Image credit: https://vimeo.com/showcase/4590825
Using the technique of a “remoscope” (a still film without any movement), create a one-minute eco-film of something “natural.” The video can be shot on whatever device is at hand, such as a digital camera or phone. The activity inspires students to reflect on how “nature” is represented in media and also to explore the experience of “slow media.”
Contact: ghprof@me.com
Learning outcomes
- Media Representation Analysis: Students will analyze and critically reflect upon how “nature” is typically represented in media, including the use of movement and narrative, by comparing their “remoscope” creation to traditional nature films.
- Visual Storytelling: Through the constraints of a still, non-moving format, students will learn to convey a meaningful and engaging story or message about “nature” using only visuals and limited time.
- Creative Expression: This activity encourages students to think creatively and experiment with different visual techniques to capture the essence of nature in a one-minute “remoscope.”
- Observation and Connection with Nature: Students will be prompted to slow down, observe natural elements more closely, and develop a deeper connection with the environment they are filming.
- Technical Skills: Depending on the devices used, students may acquire or enhance technical skills related to photography or videography, such as framing, composition, and lighting.
- Environmental Awareness: By engaging with the concept of nature through the creation of eco-films, students can develop a greater appreciation for the environment and a heightened awareness of ecological issues, potentially leading to a greater sense of responsibility and sustainability.
Common Core standards
English Language Arts Standards
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.7: Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.5: Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2: Determine a central idea of a text and analyze how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
Media Literacy Standards
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.7: Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.