Mini-Task

View a film clip and respond to questions about what you saw and heard. Make inferences about meaning and tone supported by information from the film clip.

Meets expectations if student:

• Uses the video as a resource for answering literal or inferential questions
• Takes film-based notes with a specific lens
• Participates in the small group discussion and shares out

Procedure

Whole Group Viewing

View the film clip as a class.

Whole Group Discussion

Ask basic recall questions:

• Who are the characters/people involved?
• What is the basic storyline?
• What is the setting (basic time period and physical location)?
• What is the point of view (who is telling this story?)
• What is the theme and tone?

You might choose to ask basic recall of specific moments of the film at this point.

Individual Student Work

Ask students to write out their general thoughts and reactions. You might prompt them with questions such as:

• What stands out to you?
• What resonated with you?
• What do you have questions about?

Small Group Work

Have each student or small group take notes based on only one of the following lenses as a means to focus their observation of the film and to respond to a set of questions.

Group Lenses:

Sound: Focus on the music in the film as well as the sound effects.

Editing: Determine how the interviews, photos, and video are edited together.

Images: Establish what is seen in the film.

Storyline/Historical Facts: Determine how the storyline unfolded.

Human Behavior: Examine the range of human behavior represented in this film.

Questions to Answer for Each Group:

• What is the purpose of this film?
• Who/what are left out of the message?
• Whose interests are served by telling/showing the message in this way?
• What do you think is motivating the filmmaker?

Whole Group Share

Ask each group to share out what they observed. Be sure students use details from their notes about the film to explain their responses when they share out.

Individual Student Reflection

Ask students to use their notes as a way to write about the following question: How did the lens you used to view the film affect what you understand about the meaning of the film?

Rationale

Close viewing ensures that we become critical viewers of film content and that we really understand what we’ve watched. The following sample protocol is meant for use with a short (5–10 minute) film or video clip. The Close Viewing Protocol asks students to provide evidence and justification for their answers, two skills required by Common Core State Standards.

This mini-task has been adopted from Facing History [link to the original attached]