Teacher’s Resource: The Rocket - Discovery Film Festival · 2014. 8. 6. · about-Scottish-customs.html) It’s not just customs that can be tricky for newcomers, we have our own

Teacher’s Resource: The RocketLevels S3+ (12+)Created by Andy McLaughlin Discovery Film Festival: Sat 19 October - Sun 3 November 2013discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk

© Dundee Contemporary Arts 2013With support from DCA Cinema and DCA Community & Education Team

Introduction

Discovery Learning Resources give you exciting classroom activities to enhance Curriculum for Excellence delivery. They are created by classroom teachers and education professionals. Each resource aims to:

• Support and extend working with film in the classroom

• Help prepare teachers for a class visit to a Discovery Film Festival film and to extend the impact of that visit for delivery of CfE

• Develop confidence in Moving Image Education approaches and working with 21st Century Literacy /moving image texts

Each resource is free and available to download from www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk/resources or via the Discovery Film Festival area on GLOW, which can be found within the Dundee 21st Century Literacy Group.

The Rocket: Curriculum for Excellence subjects / themesEnglish, Media Studies, Modern Studies, PSHE

We do hope that you find this useful and enjoy your cinema experience with us,

- Discovery Film Festival team

01 / discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk

The RocketDir. Kim MordauntAustralia 2013 / 1h36m

Synopsis

As the only surviving twin at birth, Ahlo is branded ‘cursed’ by his grandmother in accordance with tradition. And as his life unfolds there are episodes when this seems to be the case.

When a hydro-dam is to be built in their valley, the family are forced off their land and the struggle to find a new home takes them on a tour of Laos, its diverse cultures and its troubled history.

This is a tale of making the best out any situation, so can Ahlo’s positivity prove his grandmother wrong, rebuild his family and find somewhere to plant his mother’s mango seeds?

Before the film

This film mainly examines the themes of Customs & Tradtions, Progress, Loss & Redemption, Landmines & Conflict. But there is also lots of material to examine the use of Light/Dark in storytelling, the creative use of words to describe concepts.

In the Modern Studies classroom, any of the main themes may be the focus of a unit of work and this film would tie-in well with units on Conflict, Landmines, Customs, Citizenship, Progess.

In the English/Media Studies classroom, teachers who are looking at Loss/Redemption stories or adding key writing skills will find plenty of examples to help.

In PSE, this film might be used to demonstrate the grief cycle and to look at the range of coping strategies that people adopt - highlighting that not everyone deals with stress or grief in the same way.


After the film

Customs & Tradition

From the very start, the film brings up old customs/superstitions about twins bring good and bad luck. What other examples of traditions did we see in the film?

We have many customs and superstitions in our culture too. In pairs, write down a list of all the customs and superstitions you can think of which are specific to where we live.

In 2012 a travel guide for Japanese visitors to Scotland (written in Edinburgh) advised tourists to:

…avoid “men in green or blue football tops”, and under no circumstances should they refer to a kilt as a “skirt” or describe the locals as “English”.It also advised them to “be patient everywhere in Scotland, it is not Japan.”(taken from The Telegraph article ‘Travel guide offers warning about Scottish customs’, 3 July 2012: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9373546/Travel-guide-offers-warning-about-Scottish-customs.html)

It’s not just customs that can be tricky for newcomers, we have our own dialect. And every gen-eration, young people invent new slang to talk to their friends (even text speak can be thought of as a new form of slang). Add to your list of customs all the words you can think of that a newcomer might struggle with. Write the translation into ‘English’ next to each phrase.

In the film, both Uncle Purple and Ahlo find themselves outcast because they do not follow tra-ditions or ‘fit in’. Fitting in can be very different if you don’t speak the language or don’t under-stand the traditions of your host culture. In pairs or groups, write a guide book for newcomers to the school to help them ‘fit in’. Remember to use words and pictures to help pupils who don’t yet speak English.

I understand that my feelings and reactions can change depending upon what is happening within and around me. This helps me to understand my own behaviour and the way others be-have. HWB 4-04a

I know that friendship, caring, sharing, fairness, equality and love are important in building posi-tive relationships. As I develop and value relationships, I care and show respect for myself and others. HWB 4-05a

I understand that people can feel alone and can be misunderstood and left out by others. I am learning how to give appropriate support. HWB 4-08a

I recognise that each individual has a unique blend of abilities and needs. I contribute to mak-ing my school community one which values individuals equally and is a welcoming place for all. HWB 4-10a


Progress & Relocation

In the film, we see the family and their village being moved in order to build a new dam.Ask the class to brainstorm examples of large building projects which have caused local inhabitants to move.

Some examples which you may wish to look at more closely with the class include:• Donald Trump’s controversial golf complex in Aberdeenshire

• The creation of the Olympic stadia in London, Beijing and Greece and similarly football stadia in Brazil and South Africa.

• The building of the Three Gorges dam in China.

• The creation of new ring-roads or the demolition of local social housing schemes.

Debate the positive and negative sides of ‘progress’.

Reflective questions:

What impact do ‘compulsory purchase orders’ have on local communities?

Some of the examples in the film include social, economic and cultural issues - discrimination (“Outsiders”), lack of ready homes/sanitation etc

How would your students feel if they had to leave their homes so the local council could build a wind farm/biomass plant?• What challenges would they envisage?

• New school? Longer journeys? Friends?

• What benefits might the move bring?

• Better facilities? Closer to town? More clubs etc?

I can evaluate conflicting sources of evidence to sustain a line of argument. SOC 4-15a

I can evaluate the impact which decision making bodies have on the lives of people in Scotland or elsewhere. SOC 4-18a

Having considered responses to a recent international crisis, I can contribute to a discussion of the effectiveness of the responses. SOC 3-19b

By examining the role and actions of selected international organisations, I can evaluate how ef-fective they are in meeting their aims. SOC 4-19b


Child Soldiers

“Uncle Purple” and the “ghosts” in the film represent the harrowing fate of child soldiers. Some discussion/debate on the Affects of War on Children will make for an interesting lesson. Start by splitting the class into groups and give them some “opinion” questions to answer before any reading. They can jot down their initial responses to the questions, then move round to various stations with different articles (examples below) at them. Each time they should jot down their responses to the original questions before moving on (after 1 article and so on). Your plenary should provide opportunity to examine any changes in opinion and reflect on learning.

Cost of War: 2 million children afflicted:http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/13/world/meast/syria-civil-war-children/

Child soldiers ‘increasingly recruited’ in Syria: http://gulfnews.com/in-focus/syria/child-soldiers-increasingly-recruited-in-syria-1.1157721

Syria using child soldiers as young as 14: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9711971/Syria-using-child-soldiers-as-young-as-14.html

Syrian Rebels Using Children in War: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/29/syrian-child-soldiers-rebels_n_2210427.html

Before moving on to the plenary, show the class the story of Aki-Ra:This is a great (but short) video clip on the use of children to lay landmines: “Aki Ra, who clears landmines throughout Cambodia. As a child, Aki was forced to lay landmines by the Khmer Rouge after they murdered his family. But today, he works heroically to help clear the thousands of landmines that continue to plague the country.” http://planetofthedata.com/2011/05/cambodia-landmine-clearance/

I can evaluate conflicting sources of evidence to sustain a line of argument. SOC 4-15a

I can present an informed view on how the expansion of power and influence of countries or organisations may impact on the cultures, attitudes and experiences of those involved. SOC 4-19a


Writing Skills

In the film the characters refer to “Sleeping Tigers” and “ghosts”. What were they really talking about?

Can you think of phrases used in English that follow the same concept? Think of the dangers and tragedies around us. What alternative phrases do you/could you use when writing about them so that you describe each of them without actually mentioning the problems specifically?

I can:• discuss and evaluate the effectiveness of structure, characterisation and/or setting using

some supporting evidence• identify how the writer’s main theme or central concerns are revealed and can recognise how

they relate to my own and others’ experiences• identify and make a personal evaluation of the effect of aspects of the writer’s style and oth-

er features appropriate to genre using some relevant evidence and terminology. ENG 4-19a

Having explored and experimented with the narrative structures which writers use to create texts in different genres, I can:• use the conventions of my chosen genre successfully and/or• create an appropriate mood or atmosphere and/or• create convincing relationships, actions and dialogue for my characters. ENG 4-31a

As appropriate to my purpose and type of text, I can punctuate and structure different types of sentences with sufficient accuracy, and arrange these to make meaning clear, showing straight-forward relationships between paragraphs. LIT 4-22a

By considering the type of text I am creating, I can independently select ideas and relevant information for different purposes, and organise essential information or ideas and any support-ing detail in a logical order. I can use suitable vocabulary to communicate effectively with my audience. LIT 4-26a

I can convey information and describe events, explain processes or concepts, providing substan-tiating evidence, and synthesise ideas or opinions in different ways. LIT 4-28a

Follow up

You could look to local NGO/TA/Army contacts to come into school to discuss the continued threat of landmines. The Royal Engineers in particular have an array of disarmed mines which can be discussed and handled by pupils to give them a real understanding of how mines work and the difficulty of dealing with them.

You can order the “Dare You Walk the Path?” exhibition on landmines for your school. This poster exhibition from Handicap International UK comes in A1 and A3 size. Order your copy by emailing [email protected] or calling 0203 463 2385.


Useful References/ resources

Progress & Relocation

You’ve Been Trumped, the documentary by Anthony Baxter about billionaire Donald Trump creation of a golf resort on the Aberdeenshire shifting dunes, previously designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), would make an excellent comparison to the relocation in The Rocket.

Article on the impact of the Three Gorges Dam in Chinahttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8471793.stm YouTube clip “The Last Town” also looks at the impact of the Three Gorges Dam http://youtu.be/JWeBQ3kw5RI

Olympics relocation of residentsComparing Beijing, London & Rio: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-16703402 Beijing: http://youtu.be/DQ7r2srf5zw, http://youtu.be/AFjzKqePhxM London: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-25/east-end-has-thousands-in-illegal-squalor-near-olympics.htmlRio: http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-politics/favelas-moved-for-world-cup-and-olympics/

Landmines and Conflict

Infographic: http://img.metro.co.uk/news_focus/Landmines.png

Article: http://metro.co.uk/2012/10/18/fifteen-years-on-what-has-been-the-impact-of-the-world-mine-ban-treaty-603630/

Poster campaign: http://i2mag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/International-Campaign-to-Ban-Landmines-Daily-Chores-Vacuum-Cleaner.jpg

Maps & Information

“The Monitor” has a lot of information on landmines & cluster munitions:http://www.the-monitor.org/ Including a host of maps: http://www.the-monitor.org/index.php/publications/display?url=lm/2012/maps/maps.html

Good article and map: http://www.viewsoftheworld.net/?p=1967

Excellent site on the problem of landmines: http://www.icbl.org/index.php


Evaluating this resource We hope that you found this resource useful and appropriate. Please do send us film reviews, letters from your pupils, documentation of classwork and your feedback by e-mailing [email protected]

Would you make a good Discovery Film Festival Case Study?

We are seeking a number of simple Case Studies in how teachers have used or are using Dis-covery films in the classroom across Curriculum for Excellence and across the Levels.

Any case studies that we develop would be intended for presentation on GLOW, the Creativity Portal and on Discovery Film Festival websites. We have a simple template to be completed and are keen to have classwork and documentation included.

If you would like to be a Discovery Case Study please e-mail [email protected]


Teacher’s Resource: The Rocket - Discovery Film Festival · 2014. 8. 6. · about-Scottish-customs.html) It’s not just customs that can be tricky for newcomers, we have our own

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