TRANSMEDIATION ACTIVITY

Transcription

1 TRANSMEDIATION ACTIVITY The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Scholastic Press, 1 st Ed., 2007). CONTEXT: This instructional routine is to be used after the students completely finish reading the entire book. It is important for the students to fully understand the characters in order to respond as them, and as there is character development happening throughout the book, they will need to have read it all in order to effectively participate in the activity. PURPOSE: Transmediation is the artistic practice of taking one form of art, and transferring it to another form. It was originally practiced by the ancient Greeks, who called it ekphrasis, and would write poetry about statues or other works of art. For this class, the transmediation activity will serve as a review of the elements of visual literacy taught during the earlier Gallery Walk, and as an informal assessment of the students understanding of the characters in the book. Students will respond to photographs as if they were one of the main characters in the book writing in their journal that night about what they saw. MATERIALS: 1. 6 pictures that are visually interesting and will prompt thought and discussion. See the Transmediation Photos below for copyrighted images that are to be printed only once for use during the Transmediation Activity, collected afterwards, and used for educational purposes under the statute of Fair Use (17 U.S.C. 107, page 19, 2. Transmediation introduction picture (statue and poem) printed on an overhead transparency. 3. An additional picture ( Life Underwater ), used for modeling purposes, printed on an overhead transparency. 4. One clear overhead transparency to write an example diary entry. 5. Overhead transparency markers. 6. An overhead projector. TIME ALLOTED: Introduce Transmediation Activity (10 minutes) Review Elements of Visual Literacy (5 minutes) Model Journal Entry (5 minutes) Character Reflection Time (5 minutes) First Picture Discussion and Writing (10 minutes) Second Picture Discussion and Writing (optional) (10 minutes) Total time for activity: minutes DIRECTIONS: 1. Introduce Transmediation Activity (10 minutes) a. Ask students if they keep journals or if they have ever seen something so interesting that they afterwards wrote about it.

2 b. Show the statue and poem transparency and introduce the idea of transmediation (changing something from one genre to another) and of the Greek ekphrasis. c. Briefly discuss how some movies are transmediated from books, and make the connection to journal writing as transmediation. d. Explain that they will later view some pictures and be writing journal entries about them as if they were the characters from The Invention of Hugo Cabret. 2. Review Elements of Visual Literacy (5 minutes) a. Ask the students if they remember the 5 elements of visual literacy. Lead a class discussion and write what they remember on the board. Students are allowed to use notes. 3. Model Journal Entry (5 minutes) a. Tell the class that you will pretend you are Papa Georges as you look at and respond to the following picture. b. Show the picture of Life Underwater c. Write a journal entry on the blank overhead transparency, using lots of words like: wonderful, stupendous, magical, ethereal, and extraordinary. 4. Character Reflection Time (5 minutes) a. Divide the class into 6 groups by counting off and have them sit next to each other. b. Assign 2 groups to write as if they were Papa Georges, 2 groups to write as if they were Isabelle, and 2 groups to write as if they were Hugo. c. Have the groups briefly discuss their assigned character, what they are like, and what do they like. 5. First Picture Discussion and Writing (10 minutes) a. Pass out the pictures to their respective groups and have them read the pictures as a group using elements of visual literacy. b. Remind the students that although they discuss as a group, they are writing individual journal entries. c. Tell the students that they only have 5 minutes to analyze and write their journal entries (give them the full 10 though). 6. Second Picture Discussion and Writing (10 minutes) a. Have the groups that share the same character switch pictures (Isabelle group one trades pictures with Isabelle group two, etc.) b. Have them repeat the process of analyzing as a group and responding as individuals as if they were their respective group character. ASSESSMENT: Students will turn in their journal entries. Students will be graded on referring to at least three elements of visual literacy in their journal entries. Students will also be graded holistically on how their entry reflects their assigned character.

3 Transmediation

4 Life Underwater

5 Hugo

6 Hugo

7 Isabelle

8 Isabelle

9 Papa Georges

10 Papa Georges