McREL: Film

World History

Era 8 – A Half-Century of Crisis and Achievement, 1900-1945
Standard 40
Understands the search for peace and stability throughout the world in the 1920s and 1930s

Level II Grade : 5-6

3. Understands the emergence of a new mass and popular culture between 1900 and 1940 (e.g., how new modes of transportation affected world commerce, international migration, and work and leisure habits; how the new media – newspapers, magazines, commercial advertising, film, and radio – contributed to the rise of mass culture around the world; the new approaches to visual art represented by the works of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse; the types of leisure activity and sports people enjoyed; changes in clothing fashions for men and women, and how they reflected changes in social attitudes and values)
Language Arts
Reading
Standard 6
Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of literary texts

Level IV Grade : 9-12

5. Knows archetypes and symbols (e.g., supernatural helpers, banishment from an ideal world, the hero, beneficence of nature, dawn) present in a variety of literary texts (e.g., American literature, world literature, literature based on oral tradition, mythology, film, political speeches)
11. Uses language and perspectives of literary criticism to evaluate literary works (e.g., evaluates aesthetic qualities of style, such as diction, tone, theme, mood; identifies ambiguities, subtleties, and incongruities in the text; compares reviews of literature, film, and performances with own response)
Listening and Speaking
Standard 8
Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes

Level IV Grade : 9-12

6. Makes multimedia presentations using text, images, and sound (e.g., selects the appropriate medium, such as television broadcast, videos, web pages, films, newspapers, magazines, CD-ROMS, Internet, computer-media-generated images; edits and monitors for quality; organizes, writes, and designs media messages for specific purposes)
Viewing
Standard 9
Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media

Level I Grade : K-2

5. Knows different elements from films, videos, television, and other visual media that appeal to him or her (e.g., scary parts, action segments, particular characters, color, sound effects, animation, layout, music)
6. Understands the similarities and differences between real life and life depicted in visual media (e.g., compares own family to families represented in television cartoons or films; knows that there is a difference between a character in a program and the actor)

Level II Grade : 3-5

3. Knows that film and television have features that identify different genres (e.g., style of dress, setting in a western or a drama)

Level III Grade : 6-8

3. Knows typical genre of different visual media (e.g., in television: sitcoms, talk shows, news broadcasts, interviews, children’s programs; in film: westerns, musicals, horror, gangster)
5. Understands how language choice is used to enhance visual media (e.g., language of particular television or film genres, the use of emotional or logical arguments in commercials)
6. Understands how symbols, images, sound, and other conventions are used in visual media (e.g., time lapse in films; set elements that identify a particular time period or culture; short cuts used to construct meaning, such as the scream of brakes and a thud to imply a car crash; sound and image used together; the use of close-ups to convey drama or intimacy; the use of long camera shots to establish setting; sequences or groups of images that emphasize specific meaning)
8. Knows that people with special interests and expectations are the target audience for particular messages or products in visual media; and knows that design, language, and content reflect this (e.g., in advertising and sales techniques aimed specifically towards teenagers; in products aimed towards different classes, races, ages, genders; in the appeal of popular television shows and films for particular audiences)
Media
Standard 10
Understands the characteristics and components of the media

Level II Grade : 3-5

1. Knows the main formats and characteristics of familiar media (e.g., the format of quiz shows on television: host/hostess, contestants, competition for prizes of commercial value; types of advertising such as billboards, T-shirts, or commercials; characteristics of films and magazines)
2. Understands similarities and differences among a variety of media (e.g., ways in which documentary films, the Internet, and the radio present similar information; similar categories, such as news and feature stories in magazines, tabloid newspapers, and on television; literary elements in film and written stories)

Level III Grade : 6-8

5. Understands aspects of media production and distribution (e.g., different steps and choices involved in planning and producing various media; various professionals who produce media, such as news writers, photographers, camera operators, film directors, graphic artists, political cartoonists)

Level IV Grade : 9-12

6. Understands the influence of different factors (e.g., media owners, sponsors of specific programs, codes governing advertising aimed at children, copyright laws) on media production, distribution, and advertising (e.g., whether a program is scheduled late at night or at peak times, whether a film is released in theaters or only on video)
9. Understands the relationship between media and the production and marketing of related products (e.g., how and why books are reissued in conjunction with film releases; how the target audience for a film determines the range of products marketed and this marketing in turn helps shape the film)
Theatre
Standard 5
Understands how informal and formal theatre, film, television, and electronic media productions create and communicate meaning

Level II Grade : K-4

1. Understands the visual, aural, oral, and kinetic elements of dramatic performances
2. Understands how the wants and needs of characters are similar to and different from one’s own wants and needs
3. Provides rationales for personal preferences about the whole as well as the parts of dramatic performances
4. Knows how alternative ideas can be used to enhance character roles, environments, and situations
5. Knows appropriate terminology used in analyzing dramatizations (e.g., intent, structure, effectiveness, worth)
6. Identifies people, events, time, and place in classroom dramatizations

Level III Grade : 5-8

1. Understands the effect of publicity, study guides, programs, and physical environments on audience response and appreciation of dramatic performances
2. Articulates the meanings constructed from one’s own and others’ dramatic performances
3. Understands the perceived effectiveness of artistic choices found in dramatic performances
4. Understands the perceived effectiveness of contributions (e.g., as playwrights, actors, designers, directors) to the collaborative process of developing improvised and scripted scenes
5. Applies research from print and nonprint sources to script writing, acting, design, and directing choices

Level IV Grade : 9-12

1. Knows how social meanings (aural, oral, and visual symbols with personal and/or social significance) communicated in informal productions, formal productions, and personal performances of different cultures and historical periods can relate to current personal, national, and international issues
2. Articulates and justifies personal aesthetic criteria for comparing perceived artistic intent with the final aesthetic achievement
3. Understands how the context in which a dramatic performance is set can enhance or hinder its effectiveness
4. Knows how varying collaborative efforts and artistic choices can affect the performance of informal and formal productions
5. Identifies and researches cultural, historical, and symbolic clues in dramatic texts
6. Understands the validity and practicality of cultural, historical, and symbolic information used in making artistic choices for informal and formal productions

 

Standard 6
Understands the context in which theatre, film, television, and electronic media are performed today as well as in the past

Level II Grade : K-4

1. Identifies and compares similar characters and situations in stories/dramas from and about various cultures
2. Understands the various settings and reasons for creating dramas and attending theatre, film, television, and electronic media productions
3. Knows ways in which theatre reflects life

Level III Grade : 5-8

1. Understands similarities and differences among archetypal characters (e.g., the trickster, the villain, the warrior, the superhero) and situations in dramas from and about various cultures and historical periods
2. Understands the knowledge, skills, and discipline needed to pursue careers and avocational opportunities in theatre, film, television, and electronic media
3. Understands the emotional and social impact of dramatic performances in one’s own life, in the community, and in other cultures
4. Knows ways in which theatre reflects a culture
5. Knows how culture affects the content and production values of dramatic performances
6. Understands how social concepts such as cooperation, communication, collaboration, consensus, self-esteem, risk taking, sympathy, and empathy apply in theatre

Level IV Grade : 9-12

1. Understands how similar themes are treated in drama from various cultures and historical periods
2. Understands ways in which theatre can reveal universal concepts
3. Understands similarities and differences among the lives, works, and influence of representative theatre artists in various cultures and historical periods
4. Knows cultural and historical influences on American theatre and musical theatre
5. Understands ways in which personal and cultural experiences can affect an artist’s dramatic work
Civics
What is the Relationship of the United States to Other nations and to World Affairs?
Standard 23
Understands the impact of significant political and nonpolitical developments on the United States and other nations

Level IV Grade : 9-12

6. Knows some of the principal economic, technological, and cultural effects the United States has had on the world (assembly line manufacturing, research and development in computer technology, popular music, fashion, film, television)
Foreign Language
Standard 2
Understands and interprets written and spoken language on diverse topics from diverse media

Level III Grade : 5-8

1. Understands the main ideas, themes, and basic details from diverse, authentic, ability-appropriate spoken media (e.g., radio, television, film, live presentation) on topics of personal interest or interest to peers in the target culture
Standard 3
Presents information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics

Level IV Grade : 9-12

5. Presents information orally or in writing on literary and cultural topics that are appropriate at this developmental level (e.g., presents the plot, character descriptions and development, and themes found in authentic literary works; expresses opinions and appreciation for various forms of literature, radio programs, songs, films, visual works)