Exploring Social Issues through Clipit Films

Section 3 Introduction

I

n the Clipit 2008 Competition run by the NET Section, students worked in small groups to conduct research, write a commentary and add voice-over and subtitles to video images depicting particular social issues in Hong Kong. A total of 103 entries from 52 schools were received and over 30 teams received prizes.

The student-created films that came from Clipit 2008 are a wonderful resource that can be used in a variety of ways in the Learning English through Social Issues elective module. Some of the most engaging films are featured here. Their topics cover teenage life, the wealth gap, pollution, work-life balance and crime.

Different activities have been designed to demonstrate ways that the films can be used to teach the elective module. They include cloze dictation, vocabulary building, listening skills development, note taking, creative writing and a film analysis task.

Although these activities can be used as is, they are meant to also serve as examples for teachers who are interested in designing their own instructional materials.

Resource CD

In the accompanying Resource CD, the Clipit film resources are organised as follows:

Section 3

Unedited Clips from Clipit 2008

Clipit Films, Scripts &

Materials Exploring Social

Issues through Clipit Films

Film 1A Film 1B

Film 2A Film 2B

Film 4A Film 4B

Film 5A Film 5B

In the Unedited Clips folder, there are six unedited film clips of approximately three minutes each that contain images of social issues on the following themes:

In the Clipit Films and Resources folder, two films on each of the six themes are included. You will also find the tape scripts of these films in PDF format:

Unedited Clips from Clipit 2008

Theme 3:

Pollution

Clipit Films and Resources

Theme 3:

Pollution Theme 2:

The Wealth Gap Theme 1:

Teenage Life

Theme 4:

Work-life Balance

Theme 5:

Crime

Theme 3.1:

The Rubbish Problem

Theme 3.2:

Air Pollution Theme 1:

Teenage Life

Theme 2:

The Wealth Gap

Theme 4:

Work-life Balance

Theme 5:

Crime

Theme 3.1:

The Rubbish Problem

Theme 3.2:

Air Pollution

Activities have been designed for the A films under each theme. The B films are also provided and teachers are encourged to make use of them in their lessons.

The following film-based activities are featured in this section:

Type of Activity Theme Number & Title Name of School

Cloze Dictation Teenage Life 1A

“Unhealthy Lifestyle of Hong Kong Teenagers”

Hong Kong True Light College

Vocabulary Building

The Wealth Gap 2A

“Poverty”

La Salle College Listening Skills

Development

The Rubbish Problem 3.1-A

“Don’t Throw it Away”

Sacred Heart Canossian College Note Taking

Activity

Air Pollution 3.2-A

“Back to Blue”

ELCHK Lutheran Secondary School Creative

Writing

Work-life Balance 4A

“Take Five”

Tsuen Wan Government Secondary School

Film Analysis Crime 5A

“Hong Kong Security”

Cheung Chuk Shan College

Cloze Dictation: Teenage Life

Rationale

Watching a short film and doing a cloze dictation with the subtitles is a simple exercise that will develop students’ listening and encoding (spelling) skills. The images in the film provide visual clues for students to work out the words and their meanings.

Listening for key words and phrases and filling in the blanks gives students practice with connecting sounds and meaning to words and phrases.

Objectives The students will

learn about a social issue from visual images and spoken commentary;

use appropriate words and phrases to demonstrate their understanding of a social issue;

listen for specific information; and

apply listening and encoding (spelling) skills.

Suggested Procedure

Play the Clipit film, ‘Unhealthy Lifestyle of Hong Kong Teenagers’ while students watch silently.

Distribute the cloze dictation worksheet.

Assign students to work in pairs to collaborate on filling in as many blanks as possible.

Replay the film with the spoken commentary only (no picture) by minimising the Media Player window.

Students complete the worksheet individually as they listen to the commentary.

Pair students to compare answers.

Check student answers while explaining the meaning of key words, phrases and concepts as necessary.

•

Note:

To create a cloze dictation worksheet choose a script from the Resource CD;

determine which words and phrases are important or key;

replace the words with blanks; and number the blanks (20 is optimal).

For weaker students, provide the answers in a ‘Word Box’ at the top of the worksheet.

•

Clipit Film 1A:

Cloze Dictation Sample Worksheet

Name: ______________________________ Class: _____ ( )

the Karaoke Box. They like to stay in a small, dark karaoke room with a group of friends, singing their favourite pop songs for hours.

If Hong Kong teenagers maintain such an (14) , what hope do we have for the future? How can we deal with this problem?

Teenagers should not (15) on meaningless activities. They must lead a balanced and (16) . They need to exercise. Without health, they can’t achieve anything.

Regular exercise is definitely the key, at least thirty minutes a day (17) a health expert. If they can spend hours on the Internet, what is thirty minutes for exercise?

It is understandable that young people find life boring and want to have as much fun as possible. But, there are many (18) things they can pursue in their quest for happiness and the true (19) . It is high time that they manage themselves in a

(20) manner.

Post-Listening Task: Now go back and read the script from beginning to end. Do your answers make sense?

Name: ______________________________ Class: _____ ( )

RNCT, NET Section, CDI, EDB Clipit Film 1A: Cloze Dictation

Unhealthy Lifestyle of Hong Kong Teenagers Hong Kong True Light College

Director: Heidi Cheng Narrator: Monica Ho IT support: Janice Chan Researcher: Lydia Ho Prediction: Look at the words and phrases in the word box and skim through the script below. Can you predict what some of the answers will be?

Cloze Dictation: Now listen to the soundtrack of the Clipit film, “Unhealthy lifestyle of Hong Kong teenagers”. As you listen, fill in the blanks with the missing words and phrases.

In today’s society, teenagers in Hong Kong have a wide variety of (1) . However, it is not a healthy phenomenon when most of these activities are meaningless.

Look at the youngsters holding NDS or PSP in public places. They are (2) the virtual world, and grab every chance to play (3) , whether it is outdoors, in the MTR stations or even on the bus. When they return home, they indulge themselves on (4) . According to a survey, Hong Kong teenagers spend about 35 hours per week (5) the Internet.

Tom: That’s normal! I (6) and usually read Xanga, visit Facebook and watch videos on Youtube for several hours a day. It makes me feel absolutely great!

(7) have a really powerful influence. For example, ads featuring (8) and products greet teenagers everyday and everywhere. Equating slimness with beauty, they go to extremes, ignoring the importance of health, and spend thousands

of dollars on (9) .

What about politics? Do teenagers know what civic (10) and referendum mean? Whenever they meet (11) canvassing in the street, they ignore them and continue chatting, walking and shopping. They are not (12) the political development and political affairs of Hong Kong. They love the new songs (13)

Word Box

according to computer games pastimes surf the Net

addicted healthy lifestyle promoted by surfing

advertisements the Internet responsibility unhealthy lifestyle candidates mature and responsible slimming centres waste time concerned about meaning of life slimming programmes worthwhile

Vocabulary Building: The Wealth Gap

Rationale

For students who have basic literacy skills, dictionary definitions or language-laden descriptions are not helpful in making sense of unfamiliar words. Images may be useful as they provide visual clues to help students guess and understand the meaning of words.

The practice and application of new knowledge in a variety of contexts are particularly important in vocabulary development. In these learning tasks, students will grasp the nuances of word meaning or make word definitions more precise.

Objectives The students will

define unfamiliar words using converted images from the Clipit films;

practise using the defined words in a variety of contexts for acquisition; and apply the acquired words to communicate in everyday situations.

Suggested Procedure Setting Up

Select a 3-minute Clipit film on a topic of interest to your students.

Use Media Player Classic to view the film from beginning to end.

Identify a specific vocabulary theme, e.g. physical sizes or types of rubbish.

Compile a list of words according to the theme, e.g. furniture – sofa, armchair, coffee table and side table.

Select an image that is associated with each of the words.

Pause the image at the selected image.

From the menu at the top of the player, click on ‘File’ and a menu of options will drop down.

From the drop-down menu, click on ‘Save Image’ to convert the image into a jpeg-image. Be sure to select the ‘jpeg’ instead of the ‘bitmap’ format.

Name the jpeg-image and save it into a folder.

Open a new Word document

Insert or copy-and-paste the jpeg-image onto the new document. For easy manoeuvring, open a text-box and insert or copy-and-paste the jpeg-image into it.

Provide several words choices for each jpeg-image.

Write a question to prompt students to choose words that match the jpeg- image.

See sample on p. 53.

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10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

Instructions

Explain to students the purpose of learning the vocabulary, e.g. ‘You will learn the vocabulary for rooms and things that you may find in an apartment. Then you can use the words to talk to a friend about your own home.’

Practise pronouncing the word choices for each jpeg-image.

Allow students 10 minutes to answer questions in Part I of the worksheet.

Provide correct answers to the questions. Take time to explain incorrect answers, e.g. ‘Although we call a building that has many storeys a tall building, we don’t call a building with only a few storeys a short building. We call it a low building.’

Begin with reviewing the vocabulary words and pronunciation if Part II and III need to be completed in another lesson.

Students will complete Part II and III.

For the oral presentations, students can be asked to answer questions about what they heard or conduct peer evaluations.

Clipit Film 2A:

Vocabulary Building Sample Worksheet

Name: __________________________________ Class: _____ ( )

5a. What part of the flat is this?

kitchen dining room bathroom study living room bedroom 5b. What can you find in this room?

lamp chandelier wide-screen TV curtain sofa coffee table cabinet plant carpet 6. What can you find in this room?

cabinet TV sofa curtain stool shelves bunk bed blanket chandelier

Compare and Contrast: Describe the living quarters of the rich and the poor that you see in the images above.

According to the video, the rich

person… According to the video, the poor

person…

e.g.  e.g. 

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

5. 5.

Oral Practice: With a partner…

v Describe the place where you live to a classmate. How many rooms are there?

What can you find in each room? What do you use each room for?

v Listen to your classmate’s description of his/her home. Ask which is his/her favourite room and why. Tell the class what you’ve found out.

Name: __________________________________ Class: _____ ( )

RNCT, NET Section, CDI, EDB Clipit Film 2A: Vocabulary Building

Poverty La Salle College

Vocabulary Building: Circle your answers to the following questions.

1. How would you describe this building?

old new modern tall

skyscraper low multi-storey steel brick run-down 2. How would you describe this building?

old new modern tall

skyscraper low multi-storey steely brick run-down

3a. What part of the flat is this?

living room dining room kitchen bathroom study bedroom

3b. What can you find in this room?

couch dining table sofas

chairs cabinet dresser

painting lamp light

4a. What part of the flat is this?

dining room study bedroom kitchen living room bathroom 4b. What can you find in the room?

couch bench chair cabinet dresser folded table lamp floor mat painting

Listening Tasks: The Rubbish Problem

Rationale

By watching a short film in English and answering questions students develop listening comprehension skills. Questions can be constructed to help students develop the following skills in:

listening for specific information, e.g. facts and figures;

listening for connections between ideas, e.g. cause and effect; and listening for the main idea, e.g. general purpose of the film.

Objectives The students will

learn about a social issue from visual images and spoken commentary;

improve comprehension by anticipating the information to listen for; and connect specific information to identify the main ideas in the Clipit film.

Suggested Procedure

Play the Clipit film, ‘Don’t Throw it Away!’

Distribute the listening activity worksheet.

Give students about two minutes to familiarise themselves with the questions on the listening activity worksheet.

Replay the film with spoken commentary only (no picture) by minimising the Media Player window while students listen and complete the worksheet.

Pair students to compare answers.

Check student answers.

•

Clipit Film 3.1-A:

Listening Activity Sample Worksheet

Name: __________________________________ Class: _____ ( )

RNCT, NET Section, CDI, EDB Clipit Film 3.1-A: Listening Activity

7. What items do people normally donate in this bin? (1 mark)

___________________

8. Special recycling bins are provided in MTR stations for …? (1 mark)

Tick one box only.

□ used tickets □ plastic bags

□ newspapers □ flowers

9. Some offices are r_______________ and r_______________ paper to show their support

in reducing wastes. (2 marks)

10. According to the film, the Hong Kong Government has been working to solve the problem of wastage and to maintain Hong Kong’s natural beauty. (1 mark)

True or false: _________________

Total: _____ / 20



 



 Name: __________________________________ Class: _____ ( )

RNCT, NET Section, CDI, EDB Clipit Film 3.1-A: Listening Activity

3. Complete the missing words in the flowchart below: (2 marks)



4. Complete the words or numbers below: (5 marks)

a) More than __________________ tonnes of solid waste go to refuse collection points.

b) This is about __________________ % of the municipal solid waste in Hong Kong.

c) The wastes are then transferred to __________________ strategic landfills.

d) The landfills will be completely filled in __________________ years time.

e) This is far earlier than __________________!

5. The Hong Kong government has introduced the “__________________” campaign on the first Tuesday of every month in order to reduce the amount of domestic waste in Hong Kong.

(1 mark) 6. What type of waste goes into each of the recycling bins below? (3 marks)

___________________ _________________ ________________

Furniture is sold at a __________________

(as low as HK$1000!)…

People tend to __________________ furniture more frequently…

Durable furniture becomes piling waste!



 



Name: __________________________________ Class: _____ ( )

RNCT, NET Section, CDI, EDB Clipit Film 3.1-A: Listening Activity

Don’t Throw it Away!

Sacred Heart Canossian College

Listening Activity: Listen to the soundtrack of the Clipit film, “Don’t throw it away!” As you listen, complete the tasks that follow:

1. Complete the missing words in the flowchart below: (2 marks)

2. Complete the missing words in the graphic organiser below: (2 marks)

____leftovers____ __foam containers_

________________ __________________

In Hong Kong, ________________________ is prevailing…

People keep filling their wardrobes with glamorous items…

The problem with these enchantments is ___________________________________



Examples of waste caused by take away

service

Note Taking: Air Pollution

Rationale

Using graphic organisers to take notes not only focuses students on listening for ideas, it also develops their critical thinking skills.

Objectives The students will

learn about a social issue from visual images and spoken commentary;

analyse the cause and effects of a social issue;

listen for specific information; and

collaborate with others on completing a task.

Suggested Procedure

Distribute the Note Taking worksheet.

Explain the relationship between cause and effect, and solutions and results to students.

Go over vocabulary in the worksheet.

Play the Clipit film, ‘Back to Blue’ with spoken commentary only (no picture) by minimising the Media Player window while students complete the worksheet.

Pair students.

The students will compare their notes to consolidate their answers in pairs.

•

Clipit Film 3.2-A:

Note Taking Sample Worksheet

Name: __________________________________ Class: _____ ( )

RNCT, NET Section, CDI, EDB Clipit Film 3.2-A: Note Taking B. Now take notes in the flowchart below on the possible solutions to the

problem of pollution mentioned in the film. What do you think the results would be? Jot down your thoughts in the box provided.

Possible solutions

Examples Examples

Potential Results _________________________

_________________________

______

Small behavioural

changes Name: __________________________________ Class: _____ ( )

RNCT, NET Section, CDI, EDB Clipit Film 3.2-A: Note Taking

Note Taking

A. According to the film Back to Blue, Hong Kong’s dense population is responsible for several forms of pollution. Watch the film and take notes in the flowchart below on the causes and effects of pollution in Hong Kong.

Cause

Effects Effects Dense

population (many people in a limited area)











 







Solution Small behavioral changes can

make a big difference!

Creative Writing: Work-life Balance

Rationale

When given a creative writing task, students often struggle with what to write. Visual images can stimulate students’ initial ideas. Mind-mapping can be used to help students organise and develop their ideas for writing.

Objectives The students will

learn about a social issue from visual images and spoken commentary;

extract ideas from a Clipit film and use mind maps to organise them for writing;

and

explore a social issue from a variety of perspectives.

Suggested Procedure

Convert images in the Clipit film, ‘Take Five’, of the daughter, the mother and the father into jpeg files. (See p. 51 for procedures.)

Distribute Creative Writing Pre-writing Tasks worksheet.

Play the Clipit film.

The students will watch and take notes on the situation of each character on the worksheet.

Organise students into groups of 3-4.

Using their notes, each group will brainstorm possible ways that the characters are affected by their situation.

Project the jpeg file of the daughter (See Creative Writing Task A) onto a screen and elicit from students descriptions of the daughter’s feelings.

Repeat step 7 with the jpeg file of the mother. (See Creative Writing Task B) In the absence of an image, ask students to suggest feelings for the father and write these on the worksheet.

With the notes in the completed Pre-writing Task worksheet, the students will then complete either Creative Writing Task A, B or C.

•

10.

Note:

For the tasks here, Jigsaw Writing can be used:

Put students into character groups.

Each group will brainstorm and consolidate ideas for a character.

Regroup students, thus jigsawing, so that each character is represented in the new group.

•

Clipit Film 4A:

Creative Writing – Pre-writing

Sample Worksheet

Name: ___________________________________ Class: _____ ( )

RNCT, NET Section, CDI, EDB Clipit Film 4A: Creative Writing – Pre-writing

Creative Writing Pre-writing Task

The Clipit film Take Five, focuses on the Chan family and the difficulties they have in balancing their work life with their family life.

Mr Chan works overseas and probably does not see his family often. Mrs Chan works long hours and comes home very late at night. The domestic helper looks after the children while the parents are not at home.

How is each character affected by the family situation? How do you think each character feels? Jot down your ideas in the table below.

Characters Situation How Characters are Affected

How Characters Feel

v 



v 

v 

v 

v  Eliza Chan

Mrs Chan

absent father

Clipit Film 4A:

Creative Writing Tasks

Sample Worksheet

Name: ___________________________________ Class: _____ ( )

RNCT, NET Section, CDI, EDB Clipit Film 4A: Creative Writing Tasks

Creative Writing Task A After you have watched the “Take Five” Clipit film, use your notes to

v Write a first person commentary from the perspective of Eliza Chan;

v Describe your home life from morning wake-up to evening bed-time;

v Explain how you feel about your absent father, working mother, and live-in helper, Emily; and

v Detail some changes you would like your parents to make in your home.





The Daughter: Eliza Chan

___________________________________________________________________________

Name: ___________________________________ Class: _____ ( )

RNCT, NET Section, CDI, EDB Clipit Film 4A: Creative Writing Tasks

Creative Writing Task B After you have watched the “Take Five” Clipit film, use your notes to:

v Write a first person commentary from the perspective of Mrs Chan;

v Describe a routine day from morning to night;

v Explain how you feel about leaving your domestic helper to raise your two daughters while you and your husband both work to support your family; and v Detail some changes you would like to make in your home…if you could.

 Detail some changes you would like to make in your household.                          



                 



The Mother: Mrs Chan

______________________________________________________________________

Name: ___________________________________ Class: _____ ( )



 Creative Writing Task C After you have watched the “Take Five” Clipit film use your notes to:

v Write a first person commentary from the perspective of Mr Chan;

v Describe your life away from Hong Kong;

v Explain how you feel about leaving your domestic helper to raise your two daughters while you and your wife both work to support your family; and v Detail some changes you would like to make in your home…if you could.



 The Father: Mr Chan

_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________

在文檔中 NET working (頁 54-74)