24 maj 2013

Evaluation

Oral Presentation Grading Matrix


Grade E
Grade C
Grade A
Language
Can express themselves  clearly, fluently and relatively varied
Can express themselves fluently, clearly, varied and relatively freely.
Can express themselves fluently, clearly, varied, freely and in a balanced way.
Coherence/content
Presentation is relatively
Structured. Student can  discuss the subject in basic terms and make simple comparisons with their own experience/knowledge
Presentation is structured. Student can discuss the subject in detail and make well developed comparisons with their own experience/knowledge
Presentation is structured. Student can discuss the subject in detail and in a balanced way and make well developed and balanced comparisons with their own experience/knowledge
Application of method/words
Students can in a relevant way use the material selected in their own production and interaction.
Students can in a relevant and effective way use the material selected in their own production and interaction.
Students can in a relevant, effective and critical way use the material selected in their own production and interaction.
Adaptation to audience
Some adaptation to purpose and recipient
Some adaptation to purpose and recipient
With adaptation to purpose and recipient
Time as a part of the structure of the presentation.
Show some regard to the time limit
Show relative  regard to the time limit
Show regard to the time limit

Instructions for Analysis and Oral Presentation


Analysis
Write a text that covers about 1-2 pages where you analyze the advertisement you have chosen to work.
While you are writing, use the template for analyzing an advertisement and remember to incorporate the
relevant words you have learned and the tools you have been given. Also remember to maintain the
structure we have been working with so far where you include an introduction, middle, and conclusion of
your text. Use Times New Roman, s. 12, p. 1.5, The deadline for turning your text in is on Tuesday,
23:59, week 3

         
Oral Presentation                 
You will be presenting your analysis of the advertisement you chose during Thursday, week 3. Your
presentation should last for 5 minutes, when you are done presenting there will be time for questions from
your classmates. Remember the introduction, middle, and conclusion structure.

Homework

Don't forget to bring your ad with you tomorrow. Try to think of the different ways of analysing an ad, such as the z-structure and archetypes etc., when you chose your ad.

Podcast + Discussion Questions

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/analysis

Podcast title : Who decides if I'm a woman? 

Questions for listening comprehension
1.      What does gender mean to you personally, is it the biological difference, the mental difference or something you cannot explain to the other sex? Discuss and express your own opinions on what gender means for you. How is this used in advertisements? How does gender impact the social perspective of advertisements?
2.      Advertisement has been deeply affected by gender roles and how society thinks upon women and men. Why is gender portrayed differently in the media? What are your own thoughts and ideas of this phenomenon? Discuss and analyze.
3.       “Masculinity and Femininity should not matter” said by the researcher Ruth, preferring gender neutrality, is this the solution? What do you think? Discuss and reflect upon gender roles and gender neutrality. Do you think that advertisement would benefit of gender neutrality? Yes or no, argue with your classmates.
4.      Gender as social constructions, that we are predisposed to become who we are because of what society is, molds, creates, anticipates and expresses roles that are already made up. Discuss if this sounds plausible, try to argue for and against this key concept. Discuss the different gender rules and societies impact. Could you imagine advertisements breaking away from this pattern? Discuss and argue for or against.
 
 
Questions for writing assignment
Use the podcast as an example and the lessons we have had until now as sources of information
1.      Write down five words that describes and characterize “gender” for you.
2.      Explain with your own words and own preconception of gender roles how you see history of gender play forth. How has history changed man and female, how has gender changed over time? Do you think that advertisements have played a big role in the history of gender bias or not? Analyze.
3.      Do you, personally, think that advertisement has had any impact on gender roles? Try to argue for or against this statement, use the terminology we have had in previous lessons.
4.      Lastly, you are going to become the opposite of your sex for a whole day (24h), do you think that this experience would make you feel more sympathetic towards the opposite gender or do you think that what you already think of the other gender is correct in your mind? Reflect and motivate your reasons on what you perceive as right and wrong in gender/sexuality.  How would you react upon advertisements and social media as the opposite sex?

Important parts of the syllabus

These knowledge requirements are not everything in the syllabus. You can find a link to the entire syllabus to the right. 

Main working areas for theme:advertisements

1) Understanding of spoken and written English, and also the ability to interpret content.
2) The ability to express oneself and communicate in English in speech and writing.
4) The ability to adapt language to different purposes, recipients and situations.

5) The ability to discuss and reflect on cultural features in different contexts and parts of the world where English is used.

English 6 Grade E

Pupils can understand the main content and basic details of English spoken at  a
varying speed and in clearly expressed written English in various genres.
 
Students show their understanding by in basic terms giving an account of, discussing
and commenting on content and details, and with acceptable results act on the basis of
the message and instructions in the content.
 
In oral and written communications of various genres, students can express
themselves in relatively varied ways, relatively clearly and relatively coherently. 
Students can express themselves with some fluency and to some extent adapted to
purpose, recipient and situation. Students work on and make improvements to their
own communications.
 
In oral and written interaction in various, and more formal contexts, students can
express themselves clearly and with some fluency and some adaptation to purpose,
recipient and situation.
Students discuss in basic terms some features in different contexts and parts of the
world where English is used, and can also make simple comparisons with their own
experiences and knowledge.



Schedule: advertisement

 Week 1
Tuesday
Introduction to the theme
Thursday
Analysis ”tools” and reading assignment
Week 2
Tuesday
Podcast , analysis template and writing assignment.
Thursday
Homework: Bring  advertisements
Discuss advertisements

Independent group work on analysis
Week 3
 Monday
Deadline: Draft of analysis
Tuesday
Independent group work on analysis and presentation
Feedback on analysis draft
Deadline : Final analysis Tuesday 23:59
Thursday
Oral presentation of analysis.
Finish!
Evaluation of thematic work. 

Reading Assignment Including Questions


The media as a cause of deviant behavior

Over 200 years ago the Greek philosopher Plato wanted to ban the dramatic poets from his ideal Republic. He feared that their stories about sex and violence among the gods would harm impressionable young minds. Since then new forms of mass entertainment have often attracted concerns about their harmful effects. Pearson’s careful study of newspaper reports of deviance over several decades shows that this has happened in the cases of ‘penny dreadfuls’, music hall, film, rock music, horror comics and television. In 1908 New York Mayor George McLellan arbitrarily shut all 550 New York cinemas because he thought watching films was immoral and led to idleness.
Video games and computer networks are the most recent media forms to be fretted about.

Recently many people have become concerned about eh influence of the new breed of cartoons being screened in Britain. Examples include He-Man, Go-Bots, and Thunder Cats. Imitation of these is seen as particularly undesirable because they:
·         Portray the goodies using violence to defeat the baddies;
·         Do not show the unpleasant effects of that violence (the baddies never die);
·         Give status to characters merely on the basis of strength and fighting ability;
·         Encourage imitation of the hero characters through the sale of associated merchandise (swords, clothing etc.); violence is, therefore, being positively promoted;
·         Portray women in a very stereotyped way while the white male heroes are ridiculously macho; sexist attitudes and behavior are, therefore, reinforced;
·         Associate evil with blackness and a sense of “foreign-ness”; violence towards minority ethnic groups is thus condoned.

[Can you think of more examples that portray the goodies defeating the baddies using violence?]

In addition, they are not primarily designed as entertainment at all. They have poor characterization, bad artwork and almost non-existent storylines. They are, in effect, merely advertising. He-Man, for example, was a toy produced by Mattel who then approached Filmation of California to make a cartoon about the character which would then be syndicated to the American TV networks. Mattel and Filmation are in constant touch about storylines, new characters etc. An attempt is always made to include in each episode every character currently on sale in order to maintain awareness of and desire for each of them. Thus, two profit-motivated corporations are cynically manipulating children with no regard for the effects of their products on the children themselves or the future of society as a whole, the argument goes.
‘Some of the game shows you violent moves you can later practice on your friends. I don’t find myself becoming aggressive but some of my friends do. They start fighting and think they are in a video game.’ (Guardian, 13.4.94)

[This book was published more than a decade ago; can you find some current examples where media become advertisements for the products?]

Through eroding in-built inhibitions about acting in certain ways (‘disinhibition’)
If you turn violence into entertainment you take away the shock and wrongness of it. We are supposed to have progressed since the days of Victoria, but looking at the increase in crime figures before the advent of television and after it, you will see the evidence that television does have a direct effect. (Mary Whitehouse)
This suggests that the inhibitions about sexual or violent behavior are broken down if such behavior is portrayed as ‘normal’ on the screen. This is particularly likely to happen if deviant behavior goes unpunished in films. Feminists, in particular, are concerned about the media’s treatment of women in this respect. The Women’s Monitoring Network, based in London, reviews this and other aspects of media production. They argue that:
Society generally abhors violence and yet violence against women is both treated as commonplace and exploited for its news and entertainment value and marketability. This not only reflects current social attitudes but serves also to reinforce and encourage acceptance of them.                (Report no. 2 Violence against Women)

[How does advertisement contribute to these potential threats of ‘disinhibition’?]


Investigating Mass Media
Paul Trowler
Collins educational 2001

Short Analysis: Ad + Questions

Questions for the short analysis.

What do you think the ad is for?
What feeling does the ad make you feel?
How does that ad create those emotions?
In what way is the picture related to the text?
Does it make you want to buy the product?
Anything else you notice about the ad that you would like to comment on?



22 maj 2013

Words: Instructions and Wordlist


You can find the wordlist for lesson 1 here

Words Assignment:
·       Pair up with the person sitting next to you.
·         The left half of the room is Group 1 and the right half is Group 2
·         Open the wordlist linked above.
·         Group 1 will start from the top of the list
·         Group 2 will start from the bottom of the list
·         Your assignment is to define each word in English so that the rest of the class will understand it. Do NOT just copy the definition straight from your source.
·         You are working as a team so, make sure both of you understand the definitions you write down.
·         Once you are finished, each one of you will read a definition, and the other group will try to guess which word it is.

·         The list of definitions should be shared with me on Google Drive before the end of the lesson.

Killing Us Softly


Follow Up Questions
  1. What do you think about it?
  2. Has it changed your opinions on advertisements any?
  3. Why do you think it is called Killing Us Softly?