Exploring Literature Through a Book Trailer

Content Area Standards

(see  here for full Common Core Standard Course of Study; note in particular 8th grade standards)

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts
• Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors
• Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

ISTE Standards:

(See here for full teacher-oriented standards)

• 1c. Promote student reflection through collaborative tools.
• 2a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools.
• 4c. Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interaction.

Objectives:

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• Explain what the terms "tone" and "mood" mean in relation to film and literature.
• Analyze a text for techniques such as word choice, foreshadowing, and description in terms of how they evoke tone and mood.
• Analyze a film sequence for techniques such as lighting, camera angle, color, and movement in terms of how they evoke tone and mood.
• Evaluate a film sequence or text for its consistency in terms of tone.
• Analyze a film sequence or text in terms of the likely intended effect on an audience the student can reflectively describe.
• Create a film sequence that is consistent in terms of tone and targeted at an audience the student can reflectively describe.

Technologies Employed

Google Docs

(© 2015 Google Inc. All rights reserved. Google and the Google Logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc.)

Description: Google Docs is a cloud-based word processor with tools that allow multiple authors to view and edit a single document. 

Rationale: Google Docs creates a collaborative space where students can compose and share writing. In this unit, I will use this technology to give students a group-work "work space" where they can plan their book trailer together. This will allow students to collaborate over a digital medium, promoting opportunities to learn ISTE standard 1c.

Blogger

(© 2015 Google Inc. All rights reserved. Blogger and the Blogger Logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc.)

Description: Blogger is an online publication platform that allows authors to publish a digital text and that allows readers to comment on the content.

Rationale: Blogger gives students the opportunity to publish their writing in a semi-formal manner while simultaneously providing other students the opportunity to read and comment on that work. In my unit, I will use Blogger to give students the chance to publish both their written analysis and two drafts of their video work. I will also allow students to use comments in order to contribute to each other's work.

Windows Movie Maker and YouTube

Description: Movie Maker is a free video-editing program from Microsoft. Although it is not currently available for Windows 10, I expect that a version will be released within the next year. If not, a comparable editor will have to be used. YouTube is an online video-hosting service and database students can use to upload, host, and share/embed video.

Rationale: Movie Maker provides students with elementary experience in editing software that will transfer to any future video editing they may have to do for personal or professional reasons. In this way, experience with this program will expand students' knowledge of film making as a process and their ability to use film-making tools. In addition, working with film as a medium to describe a text-based medium such as a novel will force students to reflect on how film and text are similar and different, as well as how authors use different techniques to achieve similar effects. Finally, publishing a book trailer will allow students to publish something they can then share in the wider world, since book trailers are a popular practice for people interested in books outside the classroom.

Materials and skills the teacher/classroom will need to complete this lesson:

• Laptops equipped with Windows Moviemaker or some comparable video editing software.
• Some method of capturing film, such as a camcorder, smart pad/smart phone, or a webcam.
• Some means of projecting text while the teacher annotates.
• Basic expertise with film editing software and video production.
• Access to a reliable and secure network.

Description of Lesson

• Begin with a mini-lesson about tone and mood. This should begin with a class-reading of a mood-rich text, such as Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven," followed by discussion and annotation for specific words, techniques, and so on that realize the mood. 
• After this discussion, the teacher should then present a movie trailer or short film sequence that also demonstrates a rich atmosphere. Students should then be prompted to write on their own reflections of how books and movies are similar and different in regards to tone and mood.
• Students should then be divided into groups of 2-3 students, who will select a short novel to read together. 
• The teacher should at this point explain the concept of a book trailer, using examples from the internet to demonstrate the concept.
• As students read their novels, they should keep a blog on the mood the author evokes and the tone the author takes in regards to their subject. They should also provide thoughts on how elements of this story might be adapted to a book-trailer. Students in the same group should read each other's blogs and leave a requisite number of comments. The teacher should use these as formative assessment and also in order to make sure that all members of each group are fully participating.
• At some point between when students begin reading their novels and when they are preparing to start work on their book trailers, the teacher should offer a mini-lesson on book to film adaptations and some of the challenges they face. 
• Once students have finished their novels, the teacher should carve out a few days of instruction dedicated to teaching students to use video editing software in a way specifically directed at developing a book trailer.
• The teacher should also demonstrate to students how to use Google Docs to collaborate in their planning. S/he should also explain that s/he will be able to see who writes what into the Doc, and that students will receive credit according to their level of participation.
• Finally, each group will create and share a rough draft of their movie trailers. Students will then be required to provide meaningful feedback to other group's. This, along with teacher feedback, will prepare students to produce their final product.