Multi-dimensional learning in Years 3-6

What does it look like?

Continuing the theme of harmonising the strands of literacy with those of moving image media, what follows are examples of how this could begin to work in practice. The suggested outlines for each year group provide a core nucleus - which will need to be developed to cover a unit of work. Suggested targets for individual/groups of children and criteria with a variety of stems are included (see assessment, progression and the moving image). More objectives will need to be added, among them those for reading, sentence and word structure, punctuation, spelling and presentation. The cornerstone of sound and visual literacy - the Cs and Ss (see technical codes) and related key questions should also be incorporated in the planning detail.

The themes themselves will need to evolve, for example the poetry in Year 6 inspired by the film Nits. Here the focus could shift to looking even more closely at interpretation and analysis, through drawing analogies between the craft of the film-maker and poet. Both grapple with every word or shot, both can be ruthless editors, and both seek to manipulate their audience.  

Year 3

Film: The Tortoises' Idea

This story is based on a myth from Nigeria. Created by children, it is genuinely cinematic with a pupil-generated music track.

Genre: Myths, legends, fables, traditional tales

Learning strand: Drama

Objective: To use some drama strategies, for example the use of voice, music and sound effects to explore narratives or issues

Prior knowledge: Children will have been introduced to the language features of the genre and participated in discrete lessons exploring sound effects and their impact

Context: Making stick puppets to create a drama improvisation

Target: I can create a play using puppets in order to learn more about the characters in the film 

Success criteria: We'll know we have achieved this because we are able to:

• act out a dialogue between two characters, showing we understand the differences between them
• use what we know about sound effects in the film to help us understand the role of the creator

Learning outcome: Children have a deeper understanding of the creation myth and the role of this genre within the cultural setting.

Year 4

Film: Between Us

The theme here is communication. Two children, Lucas and Amanda, are stuck in a traffic jam in separate cars. Lucas grasps at a moment of comradeship and the director tracks the emotional timeline to its poignant conclusion.

Genre: Texts that raise issues 

Learning strand: Engaging with and responding to texts

Objective: To interrogate texts to deepen and clarify understanding and response

Prior knowledge: Children will have listened to/viewed a range of ending types lifted from a selection of narrative texts

Context: Drafting, editing and presenting own endings to the film

Target: I can use the narrative of the film to predict and present an ending which will keep the audience guessing

Success criteria: Have you:

• decided which ending type to use? (resolution, twist in the tale, cliffhanger, unanswered question)
• discussed with your talk partner how and why the film-maker uses camera angles and composition to help us identify with key characters?

Learning outcome: Children will be able to utilise and demonstrate predictions which reflect an understanding of the engagement of the reader and the techniques of the film-maker, in their alternative ending.

Year 5

Film: Flatlife

In Flatlife we are observers of the innocent and harmless actions of four ordinary people, who have the misfortune to live next to each other.

Genre: Persuasion             

Learning strand: Creating and shaping texts

Objective: To adapt non-narrative forms and styles to compose fiction or factual texts

Prior knowledge: Children will have been introduced to the features of persuasive writing, including layout

Context: Selecting one of the flats to sell using persuasive language

Target: I am able to use persuasive language and counter arguments to convince an identified audience 

Success criteria: Remember to:

• apply the features of persuasive writing, such as logical connectives, and use short sentences to add emphasis (eg We all know that opportunities to purchase in this location are rare. A must to view!)
• use effective reasons and evidence from the film to convince your clients (eg Compact 1 bed flat in bustling town centre)

Learning outcome: Pupils will translate aspects of a film text and apply features of the genre in order to demonstrate an understanding of persuasive writing.

Year 6

Film: Nits

James has an itch, then a scratch, then a nip. He has nits. But for a seven year old, there are some things more worrying than hair lice.

Genre: Poetry

Learning strand: Understanding and interpreting texts

Objective: To understand underlying themes, causes and points of view

Prior knowledge: Children will have been introduced to the key language features of the poetry genre and explored the concept of multi-layered meanings in texts

Target: As a viewer and author I can relate to themes within texts, and convey multi layered meanings in my poem

Context: Creating a poem (free verse). The poem illustrates empathy with James's Mother as she comes to terms with her grief, and the future of her family

Success criteria: I/we will have:

• an understanding of how poets manipulate words for multiple layers of meaning eg through figurative language and ambiguity
• engaged with both implicit and explicit meanings in a film text

Learning outcome: Pupils will be able to transpose meaning from one medium to another, displaying insight and sensitivity within the poetic form.

Assessment, progression and the moving image

Sound and visual literacy provide the ideal conditions to exploit the assessment agenda. Assessment for learning and the assessment of learning can all be accommodated within the environment that film effortlessly creates. The focus on target-setting, success criteria, tracking of children and above all self and peer evaluation by children can be woven in and aligned with more conventional approaches. Opportunities for formative and summative assessment by the teacher and child are there to be planned for - in fact you might find that the use of film provides such scope that the process is one of careful selection, both of the assessment opportunity as well as the target child or group.

Raising expectations - enquiry and the critical learner

Central to dynamic and effective assessment is productive questioning by pupils and teachers within a context where views are respected and valued. This investigative approach creates a climate of 'global' thinking across the curriculum. We can take advantage of this - promoting evaluation of literacy and the moving image, making links explicit. The aim is also that engaging with informed analysis will give children a critical voice in the publishing and media market place, demanding more.

The films in this compilation have been chosen because of their quality and range and because they offer a basis for perceptive questioning and informed appraisal. The inclusive nature of film along with the Cs and Ss (see thinking about film) provide the perfect scaffold. They allow the teacher to challenge the concept that there is a hierarchy of question types - in particular the notion that questions which require the child to infer and deduce are somehow the domain of the more able learner. For example, after viewing the film Between Us, we can ask the question 'What could the characters be thinking?' (while viewing a freeze frame image). Children must deduce here - gather the evidence to gain insight. But they are able to do this in Year 3 and in Year 6. The difference may be the level of complexity of the language, but the process is the same. Another example is recall questions, traditionally seen as being less demanding. Context (the aspect of the film) and timing (when viewed) determine the difficulty here, not the question type.

Exploring films and the techniques of the film-maker through enquiry allows us to scrutinise, dispute, and ultimately raise expectations embedded across the curriculum from Foundation Stage, in a unique way.

Tackling progression and its forms

It is tempting to assume that the captivating images in films can guarantee a successful lesson - but it has to be said, this is not the case! We need to think both in terms of progression of knowledge of literacy and film over a block of work - keeping the focus and outcomes clear - and deliberately reinforcing those connections which are so illuminating for children.

We should also be aware that progression itself can take various forms. The nature of learning in the Primary National Strategies, where age-related expectations rightly underpin expectations for the majority of children, is one form. The Learning Progression in Becoming Cineliterate, outlined in Look Again the BFI teaching guide (chapter 7), is another. Here the model (which is a starting point) 'covers five stages of learning, which can be mapped on to the stages of mandatory education ... it can be seen as non-age specific and all learners would to some extent pass through these stages.' The two aspects both models have in common however, are their cumulative nature and the requirement for consistency. Objectives in the Primary National Strategy (PNS) Literacy framework evolve with some repetition. In the cineliterate learning progression the stages accumulate, and classes may dip in and out (grid 2 below demonstrates this concept). Learners in Stage 5 would still be using the same key words and doing the same kinds of activity that were identified at Stage 1, but in a context of more sophisticated usage and wider viewing experience.

Getting the challenge right - unlocking potential

The age-related platform and assessment materials provided by the PNS makes placing children on the learning continuum a relatively straightforward matter. The cineliteracy progression also requires the teacher to determine children's prior knowledge - in this case of film, video and television. We can do this through discussion and perhaps a simple questionnaire which reflects the facets of the stages. Teacher assessment can be supported and facilitated by:

• objectives and targets across the curriculum
• the suggestions on this page
• the sample lesson ideas for literacy
• the learning objectives grids and lesson outlines in the teaching guide for the initial BFI Story Shorts.

However experienced children are with the medium, it is unlikely (as is the reality across the curriculum) that the class will fit neatly into one stage. This is an advantage in terms of differentiation as it exposes teaching points. It is also an indication that we need to move children swiftly on, and not allow our perceptions of their abilities elsewhere in the curriculum to cloud judgements. One of the delights of using moving image media in the classroom is that it allows the child to demonstrate a grasp of a medium that the teacher may be unaware of. This is particularly relevant in relation to SEN children, those with specific learning difficulties or simply children who are too often passive onlookers.

Talents lie dormant if they are not used, and here we can provide a moment for the child to be in control, an active evaluator. For the teacher too, they can operate in a context where their role is one of raising the stakes through facilitating the next steps, engaging in critical dialogue - the core of effective teaching. So be prepared to be surprised!

Opportunities for formative and summative assessment

These grids illustrate how opportunities for assessment of both literacy and film can co-exist within a block of work.

Grid 1

Genre, Year	Stories from other cultures, Year 4
Film, Stage of progression	The Tortoises' Idea Stage 2: Watch/listen and discuss the use of music, voices, sound effects and silence in short sequences
Learning strand, Objectives	Reading and writing Understanding & interpreting texts: identify and summarise evidence from a text to support hypothesis Engaging with & responding to texts: interrogate film texts to deepen and clarify understanding and response Listening and responding: Listen to a speaker, make notes on the talk
Context	Composing prose from notes to investigate the hypothesis 'Stones never die.'
Success criteria	We are able to: - identify repeated phrases in the film and discuss their effect - abbreviate ideas and select key words
Opportunities for assessment	Reading comprehension: Identify if the child/group is able to connect significant information to draw out implied meanings in the film text (Ref: QCA Reading Assessment focus 3) Writing: When marking, look for evidence of: - empathy with the humans as they search for life's meaning in the film - language effects used to create impact e.g. adverbs, adjectival phrases. (Ref: QCA Writing Assessment focus 1 & 7) Listening: Recorded comments to determine: - whether the note taker has understood the main points - if child are responding appropriately

Grid 2

Genre, Year	Non fiction: Journal entry, Year 6
Film, Stage/s of progression	Birthday Boy Stage 2: Watch and discuss sequences in which characters are presented non-verbally (eg through camera position, lighting, costume, music etc) Stage 3: Watch and discuss sequences which have ambiguous elements (focus on symbolism)
Learning strand, Objectives	Reading: Understanding & interpreting texts: understand underlying themes, causes and points of view Writing: Creating & shaping texts: use different narrative techniques to engage and entertain the reader Drama: improvise using a range of drama strategies to explore themes eg hopes, fears and desires
Context	Composing a journal entry, in the role of Manuk recording his memories of the day he learned his father had died
Success criteria	Remember to: use the structure of the journal entry to write as if you are 'telling the story' of how Manuk feels use the symbolism within the film to help you explore emotions and regrets
Opportunities for assessment	Drama and role play Hot-seat pupil/s as Manuk. Observe and note if the pupil can: act out improvised drama (Level 3) establish a character (Level 4) sustain a defined character for a reasonable amount of time (Level 5). (Ref: Arts Council England: Level descriptions from Drama in schools.) Unaided writing Formative peer assessment of the first draft of the journal (verbal suggestions). Teacher cues: the focus of the task is the learning objectives agree a limited number of prompts eg a scaffold prompt:'Could you write more about the father's memories of his son?' (encourage child to reflect on Manuk's mischievous personality).