Mind Games
Round the Twist |
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Lesson plan 1. Tuning in These activities prepare the students for viewing the key episode (or episode segment) related to the topic. The activities allow students to: explore some of the main concepts involved in the episode; make predictions; reveal some of their prior knowledge; and raise questions for further exploration. 1.1 BRAIN storm! Ask students to draw a diagram or use modelling clay to make a model of what they think the brain looks like. Students then move into groups of three and share their thoughts about the brain. Ask them to draw a venn diagram showing the way their ideas are similar and different. Discuss the venn diagrams as a class and establish what you mostly agree
on. Students will have many questions about the brain arising from this
activity, so set up a chart to document their ideas and questions such
as these:
Encourage students to begin searching for sources of information about the brain and how it controls the way we think and behave. Collect books and other texts that can also be used as references in the activities to follow. A useful and accessible collection for this age group is the Macmillan Science and Technology Encyclopedia (Melbourne, 1992). 1.2 Key words Provide students with a list of key words about the brain and ask them to suggest definitions for them. For example: brainstem, cerebellum, cerebrum, cortex, grey matter, hemispheres, messages, nerve centres, skull, spinal cord, and tissue. This activity can be done in small groups with the students checking their ideas in the dictionary. 1.3 Setting up research Organise students into 'expert' groups, each with a focus question from the chart. They gather as much information as they can in answer to that question about the brain, over a given time period. The information can come from a range of sources. Establish a time line and a way to document their findings. The groups can share their findings first with each other, and then with other groups. A 'Jigsaw' method can be used with individual members of the original 'expert' group forming new groups to share their knowledge. 1.4 Graffiti sheet Present the students with the two words 'heart' and 'mind', each written on two large sheets of paper. Ask the students to use art or language to respond to these words. Ask: What do we associate with the mind? What do we associate with the heart? 1.5 If I only had a brain Puns and other word-plays are used as a comic device throughout the episode Brainless. As a fun activity and a way of focussing students' attention on this method as they view the text, ask them to think up as many words, phrases, sayings or song titles that use the words brain, head or mind. Add to this list throughout the unit. Display the list in a public place around the school and encourage others to add their ideas! 1.6 Be a script writer View the episode from the beginning until the moment where Bronson puts the plug into the socket: Scene: Port Niranda SchoolAsk students: if you were the scriptwriters and you were given this much to view and asked to write the rest, what would you suggest? Students must identify the reasons for their predictions.Ask them how the have come up with these predictions and what clues they have taken from the episode. Their predictions can be communicated through drama, discussion or as a written activity. Some students could develop a storyboard or map of how they think the entire episode could develop. View the remainder of the episode and ask the students to identify any similarities between their ideas for the script and what actually happens. 2. Responding These activities is to help student's process the ideas and issues raised in the episode they have viewed. 2.1 Everyone's a critic The students' initial responses to the episode may be explored in the form of reviews. Ask students to read a number of reviews written about television programs, either in newspapers or magazines. Make a list of some of the common features or characteristics of a review, for example: · They usually include the names of the key actors. Ask the groups to present three criteria for a good review. For example;
Once review styles have been discussed and characteristics and criteria developed, students can write (individually or collaboratively) a review of the Brainless episode. Reviews could be published in the school newsletter. 2.2 Step back in time Early in the episode, Anthony says to Bronson 'I doubt your primary school science is going to solve the biggest medical challenge in human history.' This aspect of the episode can be used to encourage students to find out about some of the key medical breakthroughs in history and, most importantly, how they happened. Students can develop a timeline of key events in medical history simply by consulting encyclopaedias and a CD Rom such as Microsoft Encarta. The timeline can be added to throughout the unit. 2.3 Looking ahead Ask students to consider the question: what might be some of the major scientific breakthroughs in the next century? Students can survey parents and others for their responses then analyse and graph the responses or order them from most likely to least likely. Ask them how such breakthroughs would impact on the world. 2.5 The school geek? In Brainless, Anthony is yet again depicted as a 'nerd' - because he enjoys science! Pete refers to Anthony as 'the school geek' and Gribbs calls him 'nerd boy'. Ask students to re-view the episode with a focus on Anthony and the way his character is developed around stereotypical images of the scientist. This structure can be used to help students make and record their observations:
Discuss the use of characterisation with the students and talk about other texts in which scientists are depicted in a similar way. Ask:
2.6 The Great debate Ask students to work through the process of planning and presenting a debate around the topic: 'Science is more important than the arts'. Teachers and parents can also be surveyed for their responses. This activity may also lead to investigations of the different careers associated with the arts and sciences. Using the Internet, ask students to access university websites to see the different courses offered to people wishing to pursue science. 2.7 I have you in my power Brainless works around the contrasting images of the brain without a body and the body without a brain. Linda and Pete become vacant automatons without their brains and are able to be controlled by anyone who can take advantage of their state. View the following scenes: A. Scene: in the lighthouse, at the dinner table. Bronson is controlling Linda and Pete as they eat.These scenes are designed to work in a humorous way. Ask students:
Students can brainstorm their response to this proposition in small groups The theme can be explored in more depth by comparing Brainless with episode 11vol. 9: The Icecream Man Cometh in which the theme of exploitation of others is also examined. 3. Making connections These activities is to draw the threads of the mini unit together; to assess the degree to which students' ideas have developed; and to provide direction for possible further investigations. 3.1 Concept mapping Provide students with the following key words and ask them to use these words to form a concept map showing their understanding of the connections between each term. Thinking, learning, brain, identity, self, others, control, power, choices. They can add words to their maps once they have worked with the core lists. 3.2 Imagine if.. The episode Brainless asks us to 'suspend our disbelief' and enter into the imaginative world of possibility. If appropriate, revisit some or all of the episodes. UMI and If Walls Could Talk each have scripts that develop around a 'what if' idea (eg. what if walls could talk? What if people could swap minds?) Ask the students to select from the list below or devise their own 'what if' scenario. Students can develop their ideas into a script, cartoon strip, skit or story. The characters from Round the Twist could be used in these stories - depending on the extent to which students are familiar with the series. Examples of 'what if' ideas:
4. Going further These activities is to provide extension and enrichment ideas for individuals, groups or the whole class. The selection of activities will depend on the time available, the needs of students and the direction in which the unit has already gone. The grid below provides a range of activities related the topic of the brain. The activities can be carried out as individual, independent tasks and are ideal as homework projects. The framework of multiple intelligences allows students to make selections according to their preferred learning styles. It is important that students have clear guidelines as to how long they have to complete the work and understand that they will be asked to share their work with others. Independent explorations
5. Getting technical These activities are designed to focus on the structure of the text itself. Their purpose is to give students insight into some of the techniques used in the construction of visual texts and to develop critical; viewing skills. 5.1 Playing with words As in episodes throughout the series, the dialogue relies on several 'word plays'. Ask the students to review all or some of the episode and note the use of puns and other references to the mind/head/brain ('out of my head', 'light headed', 'brainwashing', 'brainpower') Students can also make a list of all the real and pseudo-scientific jargon used throughout the episode ('anthomic bronsometer', 'data', 'readings', 'recalibrate the potention trajectory', etc). Discuss the effect of this word play on the audience. Why is it used? How does it add to the overall impact of the episode? 5.2 Visual humour Much of the humour in Brainless relies on the visual impact of the various 'slapstick' scenes during the pursuit of the brains. Ask students to consider what devices or strategies might have been employed to achieve some of the special effects, for example:
Choose any section from this sequence and, if possible,
advance through the scene in slow motion or use the pause button to work
through each frame.
Some useful references
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