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The popular culture texts explored in this unit are the Batman films by Christopher Nolan; specifically, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. They have been selected due to the moral, political and social themes common to such superhero films such as heroic acts (the ordinary vs. the extraordinary), identity crises and alter egos, role models (sense of duty to self and community), loved ones (parents, partners and side kicks), science and technology, and rich vs. poor. As the films bear nothing higher than an MA15+ classification, they are considered suitable for audiences in a year 10 class.
Since we are introducing a multimodal and, at times, intertextual media franchise, our group has decided to create a web portal to document our activities and resources. The Batman franchise's many adaptations span print media, film, audiobooks and video games and choosing a digital, non-linear presentation format is an effective way to condense a variety of resources for learners. This website has been created with Weebly, a free tool for creating online pages as no employed teacher would be expected to have the time to create such something from scratch. Another advantage of Weebly is that it automatically generates alternate desktop, tablet and mobile page layouts on the fly. Other options might include a Wiki to facilitate online collaboration between peers, a forum for generating discussion or something else on a school intranet content management system such as Moodle.
Since we are introducing a multimodal and, at times, intertextual media franchise, our group has decided to create a web portal to document our activities and resources. The Batman franchise's many adaptations span print media, film, audiobooks and video games and choosing a digital, non-linear presentation format is an effective way to condense a variety of resources for learners. This website has been created with Weebly, a free tool for creating online pages as no employed teacher would be expected to have the time to create such something from scratch. Another advantage of Weebly is that it automatically generates alternate desktop, tablet and mobile page layouts on the fly. Other options might include a Wiki to facilitate online collaboration between peers, a forum for generating discussion or something else on a school intranet content management system such as Moodle.
Pre-Screening Activity - Deduce, Infer, Intepret:
It can be beneficial to find ways into the text before screening it for the class. Consider exploring trailers and theatrical posters of home media release covers much in the same way that you might explore the cover or blurb of a book. Be certain to also establish what understanding of the text students are already bringing into the class. Reading the article below as a class might serve as a useful pre-screening activity. The following questions can be used to probe and analyse the above posters.
- What do each of these posters say about the film?
- Who are they speaking to?
- What symbols do you recognise? What names, titles or slogans are also recognisable?
Screening the Film
An enormous challenge for Media teachers is overcoming the perception that the subject is merely a relaxed 'bludge' for students to watch films ad nauseam. This can also be a challenge for English teachers hoping to incorporate a film as text in their units of work. The Dark Knight's running time is over two and a half hours, which amounts to more than three periods spent watching the film. There are alternative strategies that teachers might employ to reduce the amount of time used up by the screening in class. These are highly dependent on the resources of the school and the socioeconomic circumstances of the students, however, as well as assuming that the students have a sufficient level of ICT skills. One might assign the film's screening as a homework activity if it can be safely assumed that all students will be able to rent, stream, purchase, borrow or download a copy at home without too much inconvenience. Class time can then be freed up for activities and revising key scene clips.
Differentiating with Comprehension Activities
The Dark Knight is a complex film with an extensive cast and myriad ethical and moral dilemmas. It should not be assumed that the narrative is necessarily easy for students to follow, nor should it be assumed that every student has prior knowledge of the film despite the place it holds in popular culture. Consequently, it might be prudent for teachers to consider differentiating some tasks or complimenting them with comprehension activities intended to consolidate students' understanding of the text.
batman_tdk_-_character_analysis_worksheet.docx | |
File Size: | 30 kb |
File Type: | docx |
batman_tdk_-_plot_worksheet.docx | |
File Size: | 27 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Relevant AusVELS Strands
Some relevant VELS strands that we have identified for such a unit include:
Evaluate the social, moral and ethical positions represented in texts.
- Responding to literature: Expressing preferences and evaluating texts
Evaluate the social, moral and ethical positions represented in texts.
- Responding to literature: Personal responses to the ideas, characters and viewpoints in texts
- Interpreting, analysing and evaluating texts: Purpose and audience
- Texts in Context: Texts and the contexts in which they are used