Project Case Study
Name of Project:
Film, drama and the curriculum
Background:
This project was modelled on a project that East-Side had piloted earlier this year which had explored film and literacy and had run at Brockley Primary School with the aim of improving the quality of the participants' writing about character.
Details:
Using clips from a variety of film sources the facilitator has taken the children on a journey of discovery through the conventions of ‘character', ‘setting', ‘dialogue', and ‘narrative'. The clips were used as stimuli for discussion, and then drama exercises were introduced to give students an experiential understanding of these key ideas. The facilitator commented: ‘In each year level there are young people who don't speak much English', she said. ‘This project structure has been perfect for ensuring that each child is included.' Through the use of both English- speaking and non- English speaking film clips, flash cards, discussion, and drama, most different learning styles were catered for. ‘They loved watching the clips', she explained, ‘and when we talked about them, the students were able to identify all the storytelling elements we were investigating, and really enjoyed exploring them further through drama '. The students built on these story telling skills to explore specific areas of the curriculum and at the end of the project performed a series of short ‘film trailers' to parents, friends and teachers. The facilitator also worked with teachers and teaching assistants to ensure that the exercises and approaches being taken with the workshops are ones that the staff team can build on in the future.