Music and Media Task

Review the lyrics and watch the video for"World on Fire" by Sarah McLachlan and write and answer the following questions:

a.       How do the lyrics share the message of the song? Consider words, phrases, literary devices, poetic devices.

b.      How did the music change or enhance the meaning of the words

c.       How did the images change or enhance the meaning of the words

d.      In your interpretation, what is the meaning of this song?

"World On Fire"

Lyrics by Sarah McLachhlin

Hearts are worn in these dark ages
You're not alone in this story's pages
The light has fallen amongst the living and the dying
And I'll try to hold it in, yeah I'll try to hold it in

[Chorus]
The world's on fire and
It's more than I can handle
I'll tap into the water
(Try and bring my share)
I try to bring more
More than I can handle
(Bring it to the table)
Bring what I am able

I watch the heavens but I find no calling
Something I can do to change what's coming
Stay close to me while the sky is falling
Don't wanna be left alone, don't wanna be alone

[Chorus]

Hearts break, hearts mend
Love still hurts
Visions clash, planes crash
Still there's talk of
Saving souls, still the cold
Is closing in on us

We part the veil on our killer sun
Stray from the straight line on this short run
The more we take, the less we become
The fortune of one that means less for some

[Chorus X2]

Homework for Wednesday

Please review the topics listed under "Digital and Media Literacy" on the website:  

www.mediasmarts.ca

By clicking on the topics on the drop down list, you will be able to find articles about each topic. Read through a variety of articles about topics you find interesting. Take notes on interesting facts, statistics, anecdotes, etc. you feel would help support your opinion piece. If possible, print a few articles to bring to class.

On Wednesday we will begin working on our essay plans.

Please note, the topics related to pornography and sexting listed on the website are not suitable topics for this research.

The Five Paragraph Essay

Write What you Know

Story Elements Test Format

Your test will be in 2 parts and each part will be administered on a different day.

Thursday Feb 11th - Story Elements

You will be expected to complete multiple choice, matching, and short answer questions about the story elements learned about in class; this includes dialogue writing

Wednesday February 17th - Analyze a Story

You will be given a story to read. You will be expected to answer questions about this story; e.g., what is the theme, mood, climax, conflict, characterization, etc.

Review for Story Elements Test

Terms and Concepts for Review

1. Exposition
2. Rising Action
3. Climax/Turning Point
4. Falling Action
5. Resolution
6. Conflict (Review types: Character vs. Character, Character vs. Self, Character vs. Fate. Character vs. Society, Character vs. Nature)
7. Mood
8. Theme
9. Irony
10. Indirect and Direct Characterization
11. Point of View
12. Imagery
13. Figurative Language (metaphor, etc)
14. Dialogue Punctuation
15. Four different types of leads

You will be given a story to read and identify story elements.

Theme Video Viewed in Class

Mood Paragraph Example

Planning Template

Topic Sentence

In the story “No Matter What” the author created an uncomfortable and suspenseful mood at the beginning of the story.

Point 1

Joan Lowery Nixon describes the weather as “…hot and sticky and the wind is filled with dust…” (p.71)

Point 2

Danny enters the house and runs to the washroom and throws up; “I heard the bathroom door slam and the sickening sounds of violent retching.” (p.70)

Point 3

Bart Ridgeway comes to the door and acts suspiciously; “If you are with the sheriff’s department, why aren’t you wearing a uniform?” (p.74)

Concluding Sentence

Joan Lowery Nixon successfully draws the reader into the story through by using character’s actions as well as the weather to create an uncomfortable and suspicious mood.

Sample Paragraph

In the story “No Matter What” the author created an uncomfortable and suspenseful mood at the beginning of the story. One of the ways in which an author can create the mood of a story is by describing the weather; for example, a sunny day would create a happy mood. Joan Lowery Nixon describes the weather as “…hot and sticky and the wind is filled with dust…” (p.71). Experiencing this weather would be uncomfortable; by writing about this, the author can create a less comfortable feeling in the reader. As well, Danny enters the house and runs to the washroom and throws up; “I heard the bathroom door slam and the sickening sounds of violent retching.” (p.70) Upon reading this, the reader feels that something very strange is happening and wants to find out; this adds to a suspenseful mood. As the story continues, the reader meets Bart Ridgeway and he acts in a very suspicious way; “If you are with the sheriff’s department, why aren’t you wearing a uniform?” (p.74) In addition, he doesn’t allow Megan any time to view his police badge. The reader is left to think that something untoward is happening. Joan Lowery Nixon successfully draws the reader into the story through by using character’s actions as well as the weather to create an uncomfortable and suspicious mood.

All Summer in a Day

Here is the link to the online copy of the story we read in class. You are expected to write one well formatted paragraph that describes the mood of this story, You are required to use specific details from the story to help support your ideas.

http://www.btboces.org/Downloads/6_All%20Summer%20in%20a%20Day%20by%20Ray%20Bradbury.pdf

PLEASE HAND IN YOUR COMPLETED PARAGRAPH PLANNING TEMPLATE ALONG WITH YOUR TYPED PARAGRAPH.

This assignment is due on Monday January 18th.

Evaluating Presentation Strategies Task

At this point in the term you have viewed a variety of presentations from your peers and some examples online. You have also had the opportunity to prepare and present a poem in front of the class based on success criteria.

For this task, you are going to critique and evaluate the presentation strategies of two individuals who are presenting their poetry. You should consider the success criteria we developed in class as a way to critique the poetry readings. You may also write any personal critique (positive or negative) that you feel is important to share.

Please follow these steps:

1. Review the success criteria below:

• Pace of reading the poem helps the poetry reading be more effective
• Intonation helps bring poem to life
• Uses good expression
• Eye contact with the audience
• Standing straight, confident, no slouching
• Use appropriate gestures
• Voice is clear and easy to understand
• Volume is loud enough for everyone to hear
• Practice is evident

2. View the two videos below: 

3. Using the proper paragraph structure we learned in class, write a response explaining which of the poetry readings you preferred. This response will need to be several paragraphs in length. You are expected to use specific details from the poetry reading to support you choice. You will also need to relate your response to the success criteria reviewed in step 1.

4. Type up your response using proper formatting:

a. Use only one font
b. Do not exceed 12 point font
c. Single space your text
d. Separate paragraphs with a double-space
e. Indent paragraphs with a single "tab"

5. Hand in this task on Thursday January 14th 2016

Link for question 3

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

Video for question 4





Video for question 5

Media Literacy Test Study Guide

Review the 5 Key Concepts of Media Literacy

1. Media are constructions
2. Audiences negotiate meaning
3. Media have commercial implications
4. Media have social and political implications
5. Each medium has a unique aesthetic form

You can view all the videos about the key concepts by following the link below.

http://mediasmarts.ca/media-literacy-101

You will be asked to look at a variety of media including:

• print advertising
• TV advertising
• Online videos
• Websites

You will be answering questions based on the form and content of the media. All questions on the test will relate back to what we learned in class.

You will also be asked questions about the advertising techniques we learned in class:

• Pathos
• Ethos
• Logos

As well as the additional ones:

• Avant Garde
• Weseal Words
• Magic Incredients
• Patriotism
• Transfer
• Plain Folks
• Snob Appeal
• Bribery
• Bandwagon

I will not be asking any questions about camera angles.

Poetry Reading Success Criteria

Please come prepared to present your poetry on your scheduled date.

• Pace of reading the poem helps the poetry reading be more effective
• Intonation helps bring poem to life
• Use good expression
• Eye contact with the audience
• Standing straight, confident, no slouching
• Use appropriate gestures
• Voice is clear and easy to understand
• Volume is loud enough for everyone to hear
• Between 10-30 seconds
• Practice is evident

Video: Rule of Thirds

Video: Camera Angles

Video: Pathos, Logos, and Ethos in Advertising

5. Each medium has a unique aesthetic form

• The content of media depends in part on the nature of the medium.
• This includes the technical, commercial and storytelling demands of each medium: for instance, the interactive nature of video games leads to different forms of storytelling – and different demands on media creators – that are found in film and TV.

Ask

• What techniques does the media product use to get your attention and to communicate its message?
• In what ways are the images in the media product manipulated through various techniques (for example: lighting, makeup, camera angle, photo manipulation)?
• What are the expectations of the genre (for example: print advertising, TV drama, music video) towards its subject?

Media Response #4

Have you ever felt persuaded by a media text (video, picture, article, news story). Did the media text persuade you to change or want to change your actions?

Media has Social and Political Implications Notes

4. Media have social and political implications

• Media convey ideological messages about values, power and authority.

• In media literacy, what or who is absent may be more important than what or who is included.

• These messages may be the result of conscious decisions, but more often they are the result of unconscious biases and unquestioned assumptions – and they can have a significant influence on what we think and believe.

• As a result, media have great influence on politics and on forming social change. 

• TV news coverage and advertising can greatly influence the election of a national leader on the basis of image; representations of world issues, both in journalism and fiction, can affect how much attention they receive; and society’s views towards different groups can be directly influenced by how – and how often – they appear in media.

Ask:

• Who and what is shown in a positive light? In a negative light?
• Why might these people and things be shown this way?
• Who and what is not shown at all?
• What conclusions might audiences draw based on these facts?

Media has Commercial Implications Notes

3. Media have commercial implications

• Most media production is a business and must, therefore, make a profit. In addition, media industries belong to a powerful network of corporations that exert influence on content and distribution.

• Questions of ownership and control are central – a relatively small number of individuals control what we watch, read and hear in the media.

• Even in cases where media content is not made for profit – such as YouTube videos and Facebook posts – the ways in which content is distributed are nearly always run with profit in mind.

Ask:

• What is the commercial purpose of this media product (in other words, how will it help someone make money)?
• How does this influence the content and how it’s communicated?
• If no commercial purpose can be found, what other purposes might the media product have (for instance, to get attention for its creator or to convince audiences of a particular point of view).