The Board Life

A look at some sometimes humorous, sometimes frightening skateboarding busts to take the boredom out of writing.

Task:

1.      As a class, we are going to watch a short skateboarding clip I came across on Youtube (yes, even I check out Youtube videos!). We will watch this video definitely two, probably three, maybe more times. We will first watch it for pure enjoyment; take from it what you will. As we watch it a second time we will be looking at the video with a more analytical eye . . . taking note of the characters, the filming, the music . . . in other words the perspective from which we are seeing this clip.

2.      Once we have scraped the surface of analyzing the video as a class you will be broken into groups for further analysis. First, I want you to feel free to discuss the video as you wish. Once comfortable conversation is exhausted, answer the questions on the attached page to guide you in further analysis.

3.      Finally, after analyzing this video within your groups, pick one of the following writing activities to complete individually.

§         Create a story from the perspective of a person, place, or thing in the video. You are the character; whether it is a skateboarder, a rail, the skateboard, the ground . . . the choice is yours. Speak from a first-person perspective and share what you (the character) are going through. This narrative should be 200-300 words in length.

§         Create three snapshots, or word pictures. Choose three different moments in the video to describe visually and emotionally. You want to show what is happening rather than tell. This means to be descriptive . . . use your knowledge of imagery to help you in this task. Each snapshot should be 75-100 words.

Timeline:

You have one class period to work through steps one and two completely, and to draft your final writing piece. You will have the following day’s class period in the computer lab to type your final draft and turn into the teacher.

Assessment:

This counts as a test/essay grade (40%).

This is different from your “traditional” writing assignments in that it leaves a lot of room for creativity in all aspects. So, a modified version of the Hillgrove High School essay rubric will be used to grade this assignment. An estimate of how this rubric will be modified is below.

Skateboarding Video Analysis Questions

All questions are in reference to the video.

1.      What do you see – from the painfully obvious to the minute details?

2.      Does any one or more of the boarders’ accidents stick out in your mind? Why or why not?

3.      Do the boarders show any emotion(s)? If so, how do you interpret those emotions and why do you think they are being experienced?

4.      What do you hear?

5.      How does what you hear affect your understanding of this video?

6.      What would your experience be like if the video had no sound?

Any other notes or ideas about this video you may have put down here.

The Board Life Rationale

1.      Grade level:         11^th grade American Literature

Related subject matter: I find this fitting well into my Realism unit. This is when we get to really begin to see how authors’ daily lives influence their writing, yet it is not just a personal narrative. These authors develop characters to bring alive those things they know so well. This assignment would fit well with teaching characterization and the combination of multiple writing modes (narrative and descriptive especially). This would also be a good lesson in analyzing perspectives in media literacy.

2.      While I would need to do some more searching for a better clip, I think the concept is present. So many more students are into alternative lifestyles, and let’s face it, regardless if they are alternative or not, they get a kick out of seeing people suffer. When I came across this video it immediately jumped out to me, not just because it is a video kids will react to with laughter or sympathy pains, but because of what we see in each one of these boarders’ falls – emotion. As the falling and pain starts to get old, we see some show of frustration. Eventually we see a few kids hit their trick, which takes us to the opposite spectrum of the emotional scale. All of these feelings are emotions everyone has experienced in some way and can write about somewhat comfortably. With this in mind, I see the opportunity to do some analytical thinking about what we are being shown and then taking that analysis to a little more creative type of writing assignment. I think Dr. Levy’s class influenced me into that direction. And, as I said above, I can easily slip this into a Realism unit when we begin looking more in depth into different point of views and the development of a character. By completing this assignment, students can show mastery of analytical skills, point of view, and character development.

3.      Related “Class Discussion” questions/examples/hypotheticals

§         How does this video relate to American Literature/Composition, or literature/composition in general? (I would probably get cricket chirps, or some few class clown responses)

§         What do you see? I would continue to ask for more specific details as the obvious ran out, for example, the kid getting frustrated and kicking his shoe off, or that some of the ‘falls’ look contrived (that would probably get them going so that we would have to go back and analyze some of the falls)

§         What emotions do you see, what emotions do you not see? I would also make sure they were recalling the emotions they viewed and not their own.

§         What do you hear? What is the music selection and why that song?

§         How do you feel about these kinds of stunts – do they deserve what they get, or is it just the nature of the sport, like concussions in football?

§         At this point, or after the class has dwindled on class discussion, I would break it down to the group part of the assignment.

4.      All of this assignment is completed in the classroom, or computer lab, so I do not feel careful monitoring of YouTube conduct will be an issue because I would be in control of the video. In addition, since the students are given class time to type the assignment, requiring the paper to be typed should not be an issue either. I can see the class getting a bit hyped up over the video but I feel following it with class discussion would help squelch that. I do see some lack of interest; not everyone wants to see skateboarding. Some would be turned off because it is not part of their lifestyle, or some may be too squeamish for it. To this I might add a second video that would give students more of a choice, or, I would just have to make sure to appeal to different tastes in other assignments throughout the semester. The biggest challenge I see with this assignment is the creative freedom it lends. I find students are uncomfortable with such freedom in assignments. This would be the issue I would have to play with, maybe share my own work on this assignment and make it a little more creative just to show they can push the envelope a little. Or, I would need to come up with other assignments throughout the semester to show my students that managed creativity is okay.

5.      GPS for 11^th Grade English/Language Arts (Pulled directly from the Cobb County School District Picasso homepage)

§          ELA11LSV2 Communication/Visual/Oral Texts/Media

The student formulates reasoned judgments about written and oral communication in various media genres. The student delivers focused, coherent, and polished presentations that convey a clear and distinct perspective, demonstrate solid reasoning, and combine traditional rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition, persuasion, and description. When responding to visual and oral texts and media (e.g., television, radio, film productions, and electronic media), the student:

Element: ELA11LSV2.a

Recognizes strategies used by media to inform, persuade, entertain (e.g., advertisements, perpetuation of stereotypes, use of visual representations, special effects, language).

Element: ELA11LSV2.b

Analyzes visual or aural techniques used in a media message for a particular audience and evaluates their effectiveness.

Element: ELA11LSV2.c

Develops and applies criteria for assessing the effectiveness of the presentation, style, and content of films and other forms of electronic communication.

Element: ELA11LSV2.d

Identifies the aesthetic effects of a media presentation (e.g., layout, lighting, color, camera angles, background, etc.)

Element: ELA11LSV2.e

Analyzes the effect of dialect and language on positive or negative stereotypes among social groups.

§          ELA11LSV1 Verbal Interactions

The student participates in student-to-teacher, student-to-student, and group verbal interactions. The student:

Element: ELA11LSV1.a

Initiates new topics in addition to responding to adult-initiated topics.

Element: ELA11LSV1.b

Asks relevant questions.

Element: ELA11LSV1.c

Responds to questions with appropriate information.

Element: ELA11LSV1.d

Actively solicits another person’s comments or opinion.

Element: ELA11LSV1.e

Offers own opinion forcefully without domineering.

Element: ELA11LSV1.f

Volunteers contributions and responds when directly solicited by teacher or discussion leader.

Element: ELA11LSV1.g

Gives reasons in support of opinions expressed.

Element: ELA11LSV1.h

Clarifies, illustrates, or expands on a reponse when asked to do so; asks classmates for similar expansions.

Element: ELA11LSV1.i

Employ group decision-making techniques such as brainstorming or a problem-solving sequence (e.g., recognizes problem, defines problem, identifies possible solutions, selects optimal solution, implements solution, evaluates solution).

Element: ELA11LSV1.j

Divides labor so as to acheive the overall group goal efficiently.

§          ELA11C1 Usage/Grammar

The student demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of the English language, realizing that usage involves the appropriate application of conventions and grammar in both written and spoken formats. The student

Element: ELA11C1.a

Demonstrates an understanding of proper English usage and control of grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, diction, and syntax.

Element: ELA11C1.b

Correctly uses clauses (e.g., main and subordinate), phrases (e.g., gerund, infinitive, and participal), and mechanics of punctuation (e.g., end marks, commas, semicolons, quotation marks, colons, ellipses, hyphens).

Element: ELA11C1.c

Demonstrates an understanding of sentence construction (e.g., subordination, proper placement of modifiers, parallel structure) and proper English usage (e.g., consistency of verb tenses, agreement).

§          ELA11W2 Genres/Narrative/Reflective/Investigative/Literary Analyses

The student demonstrates compentence in a variety of genres. The student produces narrative writing that applies polished narrative strategies acquired in previous grades, in other genres of writing such as reflective compositions, historical investigative reports, and literary analyes, by raising the level of critical thinking skills and rhetorical techniques

http://www.blueworldstudios.com/AmyAndGarrett/

1. He says that it is one’s access to immediate global distribution that makes today’s students so special. But he elaborates more for those who are turned off by such techno talk, by relating it to a bulletin board – why put a project there when it can go to the world?
2. Another point I really value, which goes with Dr. Levy’s point about making work “bigger than the grade,” is that a project such as this gives students “an international voice that matters.”
3. Finally, and  probably Tyson’s point that touched me the most is that children can make a significant and meaningful contribution.  I mean really, what makes us all the sudden contributing citizens at 18 versus 12? Everyone can contribute on some level, and kids need to know and understand that.

Alright, it’s not all love though. I do question how involved the teachers and parentsare in working with these students on these projects. Is this cynical of me?

Ignoring my cynicism, I am very impressed with this level of work from middle school students. I think the one that impressed me the most is “Child Slave Labor on the Ivory Coast.” Word choice, movie animation, and music choice were very detailed and well thought through in this movie.

Here is a link to Tyson’s presentation: http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/item.php?itemID=11842

It is a hilarious and engaging way to show students how to use power point effectively.