A Little More Conversation; A Little Less Action

INTRODUCTION:

This WebQuest was designed to show the importance of one element in writing for fiction or non-fiction, short stories, novels, novellas, and other literature. While designed for a freshman/introductory English class, this could be adjusted to work for any high-school age group.

 

LEARNERS:

This lesson was designed for an introductory college English class. It combines Language Arts, Technology, and Communications areas to enhance the students' lateral knowledge. As mentioned previously, with a slight adjustment - perhaps not searching for definition - this lesson could be applicable to Secondary grade levels.

Students should come into this lesson with a firm understanding of the devices needed to write in a play or story. Students should be prepared to search quickly and effectively online with consistent success. Students should be able to absorb and analyze quickly.  

 

PROCESS:

This lesson could be taught in 2-3 class periods. It will take some time to allow the students to adequately research the various types of dialogue and examples.

 

Activity 1a: Divide up into pairs. Each pair needs to be sitting in front of a computer. Now, use the internet to search for sites about Dialogue. While a list of the questions are provided/recommended, the teacher should be prepared to add or subtract from the list if the questions are proving difficult for the students to answer. This activity should take about 20 minutes. 

 

Activity 1b: In your groups of 2, search for examples of dialogue. You can look for TV Show clips, Movie clips, excerpts from books and plays, or whatever else you can find. Choose one example of good dialogue and one example of bad dialogue. Write one paragraph per example that explains why it is of good quality or bad quality. This part will take up the rest of the class period. Again, you will need to be prepared to guide the students on what to look for specifically. Make sure that the students are giving real examples of WHY the dialogue is good/bad based on their research. This activity should teach them how to research and complete projects based on their research.

 

Activity 2: Now you will watch several clips presented by the teacher. While watching, write down any recurring devices you notice (i.e. pacing, analogies, allegories, etc.). Keep track of what you like or don�t like about each clip or excerpt presented. At the end of the presentation, the class will discuss the clips and excerpts. We will talk about each piece and the strengths and weaknesses of each. This class period will be almost wholly used up by this lesson. Also, you need to provide at least 15-20 minutes at the end of the period for planning and scripting for the next day.

 

Activity 3: The class will be divided up into several groups of 4-5 people. Each group will be assigned a type of medium (movie, TV, play, or book). The group will also be assigned a basic type of dialogue (Comedy, Drama, Romance, or Action). When the script is complete, each group will perform their scene in front of the class. The class will then discuss the merits of the scene. This activity will begin at the end of the previous activity's class period. Depending on the competency of the students, this can be an overnight assignment or they can be given a couple of days. The quicker the due date, the more challenging it will be for the students. Gauge your students to see what would be more effective.

 

RESOURCES:

For this lesson, you will need:

Access to computers - 1 for every 2 students

TV/DVD player

Clips from various TV Shows, Movies, and perhaps a Shakespeare on DVD

Students were also encouraged to visit specific websites including:

www.google.com
www.wikipedia.com
http://www.thataway.org/
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_D.html
http://www.greatdialogue.com/Techniques_List.htm
http://mindseyemedia.com/book/Articles/dialogue1.html
http://www.thataway.org/exchange/

www.youtube.com
www.google.com (video search)
www.imdb.com
http://video.yahoo.com/

This lesson can be completed without the aid of another teacher or assistant. However, it might be beneficial to have someone familiar with internet research available for questions and assistance. It would be great to bring someone in from the school library to teach the students appropriate ways to research. It would also introduce the students to the library and integrate another subject into the lesson.

 

EVALUATION:

 

Category & Score	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Very Good 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Collaboration	Shows ability to divide up work to make equal work for each person, resolve conflicts, stay on task, and complete assignment reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Shows ability to divide up work to make equal work for each person, resolve conflicts, stay on task, and complete assignment reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Shows ability to divide up work to make equal work for each person, resolve conflicts, stay on task, and complete assignment reflecting mastery of performance.	Shows ability to divide up work to make equal work for each person, resolve conflicts, stay on task, and complete assignment reflecting the highest level of performance.	%25
Creativity	The scene shows no originality or creativity.	The scene shows a lack of real creative spark.	The scene is original and creative.	The scene is one of a kind and brilliantly creative.	%25
Completion of the Guidelines written in the Process	The student did not follow any of the activities required in the Process section.	The student completed some of the activities required, but did not put forth much effort.	The student completed all of the activities required.	The student excelled in each activity, going beyond what the teacher expected or asked for.	%25
Presentation	The presentation was poorly written and seemed to be thrown together.	The presentation had several glaring mistakes and could have been better organized.	The presentation met all requirements and was well-rehearsed.	The presentation superceded all requirements and was flawlessly presented.	%25
Total Score:					%100

The evaluation can be adjusted if the teacher feels that there is a specific component missing.

 

CONCLUSION:

This lesson will be successful because the students will be getting actively involved in internet research for future research assignments in English, History, Science, Humanities, and other subjects. This WebQuest will also provide the opportunity for the students to become excited about Popular Culture shows and movies as a way to apply current lessons. Hopefully, as students watch their favorite shows, they will be able to recognize the importance of Dialogue and how it relates to their interests.

 

This lesson will also teach students to work together in pairs and teams so that they learn to work cohesively and depend on one another. This lesson has the potential to help develop trust between students.
 

 

 

Credits

Thanks are given to Google and YouTube for access to images and clips.