PS51a - "Is that all folks?" Animated films: proposals to work with young children

Sessions	Dates	Start	Finish
1	04 Aug 2009	05:30 PM	08:30 PM
2	11 Aug 2009	05:30 PM	08:30 PM
3	18 Aug 2009	05:30 PM	08:30 PM

Teachers working with young learners (7 to 11 year olds).

- To explore short animated films and Nick Park’s films (the Wallace and Gromit series, Chicken Run) not only as film texts but also as cultural artifacts.
- To use these films as audio-visual-verbal texts that student can relate with literary texts they have read or are going to read.
- To create activities to enhance the comprehension of these texts.
- To encourage a creative response to the texts. These activities may include role-play, dramatization, painting, collage, games.
- To consider the adoption of cinematic texts as part of the syllabus.
- To discuss the possibilities these texts offer to develop interdisciplinary projects.

Animation. Definition. Characteristics. Different varieties. Pixar short films. Nick Park, his short and feature films.

- The intertextual approach: This intertextual conception of literature assumes that meaning derives from a reader's transaction with the text in which readers apply their knowledge of social and literary conventions to that text. The text evokes other texts or experiences and invites a reader to conceive of a text as representative of certain generic and conventional ways of knowing literature. It should be noted that the term "text" is meant to refer to any kind of written, audio, visual or film texts the learners may be acquainted with.

- Pixar short films Volume 1 (2007) The Adventures of André and Wally B. (1984), Luxo Jr. (1986), Red's Dream (1987), Tin Toy (1988), Knick.
- Knack (1989), Geri's Game (1997), For the Birds (2000), Mike's New Car (2002), Boundin' (2003), Jack-Jack Attack (2005), One Man Band (2005), Mater and the Ghostlight (2006) and Lifted (2006).
- Nick Park’s short films A Close Shave (1995) and The Wrong Trousers(1993), his feature films Chicken Run(2000) and The Curse of the Were- Rabbit (2005).
- Nelmes, Jill (ed.) (2003) An Introduction to Film Studies. London and New York: Routledge.
- Ruddell R., Ruddell M. & Singer H., (1994) Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading, International Reading Association: Newark.

The coordinator will briefly present the theoretical background, eliciting information from the audience. Then the participants will be divided in small groups (2 or 3 members). They will watch the short films (Session 1: The Adventures of André and Wally B. (1984), Luxo Jr. (1986), Red's Dream (1987), Tin Toy (1988), Knick Knack (1989); Session 2 Geri's Game (1997), For the Birds (2000), Mike's New Car (2002), Boundin' (2003), Jack-Jack Attack (2005), One Man Band (2005), Mater and the Ghostlight (2006) and Lifted (2006). Session 3: Nick Park's short films (A Close Shave, the Wrong Trousers and feature films Chicken Run and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit) and they will analyze the components of the cinematic texts. Then they will try to establish relations between the texts seen and other texts their students are working with. After that they will create tasks which involve different kinds of responses: physical, linguistic, artistic and so on, that they can use with their pupils. Finally, they will show their work to the rest of groups. In this way they will learn about animation and the way it can be used in the classroom, prepare activities, share with others and enrich their professional practice. Handouts will be provided.