The Construction Crew: Unit Overview
In this lesson, students start to think about media as constructions and learn about some of the people involved in making them. Activities focus on Foley work as an example and students are given the opportunity to do it themselves.
Grade range: 4 to 6
Time Frame
| One class period (45-60 minutes) | Two class periods (90-120 minutes) | Extended Unit | |
| Activities | Introduction
What is a Foley Artist Making Noises (in-class option ) Sound Effects
|
Introduction
The Construction Crew What is a Foley Artist Making Noises (in-class option) Sound Effects Reflection |
Introduction
The Construction Crew What is a Foley Artist Making Noises (media production option) Sound Effects Reflection |
Preparation:
- Make sure that you are able to show the embedded videos or that students are able to access the links.
- If you are delievering the media production option, familiarize yourself with a few simple editing programs or apps. For a comprehensive list, see https://alternativeto.net/category/video/video-editing/.
Learning Outcomes
Big ideas/key concepts: Students will understand that…
Media are constructions:
- Media works were made many people who made choices that affect the final work
Each medium has a unique aesthetic form:
- Different media communicate in different ways and using different codes and conventions
Key questions:
- How do different people work together to make media?
- What are some of the different jobs in media making?
- What choices do people in those different jobs make?
- How do their choices affect what we see, hear and feel?
Essential knowledge: Students will know…
- Reading media: Many parts of a media text, such as sound effects, are carefully chosen and created for specific effects
- Making and remixing: Foley artists use many different techniques to achieve particular sounds and sound effects
- Key vocabulary: Pre-production, production, post-production, director, producer, cinematographer, gaffer, best boy, grip, boom, Foley artist
Performance tasks: Students will be able to…
- Name and identify different jobs in media
- Explain what Foley artists do and some of the choices they make
- Analyze a scene from the point of view of a Foley artist and collaborate to create and perform sound effects
- Reflect on the roles that different people played in creating memorable media experiences
Curriculum Connections
Strand A: Literacy Connections and Applications
A2. Digital Media Literacy
A2.4 Forms, Conventions, and Techniques
demonstrate an understanding of the forms, conventions, and techniques of digital and media texts, consider the impact on the audience, and apply this understanding when analyzing and creating texts
A2.5 Media, Audience, and Production
demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships between the form, message, and context of texts, the intended audience, and the purpose for production
A2.6 Innovation and Design
select and use appropriate digital and media tools to support the design process and address authentic, relevant, real-world problems by developing innovative solutions
Strand C: Comprehension (Understanding and Responding to Texts)
C1 Knowledge about Texts
C1.3 Text Forms and Genres
describe some characteristics of various text forms and genres, including cultural text forms, and explain how they help communicate meaning
C2 Comprehension Strategies
C2.3 Monitoring of Understanding: Making and Confirming Predictions
make predictions using background knowledge, text features, and evidence from the text, and pose questions to check whether their predictions were correct
Strand D: Composition (Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts)
D3 Publishing, Presenting and Reflecting
D2.1 Producing Drafts
Grades 4-5
draft texts of various forms and genres, including narrative, persuasive, and informational texts, using a variety of media, tools, and strategies
Grade 6
draft complex texts of various forms and genres, including narrative, expository, and informational texts, using a variety of media, tools, and strategies
D3.1 Producing Final Texts
Grade 4
produce final texts using a variety of techniques and tools, including simple digital design and production tools, to achieve the intended effect
Grade 5
produce final texts using a variety of techniques and tools, including digital design and production tools, to achieve the intended effect
Grade 6
produce final texts, selecting a variety of suitable techniques and tools, including digital design and production tools, to achieve the intended effect
D3.2 Publishing and Presenting Texts
Grades 4-5
publish and present texts they have created, using selected media and tools, and explain how each helped them communicate their intended message
Grade 6
publish and present texts they have created, using selected media and tools, and analyze how their choices helped them communicate their intended message
Conventions are accepted practices or rules in a medium or genre. Some conventions help convey meaning while others describe accepted practices in a genre.