Eden C. Stein
Lesson 1.
The Snow Queen
Hans Christian Andersen’s original tale of “The Snow Queen” is best read in class as a whole class activity. This portion of the unit will take several days, as the students summarize each of the seven parts after reading. One option is for students to create a “foldable” with seven flaps. They can also illustrate something that captivates their imagination from each part. At the end of the reading, the whole class discusses the theme of the tale. It is also important to discuss the relative autonomy of the first part of this story, the tale of the broken mirror, and use this as an example of a framing story.
Following the reading of the tale the class will view an animated version put out in 1985 by Faerie Tale Theatre and narrated by Shelley Duvall. This version was chosen because of its relative fidelity to the story and manageable length for the classroom. Hopefully the dated hairstyles won’t put the students off too much! After watching the movie the class will discuss the fidelity of the film version to the story and what is lost and/or gained by the decisions made by the director. Part 1 of the story, about the mirror and it's broken fragments, and part 2, in which we get to know Gerda and Kai, are juxtaposed. The film uses live actors and actresses against a fantastical background. Instead of Kai being captured by the Snow Queen when he is playing in town with the boys in the film he falls off the rooftop garden and she comes to rescue him from the evil influence to show that she really exists. We get our first view of the Snow Queen’s palace early in the story instead of having to wait for the final section. In the film’s third part she gets information from a tree in the forest who points her toward the Lady of Summer who is the Snow Queen’s sister. In the original text she is an old woman but they both preside over magical flowers. In the film, probably for the sake of brevity, the flowers don’t each share their irrelevant stories, but in both versions it is the sight of the rose which breaks the spell and reminds Gerda that she must continue her search for Kai. Then the film skips over the fourth part of the tale about the crow, the prince, and the princess and goes straight to the fifth part about the little robber girl. Several times during the film we are taken to the Snow Queen’s palace to see how Kai’s story is progressing. At this point he is already working on the puzzle that can set him free in the seventh part of the text. Faerie Tale Theatre also skips the sixth part of the story about the Lapland woman and the Finland woman. When Gerda finally finds Kai in the original text, it is a Christian verse that breaks the spell of the broken glass but in the film it is Gerda’s hot tears of love that warm his cold heart. Tears wash away the shard of glass from his eye, and Kai solves the puzzle. Gerda has succeeded in her quest and returns Kai back to their home.
Students will conclude this portion of the unit by writing a one page essay responding to their favorite part of the five sections of the text in the film by answering the question, How did the film differ from the text and why do you think this was the case for this part of the tale? Asking the students to focus on one part of the story encourages them to analyze specific details and to compare and contrast them. Finally, the class should discuss whether the literary text and film version have the same message and what they think that message is. Did the film illuminate a dimension of the text invisible before?
Lesson 2.
Kit’s Wilderness
While the class reads the opening of
Kit’s Wilderness
together, most reading takes place at home in order to keep this unit moving along at a reasonable pace. Some background knowledge will be provided to the students about coal mining in England during the early 20th century. It is important for students to realize that child labor and pit mining disasters are a part of history and essential to the setting of the novel which takes place in the fictional English town of Stoneygate. The novel beautifully describes how coal is formed over millions of years, trapping the sunlight into a cold dark solid which can then be used for fire and heat. Coal miners are seen as time travelers, going down into the the depths of the earth to places formed eons ago. Kit and Askew also become time travelers through Kit’s story of Lak which takes place in prehistoric times.
The class may need to have a discussion about dementia and its symptoms as this illness of Kit’s grandfather plays a large role in the story. Some of the students typically have experience with an elderly family member who is losing or who has lost their memory. They can explain this phenomenon to the other class members. Another interesting aspect of the story concerns geology, a subject the characters study at school. For instance, while some students will already be familiar with the term “Pangea,” it may be helpful to show some picture or actual samples of ammonite and obsidian.
It must be noted that there is a gruesome aspect to the plot of
Kit’s Wilderness
to which an occasional parent may object. In the novel, on a page which is reprinted as the first page, Askew leads a small group of his young peers into an abandoned mine where they play a game called “death,” which consists of sitting in a circle, spinning a knife the way one would spin a bottle, and having the chosen student asphyxiate until they either pretend to, or actually, pass out for a few minutes. No character in the book is injured or dies. Obviously, students should be reminded that this is a work of fiction and this type of behavior should never be imitated.
The novel can be divided into six parts, and students will be instructed to read a section every three days, thus reading the whole book in less than three weeks. For each part students complete a dialectical journal entry. This consists of copying out an important quote from the book on one side of a journal page and responding to it on the other side. Students may need to be instructed in the difference between responding and summarizing and given some question stems such as “I wonder why…”. These types of journal entries provide excellent material for student-led class discussions.
Sometime during the reading of the novel students should be introduced to the elements of plot structure including exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Literary elements that they should already be familiar with are also reviewed, including character, setting, and conflict. A plot diagram is a useful device to analyze the various stories in the book. Color, weather and seasons of the year are used symbolically in the novel and provide an excellent opportunity for mini-lessons on symbolism. These can later be compared to the use of such symbolism in
The Snow Queen.
Students will not to be forewarned about the role of
The Snow Queen
in
Kit’s Wilderness,
but allowed to discover it for themselves. They can then enjoy David Almond’s descriptions and speculate about the story’s connection to the plot and theme. Lak’s story begins on page 106, near the end of the third section assigned for reading to students. Kit is writing this story as the novel progresses; it is printed in italics in the book so the students should recognize it as a separate yet connected entity. Some students may be intrigued by the story starter that Kit’s teacher has given them and may express a desire for a similar assignment. Time permitting, this type of assignment would be an excellent extension of the unit into creative writing.
At the end of the Dell Laurel-Leaf (1999) edition of the book there are ten helpful discussion questions that can steer the students to many of the important thematic elements of the story and to issues at the heart of this unit. The final question about the role of storytelling in the novel will help bring up the interconnection and parallel structure of the four stories told in this complex novel. We can also assess the way magical elements are able to coexist with real ones.
This section of the unit ends with the students completing a theme target in cooperative groups. In this graphic organizer students generate and discuss possible themes. One theme is then chosen by each group and entered in the center of the target. Some time may need to be spent defining thematic statements as full sentences that reflect a universal message which is not a cliché and not specific to the plot of the novel. Subsequently, in the inner circle of the target students write or draw literary elements which illustrate the theme. In the outer circle, students provide evidence from the text in the form of quotations that reflect these literary elements. In the corners around the target students can draw additional images from the novel. The use of both writing and drawing allows differentiation according to individual student's strengths and also reflects a thematic element of the novel.
In order to investigate the connection of
The Snow Queen
to
Kit’s Wilderness,
students will be asked to respond to the following questions in a homework assignment:
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How are weather, the seasons of the year, and other natural phenomena and objects used as symbols in
The Snow Queen
adaptation we watched in class? In
Kit’s Wilderness
?
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How does Burning Bush’s version of the
The Snow Queen
differ from the original text and video version we watched in class?
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Why do you think David Almond chose this fairy tale to play a central role in
Kit’s Wilderness
?
Lesson 3.
The Secret of Roan Inish
The major feature length film viewed in this unit is
The Secret of Roan Inish
directed by John Sayles. Prior to viewing the film, students will need to be introduced to the following film terminology:
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cinematography - the art of camera work
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shots - the image that is on screen
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framing - how an object is placed within the shot
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wide shot or long shot - the image appears far away (used to provide physical setting distance between characters, or the relationship of characters to their surroundings)
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medium shot (provides neutrality or information about relationships)
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close up - the object takes up most of the screen space (provides intimacy and detail and controls the viewer’s focus)
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tracking - when the camera is placed on a moving object alongside the object being filmed, dissolves - a slow transition where one character or scene is slowly replaced by another (used to make a connection between characters)
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low-key lighting - maximum contrast between light and dark (creates mood of suspicion, may be used to dull the border between fantasy and reality)
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high-key lighting (bright light with little contrast between light and dark (communicates the absence of threat).
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These terms were chosen as appropriate for the grade level and directly applicable to the film.
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The glossary of terms on the Burns Film Center website can be used to facilitate teaching of this vocabulary.
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The Yale website also provides excellent examples and definitions of these terms.
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Pre-teaching for the film includes images and an explanation of selkies, plus a discussion of oral tradition and oral lore.
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Selkies are mythical creatures who look like and live as seals but can shed their skin to become human and can return to being seals by putting their skin back on. Here, a connection to Kit’s grandfather and his telling of the story of Silkie should be obvious to the students. The teacher may want to reinforce how stories which start off being told orally are later written down and subsequently adapted to other media. It should be pointed out that the film is itself an adaptation, as it is based on the book
The Secret of Ron Moor Skerry
though the setting was changed from Scotland to Ireland.
Prior to viewing the film, the teacher may want to have students read the exposition of the story in Chapter 1. They can thus be introduced to the characters and setting as well as the conflict of the story. Next, they watch the film in its entirety. Students may need help appreciating the gorgeous, rugged Irish landscape. The teacher will want to pause the film to allow discussion of certain scenes and aspects of cinematography. The teacher can also prepare a PowerPoint of various shots of the film to be used after the students view the entire movie. Students may need help identifying how the cinematographer uses closeups to change point of view. The scene when Jamie is taken by the sea, told in flashback, is excellent for appreciating the point of view of both Jamie and of a seal, achieved with tracking. Emphasis should be placed on the setting on the Donegal coastline and how the weather and shot types can be used to help the viewer suspend reality and actually believe such a story may be possible. Shots taken from Fiona’s point of view will also be isolated. The scene where Fiona meets Tadhg could be viewed again (40:00) discussed in terms of characteristics of space as well as how Fiona changes after this point in the story.
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This scene can also be identified as the only truly magical one in the film, and it takes place within a story being told to Fiona. A good example of a dissolve is at 53:52 when Fiona falls asleep on Roan Inish with the waves providing her lullaby, and dreams of her selkie ancestor.
Figure 1. Dissolve transition for Fiona’s dream.
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When she wakes up and walks across the field, haunting music contrasts with the high-key lighting. Another dissolve is at 1:05 when Fiona again falls asleep on the island and dreams, and at 1:23 when she dreams of her mother. Dissolves are also used liberally beginning at 1:16 for the work sequence when Fiona and Aemon are busy doing the work of adults secretly preparing the cottages for the return of the family. The scene when the seals return Jamie to his family is shot in high contrast emphasizing the mysterious and marvelous aspects of the phenomenon.
Following the viewing of the film the students respond in writing before discussing their reactions with their peers. This will give them space to dwell in the mood of the film without worrying about judgement by their peers. In their journals students should be asked to describe a moment when the film had a strong impact on them, and how they think the director and cinematographer achieved this.
Since students have read the first chapter of
The Secret of Roan Inish
they can compare and contrast it with the opening scenes of the film when key issues are introduced. Then a class discussion will be conducted focusing on what the film says about storytelling. According to Sayles himself, he uses various strategies for storytelling in the film, “sometimes you just hear a person tell a story, sometimes they start it and their voices faces out and you see it illustrated, sometimes the voice keeps going through the illustration scenes, the flashbacks.” The first story, of Sean Michael, who is Fiona’s grandfather’s great grandfather, takes place at 11:00. It is first narrated, then the viewer sees the flashback illustrating the story as the narration continues. We see the point of view of the returned-to-life Sean Michael lying on the ground and looking up at the bewildered faces around him. Finally, the camera returns to the grandfather narrating the story. It will be interesting to note whether students pick up on these different strategies and can identify specific scenes where the strategies are used.
Students will also enjoy a discussion of how the film was made. The director’s commentary on the DVD provides informative insight into this. The film was purposefully kept low tech in order to convey the point of view of a young girl. Students could be asked when they think real seals were used versus animatronics, and how specific scenes were filmed such as when the seals are pushing Jamie to stay on the land with his family. The discussion of the film should end with the students identifying possible themes of the film and how the artistic cinematography contributes to them. Though the story may be seen as a fairy tale, just like the in Snow Queen the children have to work hard in order to get what you want. During the work scenes of the movie dissolves are used liberally reinforcing the passage of time and many adult tasks the children must perform.
Figure 2. Fiona and Eamon work to prepare the island for their return.
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Culminating Projects
At this point, students should be able to discover on their own why
Kit’s Wilderness
is paired with
The Secret of Roan Inish.
There are obvious external similarities such as both tales being set on the British Isles and both having some magical elements. Students will be encouraged to compare the importance of storytelling in the novel and the film, as well as the motif of the protagonist needing to find a lost friend or family member and bring them back home. The role of embedded stories and how these relate to magical realism will also be compared.
One class period will be spent having students devise and tell their own framed stories using a well known fairy tale as the embedded story. The Common Core emphasis the need for the Language Arts teacher to include oral communication and this will provide an excellent opportunity for the students to do so.
For their culminating project the students choose a book and related film they are familiar with and analyze the adaptation according to a schema we develop in class. Allowing each student to choose his or her own book/movie pair maximizes student investment in the assignment as well as making more interesting reading for the teacher. While it is advisable for students to help develop the schema, the teacher ensures that it includes a comparison of the settings, characters, conflicts, resolution, and themes. They should have a thesis for their essay that specifies whether the film adaptation was faithful to or changed the mood and or message of the original and how the filmmaker achieved this.
The unit can also be extended by having students write film reviews. Given the popularity of movies with young people, students will benefit greatly from extending their textual analysis to that of the digital video mode. An alternative extension for this unit is to have students utilize art, writing or even film to tell stories that establish or develop their own identities. This type of project frequently works well at the end of the school year when high interest projects are necessary. Young teens typically love to have a chance to present themselves to the world particularly when they are allowed to choose the mode of presentation.
List of Class Activities
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Read a fairy tale.
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Create and illustrate a foldable outlining the tale’s plot.
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Have a whole class discussion on possible themes.
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View a short, animated, film.
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Discuss fidelity issues between the written text and film.
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Write a one page essay on a student-chosen section of the tale.
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Connect non-fiction topics such as coal mining, geology, and dementia to a text.
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Read a full-length age-appropriate novel.
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Respond to the novel in their journals using evidence from the text.
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Create a plot diagram for the novel.
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Discuss symbolism and storytelling in three different texts.
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Complete a theme target.
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Respond in writing to text based questions.
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Learn terminology used in film analysis.
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View and analyze a full length independent feature film.
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Devise and tell framed stories.
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Compare and contrast a student chosen novel and its adaptation.