Notes

Title: Genre Study

Lesson Focus: During this lesson students will:
-Develop an understanding of the traits of major film genres
-Practice usage of genre-specific terminology
-Practice describing various film genres

By the end of this lesson students will be able to:
-Apply genre-describing terminology in the appropriate context with 75% accuracy
-Create a short script for a film trailer
-Talk about their favorite film genres

Key expressions/content:
-Genre terms like heart warming, edge-of-your-seat, skin-crawling, sappy, cheesy, laugh out loud, a riot, etc.

Materials:
Whiteboard marker, 20 fill-in-the-blank script worksheets, blank paper for student trailers and exit slips

Warm-Up (10 minutes):
-Write the names of key film genres in large font on the white board.
~Genres: Action, Comedy, Romance, Drama, Horror
-Have students list words that describe each genre according to their own understandings of them
-Works as an informal assessment of prior student knowledge and prepares students to discuss the day's topic

Presentation (15 minutes):

- Go over genre definitions and name popular movies from each category
-Ask students to list their own favorite movies
-Define further genre terminology and have students decide which genre to put each word under

-Practice (20 minutes):
-Divide students into pairs. If necessary one group of three can be formed.
-Hand out one fill-in-the-blank script to each pair. The scripts will include spaces for students to insert the genre vocabulary listed on the board based on context clues present in the sentences.
-Complexity of sentences and proficiency required to select the appropriate terms will, in part, be determined following the initial assessments of the first day of class.
-After students have finished the assignment I will go through the script, having different student pairs volunteer answers for each blank on the script. If necessary I will call on students by name to provide their answers.

Production (40 minutes):
-Students will now be divided into 7 groups of 5. Each group will be tasked with creating a short script (1-1.5 pages, which should equate to 1.5-2 minutes) for a trailer for a movie from one of the 5 genres listed.
-They can either make a script based on their own ideas or can make one for a preexisting movie that fits the genre.
-Each script must include 4-5 terms from the genre term bank, which will still be left on the board.
-After 20 minutes the groups will act out their trailers for the class.

Evaluation/Debrief (5 minutes):
-Exit slips!
-Students will be asked about their favorite activity from the class, one new thing they learned, what they would change about any activity, and what their favorite movie is.

Back-up Activity (5-20 minutes):
-Genre Battle
-Asks students about genres not covered during class
-Have students provide terms to describe new genres and add to them with my own terminology, explaining as I do
-If time allows/requires have students sort themselves into their favorite genres by standing next to the board where the genre is listed
-Ask a student from each genre to explain why it is their favorite.

Anticipated problems and solutions
-Students may have trouble getting started on preparing their trailers. In order to help them start I will prepare some classic trailer phrases (In a world..., she was a girl from the country, he was a boy from the city, a monster from another world, etc.)