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Shakespeare TV

Student Outcome Statement: Arts Ideas - Level 3 – Explores and uses ideas, experiences and observations to make arts works within the structure of given tasks, a limited range of choices and a clear sense of purpose.

Teaching/Learning Purposes/Objectives: To enable the student to:

Major Purpose: Address an ‘Elizabethan’ audience

Key Question: What are the important issues within both societies?

The Hook: Imagine you’re the anchor of a Shakespearean television network

- What’s happening? You’re presenting the news, live

- Who’s it happening to? Yourself, as an anchor

- Where is it happening? In a television studio

- When is it happening? One hour before live to air broadcasting

- What’s at stake? You must efficiently talk to your audience, to keep their interest and attention. Lose the audience, and then lose ratings and then your job.

- View video examples – Present the new topic based on the creation of a current affairs-style television station. Show examples to class.

- Class Discussion - Identify issues within society, the media and even the school campus that could be discussed. Brainstorm ideas and create a list of relevant issues to address.

- Introduce ‘the Hook’ – With the whole class, discuss the ‘Hook’. Focus on the importance of addressing the audience; specifically concentrate on the ‘Elizabethan’ demographic. Students can present a contemporary issue to a Shakespearean audience, or alternatively, present a Shakespearean issue or dramatic piece of plot to the same ‘Elizabethan’ audience.

- Project– In groups of three or four, ask students to film a two-minute segment to be included into a 20-minute class project. Focus on established conventions of film and current affair formats to film and edit productions.

- Conclusion – This activity will need to be completed over many lessons. Possibly a 5-week program would be needed to detail filming, editing, camera safety and other relevant issues along the way. The aim is for the students to develop an awareness of their audience, albeit a fictitious one. A reflective journal will be essential for justifying choices and highlighting the individual student’s input. In addition, a final production showing can be held, highlighting the class’ completed work.

Some parts modelled upon ‘The Giant who threw Tantrums’ in John O’Toole and Julie Dunn (2002) Pretending to Learn: Helping Children learn through Drama, Longman French’s Forrest.