 10: If you were going to make a film about any historical event, what would it be and why? How would you film it? What film making techniques might you use to affect the mood or style of the film?
 * Monday, April 26**

Class: We presented our Film Dictionary projects and did some preliminary research on "The Godfather." Students posted 3 facts about "The Godfather" on the wiki (see "The Godfather" page).

Journal 9: If you were to make a film based on a piece of literature (a novel, a short story, etc.), what would you choose? Where would you shoot the film? What would the mood or style of the film be? What film techniques could you use to create that mood or style?
 * Friday, April 23**

Class: We took the Film Terms Quiz and worked on our projects due Monday.

HW: Film terms dictionary due Monday.

Journal 8: What films or television have you watched recently? Did you notice any particular shots, camera angles, or camera movements? Did you notice any other cinematic effects (lighting, diegetic sound, nondiegetic sound, focus, etc) that were significant or interesting?
 * Thursday, April 22**

Class: We reviewed film terms for tomorrow's quiz. We use digital cameras (and one video camera!) to put together our film terms dictionaries in small groups.

HW: Study for film terms quiz tomorrow. Film Terms Dictionary Project due Monday.

Journal 7: If you were making a film, would you rather work for a major film studio (like Warner Brothers or Disney) or for an independent film studio? Consider your budget and how much freedom you will have with the content and style of your film. Explain your choice.
 * Wednesday, April 21**

Class: In small groups, we read and analyzed 5 different professional reviews of "Night on Earth." Each student hi-lited the review in different colors based on the literary, dramatic, and cinematic elements, and presented their findings to the class. Students also wrote a brief response of their own to the film. In the remainder of class, Ms. Melville introduced the Film Terms Dictionary assignment and students started work on it.

HW: Film Terms Quiz this Friday. Film Terms Dictionary project due Monday, April 26.

Journal 6: What is the difference between an "independent film" and a film from a regular movie? What independent films have you seen? How were they different from other movies you had seen? Did you like them?
 * Monday, April 19**

Class: We watched two short films from Jon Jarmush's "Night on Earth" and took notes on the literary, dramatic, and cinematic elements.

HW: Quiz Friday on film terms.

Journal 5: Given the commercial success of movies like "Avatar," do you think it's possible that actors will one day be replaced by computer-animated characters? How would this affect American cinema? Do you think it would be positive or negative? Why?
 * Friday, April 16**

Class: We reviewed the literary, dramatic, and cinematic elements of film. We examined the cinematic elements in a clip from "Pscyho", one of the three elements in a clip from "A Touch of Evil", and all three elements in clips from "Risky Business" and "The Graduate."

HW: Review film terms. There will be a quiz next week!

Journal 4: Think of times when you have either taken photographs or looked through photographs others have taken. What do you think makes a good or interesting photo? What do you have to think about in order to take a good photograph? What errors might lead to a bad photograph?
 * Thursday, April 15**

Class: We learned a variety of film terms related to the cinematic elements of film. Then, we watched three film clips (from "ET", "Citizen Kane", and "The Road Warrior") and identified the cinematic elements in each.

HW: Review film vocabulary. There will be quiz soon!

Journal 3: If you were designing a soundtrack for a movie about your life, what songs would you choose? Choose at least 2 songs and describe the scene in your life each one would go along with. What would we see on screen as the song plays? How would the song affect the mood or theme of the movie?
 * Wednesday, April 14**

Class: We reviewed the three levels on which we can "read" a film, and students used laptops to complete a web quest familiarizing them with three important film-related websites.

Journal 2: Have you ever seen a play performed live? How was the experience different from reading a book? How is it different from watching a movie? Write at least 5 sentences.
 * Tuesday, April 13**

Class: We took notes on the dramatic and cinematic elements of film and analyzed each in the same clip from "The Dark Knight" that we watched yesterday. At the end of class, students chose 1 movie from their top ten list that stood out for dramatic effects and wrote a paragraph analyzing 3 dramatic effects. Then, students chose 1 movie from their top ten list that stood out for its cinematic effects and wrote a paragraph analyzing 3 cinematic elements of the film.

HW: Complete the assignment of writing two paragraphs begun in class (see above). Materials and signed syllabus due tomorrow.

Journal 1: Who is your favorite actor or actress? What movies has he or she acted in? Why do you like this actor or actress?
 * Monday, April 12**

Class: We welcomed the new members of the class and reviewed key points from yesterday's class and from the syllabus. Then, we took notes on the literary elements of film on this handout and analyzed the literary elements in a clip from "Batman." Students were assigned to choose two movies from their list of Top Ten and analyze 3 literary elements of each.

HW: Complete two paragraphs analyzing 3 literary elements of two of your top ten favorite movies. Signed syllabus and materials due Wednesday.

Our first day of class! We introduced ourselves with names and a short review of a movie we have watched recently. Then, we went over the syllabus and permission slips to watch R-rated movies and brainstormed lists in three categories: film genres, ways of accessing films, and what people value about films. Then, three groups collected class data in each of these categories and presented posters representing their findings. We also listed our top ten favorite movies and pitched one to the class.
 * Friday, April 9**

HW: Signed syllabus and materials due Wednesday.