February 10-February 17, 2020 Week #5

Due to the nature of the first two activities, the due dates are Friday, February 14, 2020, at midnight. Complete Activity #1 before trying to write the draft of the movie review. The movie review needs to be posted by midnight on February 14, 2020. That will give you the weekend to review the reviews of two others in the class. 

If someone already has two peer edits, please select another student's essay to edit. 

Hopefully all of this will make sense after you read the instructions for Activity #1 and Activity #2. 

Week #5 - Activity #1 Tips for Writing Movie Reviews

A. Writing a movie review: https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Movie-Review (This site contains detailed information about writing detailed movie reviews.) List five good tips! Explain why each would add power to your review. 



B. Great tips from the industry!
 https://sdfilmfest.com/how-to-analyze-a-movie-step-by-step-guide-to-reviewing-films-from-a-screeners-point-of-view/
 Create another list of five good tips for writing a movie review. Explain why each would help your own review to be effective. 


C. Outstanding advice from actual film critics. Some write movie reviews. Others post their reviews on YouTube. Either way, the advice is about the same. Watch and listen to this video. Several critics are interviewed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJdfJVyDEQE (30 minutes)


Take notes. Create a list of 10 important guidelines for creating movie reviews and explain why each tip would add interest to your own movie review.  Your review will be written. 

Total: 20 tips given and explained (40 points)

Week #5 Activity #2 - Movie Review draft and Peer Editing (Discussion Board)

For the discussion board, you will post your own movie review. (Last week you watched a war movie and took notes. This week after learning how to write a movie review - see Activity #1 - you will write the draft of your movie review. Please post it by Thursday night at midnight. You will need to read and respond to two movie reviews created by your classmates.

Respond to the following for each of the two review. These are things to look for.

Scale Low: 1 ......10  High

1. Did the entire paper focus on the movie and the author's opinion of the movie? Was the title of the movie and year released given in the first line or two?
2. Were details and examples from the movie provided to emphasize the writer's point about the movie?
3. Did the author summarize major points in the movie without giving away the ending?
4. Were opinions given about the director, actors, musical score, special effects, lighting, etc.?
5. Was the author's attitude about the movie clear? Were you convinced? Explain.
6. Based on the review, would you spend your money to go to the movie? Explain.

Scoring:

50 points for posting your review on time. Be sure it is posted by midnight on Thursday, February 13, 2020. You have until midnight on Monday, February 17, 2020 to post your two responses.

Responses are worth 25 points each. Total: 100 points


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Week #5 Activity #3 : Search for a topic related to "war." This week, think about it. What topic is of most interest to you? Once you decide, 

1. write a few paragraphs where you identify your topic, 
2. tell  why it is important or interesting,
3.  and note what you hope to discover in your research. 

30 points

This is where you are headed. You only need to complete the activities 1, 2, and 3 listed above for this week. 

Select a topic that will be the focus of a major research paper related to war.    

• How does war impact civilians? 
• How does war impact soldiers? 
• What is the aftermath of battle?
• What is worth the cost of life?
•   How do we honor our soldiers? This could be a study of homecomings over time. 
• You could also research military cemeteries or burial sites. Consider the tomb of the unknown  soldier for example.  
• Why do societies honor those whose identities are not known? 
• Why are swords/crosses in military battle fields? 
• What animals have played a powerful role in war?

More possible topics

•   The music of war
•    Honoring those who died – final resting places
•   War in art
•   War in the movies or on stage 
•   Those left behind/the home front
•   Preparing for battle
• Why We Fight
•   Unlikely Heroes
•   Dogs in combat   
• Horses in combat
•   Weapons of war 
•   Prisoners of war
•   Other . . .

You must have:

1.      An art selection (We will work on this next week.)
2.      Research from at least three respected sites
3.      One  interview with a  family member, friend, or classmate
4.     A quotation from literature or music or other famous source
5.     A news link (old or new)
6.   Reference to a play, movie, or television show

This is where you are headed. You only need to complete the activities 1, 2, and 3 listed above for this week. 

 III. Think of this essay as a work with three parts.

Part I: Introduction - Find something to capture the attention of your audience and to introduce your topic.

Part II: The Middle - this is where you bring your topic to life. Explain, use examples, quote experts, refer to movies, reference literature, talk about art, mention currant news stories, include an interview, etc.  Guide the reader through the essay. Make it come alive! Include in-text citations.

Part III: The conclusion - Wrap it up. Leave the reader with a clear understanding of the topic.

More details will be provided next week. This is will give you an idea of the next major essay.