Angelo J. Pompano
Grade Level: 7-8
Subject Area: Language Arts
Essential Skills and Strategies:
Writing:
Description:
Students will prepare a one or two page "treatment" for their City Symphony. A treatment is a written condensed version of the proposed movie or television project. It is written in the present tense and gives information about the characters, the setting, and sample dialogue from the project. The treatment also gives the proposed length of the piece, tells of equipment needed, and any other pertinent information. The purpose of the treatment is usually to convince a big name actor to work on the project or an executive producer to invest money in it. For this reason it should be well written so that it will hold the attention of the reader.
Procedure
Give the students the following directions.
"You are going to make a video in the style of the City Symphonies of the silent era. Your video will be titled "A Day in the Life of Our School." It will be an artistic representation of what happens in your school from the time the building is unlocked at 6:00 in the morning until it is closed at 10:00 in the evening.
You have already studied City Symphonies such as
Manhatta
and
Berlin- Symphony of a Great City
. In previous lessons, you have discussed how a school is similar to a city. You have also brainstormed with your classmates to create a list of what you would put in your Symphony and you have created a storyboard. You will need to review this material.
Now you must prepare a treatment for your project to convince the principal to back your project. This treatment will be similar to persuasive letters you have written in English class. With your storyboard in mind, you will write a 1-2 page summary of the proposed script. You will indicate how long the video will be. The treatment should include the target audience, the subject matter to be covered, the desired response from the audience, and the final impression the "City Symphony" should leave on the audience. Also mention what equipment will be needed, where and when you will be taping. Mention any permission for special access you will need. Also, if your video will be viewed outside of the school building, include any permission to videotape students that will be needed."
Standards Covered:
Content Standard 2.0 Writing
Grades 5-8
. Students will progress along a developmental continuum, as they become proficient writers.
Performance Standard 2.1
Students will develop strategic writing skills that ensure successful communication.
Performance Standard 2.2
Students will develop strategic writing behaviors before, during, and after specific writing tasks.
Performance Standard 2.3
Students will demonstrate performance standards 2.1 and 2.2 through a wide variety of writing tasks.
