Teacher’s Resource: Shorts for Wee Ones · Teacher’s Resource: Shorts for Wee Ones Early Years,...

Teacher’s Resource: Shorts for Wee OnesEarly Years, Levels 1 & 2Created by Joy Christie

Discovery Film Festival: Sat 19 October - Sun 3 November 2013discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk

© Dundee Contemporary Arts 2013With support from DCA Cinema and DCA Community & Education Team

Introduction

Discovery Learning Resources give you exciting classroom activities to enhance Curriculum for Excellence delivery. They are created by classroom teachers and education professionals. Each resource aims to:

• Support and extend working with film in the classroom

• Help prepare teachers for a class visit to a Discovery Film Festival film and to extend the impact of that visit for delivery of CfE

• Develop confidence in Moving Image Education approaches and working with 21st Century Literacy /moving image texts

Each resource is free and available to download from www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk/resources or via the Discovery Film Festival area on GLOW, which can be found within the Dundee 21st Century Literacy Group.

We do hope that you find this useful and enjoy your cinema experience with us,

- Discovery Film Festival team

01 / discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk

Shorts for Wee OnesDir. VariousVarious countries 2012-13/ 45m

Introducing the Cinema

A trip to the cinema is a very special event for any child. The excitement and magical feel of the huge darkened auditorium creates both a highly stimulating yet relaxed learning platform. Taking your class to DCA is an excellent way to open up the world of moving image education whilst training children how to conduct themselves in such an environment and be respectful participants in a different setting.

Children learn intuitively to read and reading the screen is no different. Shorts for Wee Ones allows children to view films from a variety of cultures and lets them experience more unusual films to really get them thinking! Listening to different accents and voices is great fun andanything they can’t quite understand is helped by the visuals on screen allowing the brain to fill in the gaps to develop understanding.

Some of the shorts carry a strong message for children to identify with, such as being accept-ing of others who are different and often give the opportunity to challenge stereotypes. Thedelightful films will lend themselves to a variety of activities back in the classroom. Visiting the site www.movingimageeducation.org will not only give you access to more films to use in class but play a vital part in how you use film to develop excellence in your classroom.

Before your visit

Mapping:Locate the places of these films on a world map with the class. Use this list to help you.

Kiekje (Snapshot) - NetherlandsPryg-Skok (Hop Frog) – RussiaLa fenêtre - SwitzerlandSnap – Belgium/UKMy Strange Grandfather - RussiaThe Smoke Seller – SpainDoroncoron – JapanEideann - Spain

Talk with the children about the languages spoken in these places and generate discussion to find out more about these places and any links they can make.


Images for discussion:View the following posters and stills from the films. There is only one trailer available for this collection (Eideann); view it with the following link: http://vimeo.com/60994715

Now that they know where these different films are made can they make any connections between the visual images and the places?Extend discussion to predict what these films could be about.


To extend my mental map and sense of place, I can interpret information from different types of maps and am beginning to locate key features within Scotland, UK, Europe or the wider world. SOC 2-14a

I can show my understanding of what I listen to or watch by responding to and asking different kinds of questions. LIT 1-07a


After your visit

My Strange GrandfatherDir. Dina VelikovskayaRussia / 9m

This is an incredibly beautiful short film brought to us by Russian animator Dina Velikovskaya who tells an adorable story of a child trying to understand the quirks of her strange Grandfather.

Suggested Activities:

View the film again using the following link: http://vimeo.com/57395065Then try the activity sheet below.


In pairs or in fours, watch the film and fill in the boxes with either words or pictures. Pair and share with others then feedback to the class. What similarities/differences have they made?

Characters (who?) Settings (where?)

Sound Surprises


Discuss with class the actions and character of the grandfather in this film.

• How is he similar/dissimilar to the grandfathers they have experience of?

• Do you think the young girl is embarrassed by her grandfather?

• What are the clues that make you agree or disagree with this?

Expressive arts

Collect recycled materials with the class such as plastic carrier bags, polythene, paper, bottles, wool, pegs etc. Recreate a scene from the film or make your own based on the story. Try to include characters too.

Make your own recycled percussion orchestra!

In the film you hear the beautiful music made out of recycled materials. Be inventive and create your own or use the following link as a starter to help you:http://www.rhythmweb.com/homemade/

I have the freedom to use my voice, musical instruments and music technology to discover and enjoy playing with sound and rhythm. EXA 0-17A


The Smoke Seller (El vendedor de humo)Dir. Jaime MaestroSpain / 7m

A magician rolls up in a quiet town offering to change lives for a reasonable price. He has a twinkle in his eye and it’s not long before residents start to enjoy his presence. However, all good things must come to an end...

Suggested activities:

• Using the pictures on the following pages, get the children to fill the speech bubbles with what they can remember from the film.

• Afterwards, view the film again using the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvYAyFms6VI

• Then swap the pictures to different groups with speech bubbles attached. After viewing the film a second time, what else can they add to the speech bubbles? What changes would they like to make?

• Further develop this by taking each frame and building sentences about them.

• If you could meet the amazing Smoke Seller, what would you ask him to do?

I enjoy exploring events and characters in stories and other texts and I use what I learn to invent my own, sharing these with others in imaginative ways. LIT 0-09b / LIT 0-31a


SNAPDir. Thomas MurphyBelgium/UK / 6m24s

Underwater life is a challenge for little Snap until he meets an unlikely new friend (Fergal the Frog). Together they discover a novel solution to Snap’s problem.


• Discuss what kind of film this is. Is it like any other films they’ve seen?

• Discuss the image above in groups. Name the characters in this scene. What exactly are they doing? Who is the more confident character? What things in Snap’s life have made him become like this?


• Now look at the image at the top of this page. Where is this scene meant to be? Do you think this is a happy place? How would you describe the colours in this scene? Does this scene remind you of any other films/ cartoons etc? What was it that made Snap and the Fergal the frog become friends?

• Write a letter pretending that you are a creature like Snap, now able to live and survive on your own. What things do you miss about Fergal and what would you like to thank him for?

Within real and imaginary situations, I share experiences and feelings, ideas and information in a way that communicates my message. LIT 0-26a

I understand that people can feel alone and can be misunderstood and left out by others. I am learning how to give appropriate support. HWB 0-08a / HWB 1-08a


Pryg-Skok (Hop Frog)Dir. Shmelkov LeonidRussia / 5m

Enjoy five minutes of sheer vibrant hypnotic delight! Children will love these little animated characters hopping out of their holes, getting lost and found again and the music that accompanies helps the story move happily along.


Expressive Arts

• Using sugar paper, recreate some of these images from the film, a selection of which are on the following page. These can be painted using fluorescent colours or wax crayons would provide a richness of colour. If you have fuzzy felts, try and recreate some scenes that way.

I have the freedom to discover and choose ways to create images and objects using a variety of materials. EXA 0-02a

Inspired by a range of stimuli, and working on my own and/or with others, I can express and communicate my ideas, thoughts and feelings through musical activities. EXA 0-18a / EXA 1-18a

To show my understanding across different areas of learning, I can identify and consider the purpose and main idea of a text. LIT 1-18a


Kiekje (Snapshot)Dir. Arthur Van MerwijkThe Netherlands / 2m30s

Two comical wildlife enthusiasts decide to venture into the forest to capture photos of animals in their natural habitat. However, it seems like they’re having a difficult job taking photos as the animals get the better of them.


• When you saw the film, what clues did you find that led you to believe the tourists weren’t going to be very good at taking photographs?

• Was there anything about the characters’ clothing etc that made you come to these conclusions?

• This film could fit in well with a topic about animals. You can find some excellent lesson ideas about camouflage using the following link and logging on to the site.

http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Camouflage-3007766/



EideannDir. Alvaro GranadosSpain / 5m18s

Set in the fourteenth Century, Eideann is the story of a brave Scottish shepherd and one of his sheep. The clever actions of the sheep help the shepherd to invent a new game – one which is very popular to this day!


• ‘Eideann’ is a Gaelic word meaning fiery. Discuss with the children the similarities between the shepherd and the word fiery.

• For many years now, sheep have been getting ‘baaaad’ press. They are often described as not being very clever. However, this film challenges that stereotype.

Using the worksheet below in small groups, ask children to list any details they remember (you can always view the trailer again with the given link) from the film that clearly indicate the sheep is clever and the shepherd not so

• The film ends with a Scottish Proverb, ‘A smile costs less than electricity and gives off more light’. Discuss this with your class.

In what way does a smile give off light? What makes you smile when watching this film?

You can view much more about the background and making of this film visiting the website eideann.com.

As I listen or watch, I am learning to make notes under given headings and use these to under-stand what I have listened to or watched and create new texts. LIT 1-05a



The sheep is clever because... The shepherd is not so clever because...

La fenêtreDir. Camille MullerSwitzerland / 4m45s

A little boy loves nothing more than to daydream in his bedroom, immersing himself in the fictional world of the characters in his book. However, his world changes one day when he looks out of his window and sees a young girl in trouble – will he respond like the hero in his book?


• Discuss the challenges experienced by the young boy. What would you have done in his situation? Have you ever been picked on and how did it make you feel?

• The young boy in the film wants to be like the brave hero in his book. Discuss the characteristics that make up heroes. Put them into two categories – fictional and real. • Children to make their own Hero Window pictures – based on the title of the film – La

fenêtre. Firstly, identify the characteristics that they believe are most important in a hero. Using cloud templates (like the one below) children draw or write their hero ideas which will then be displayed on classroom windows. Names of children in the class and people they know can be added to the clouds all year as events take their turn.

Within real and imaginary situations, I share experiences and feelings, ideas and information in a way that communicates my message. LIT 0-26a


My hero is .......... because...................................................................................................

Evaluating this resource We hope that you found this resource useful and appropriate. Please do send us film reviews, letters from your pupils, documentation of classwork and your feedback by e-mailing [email protected]

Would you make a good Discovery Film Festival Case Study?

We are seeking a number of simple Case Studies in how teachers have used or are using Dis-covery films in the classroom across Curriculum for Excellence and across the Levels.

Any case studies that we develop would be intended for presentation on GLOW, the Creativity Portal and on Discovery Film Festival websites. We have a simple template to be completed and are keen to have classwork and documentation included.

If you would like to be a Discovery Case Study please e-mail [email protected]


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