Newsletter Archive

Reel LearningReel Learning is excited to announce a new addition to our teacher newsletter. Each month we will invite a special guest contributor to write a piece that addresses film, film production or media literacy. Below are archives of guest contributor's pieces.

The Reel Learning Newsletter is distributed monthly. The newsletter is a fabulous resource for teachers to learn about:

  • Scheduled Films at Sprockets - learn about great films and how they fit into your curriculum.
  • Media-Literacy Tips -Simple and thought-provoking activities and resources for teachers to bring media literacy into their classrooms.
  • Film Resources - A collection of film resources including: books, screening event opportunities and curriculum.

Contents

  1. Understanding Assessment in Media Education
  2. Movie-Making Unit: Teacher Case Study
  3. Reflections on a Film Club: Freaks, Geeks and Mean Girls
  4. Addressing Self-Esteem in the Classroom
  5. Stop-Motion Animation Storytelling
  6. Violence in the Reel World
  7. Five Ways to Improve Students' Writing Skills
  8. The Role of a Producer
  9. The Role of a Storyboard Artist

 

Understanding Assessment in Media Education

Our first contributor is media educator Chris Worsnop. Chris is the author of Screening Images: Ideas for Media Education and Assessing Media Work: Authentic Assessment in Media Education. Chris presents some fantastic idea’s about the core components of a good media literacy programme, how to support a new media education programme in your school and how to assess media literacy components of the Ontario Language Arts curriculum. To read Chris’s article Understanding Assessment in Media Education, click here.

 

Movie-Making Unit: Teacher Case Study

Laurie Townshend is in her ninth year of teaching at the middle-school level at Sir Ernest MacMillan Senior Public School in Toronto (TDSB). Her teaching assignments have included combinations of Language Arts, History, Geography, Health and Physical Education, and Drama, all of which she has approached with the goal of modeling the critical literacy skills embedded in the media literacy curriculum. In addition, Laurie serves on the Toronto International Film Festival Group Teacher Advisory Committee.  To read Laurie’s case study of a movie making unit she ran with her Grade 8 class click here.

 

Reflections on a Film Club: Freaks, Geeks and Mean Girls

Maureen decided to organize an informal film club at her school in hopes of introducing students to the art of film and using film to address difficult subjects. Maureen is a passionate, knowledgeable educator with over six years of classroom and studio teaching experience, combined with several years’ experience in theatre production and arts administration. Maureen’s reflection provides interesting insight into why a film club might be beneficial in your school and she also addresses how the dynamics of viewing a film change when teachers view a film with their students. To read Maureen's article, click here.

 

Addressing Self-Esteem in the Classroom

Leigh Naturkach is currently a Development Manager at Canadian Women’s Foundation, Canada’s only national public foundation focusing on improving the lives of women and girls. Leigh was formerly the Marketing Manager for Corus Entertainment, a Canadian television production and programming company which host networks such as the W Network, Treehouse and YTV. Leigh has her B.A.A. of Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University. Reel Learning invited Leigh to share with teachers some resources and programmes that will assist in creating media savvy young women in the classroom. To read Leigh's article, click here.

 

Stop-Motion Animation Storytelling

Dan Grant is a Grade 5 homeroom teacher at Bayview Hill Elementary School in Richmond Hill with the York Region District School Board. Dan endeavours to integrate digital storytelling techniques and applications into his day-to-day teaching practices. He has shared his digital storytelling activities through the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) Innoteach programmes and was part of a Ministry of Education Numeracy and Literacy Secretariat Webcast on non-fiction writing. To read Dan's article on stop-motion animation storytelling in the classroom, click here.

 

Violence in the Reel World

The vivid production features of movies are highly engaging and sophisticated but can challenge the viewer to understand the construction and the representations of reality. The violent content in some movies can be sites of struggle and many parents and professionals who work with children and adolescents are concerned about the potentially harmful effects of media violence. This becomes the challenge that teachers encounter when talking about violence. To read Sylvie's article, click here.

 

Five Ways to Improve Students' Writing Skills

Reel Learning welcomes Canadian television writer Duana Taha as a guest contributor. Duana is a writer, producer and story editor who has written for such shows as Degrassi: The Next Generation, 6teen and YTV’s upcoming series How to Be Indie. To read Duana's article on five ways to improve students' writing skills, click here.

 

The Role of a Producer

Renuka Balasooriya produced the film King Siri, which screened at Sprockets in April 2009. Renuka sat down with us to talk about the role of a producer in filmmaking and how filmmaking in Sri Lanka differs from filmmaking in North America. View interview here.

 

The Role of a Storyboard Artist

Troy Quane led a Sprockets 2009 Teacher Workshop, where he spoke to attendees about the role of a storyboard artist in live-action and animated films. Troy currently works as a freelance story artist and illustrator for clients including Walt Disney Pictures, Warner Bros. Feature Animation and Fox Feature Animation. View interview here.