How To Use A Classroom Film
How To Use A Classroom Film
On preview cassette #221233 FI on middle school classroom; a girl is reading to the class; she stumbles on a word and looks up at the teacher. Cut to MS of teacher helping her with the word. Cut to class LS. Pan to Billy sitting disgruntled in class. Cut to clock: 3 PM. School bell rings. Cut to Billy jumping up at once. Cut to teacher reprimanding him. He sinks back in his chair. Cut to teacher resignedly dismissing the class. They leave in orderly fashion, except for Billy who lunges for the door and is held back by the teacher. As class exits, cut to teacher patting Billy on the shoulder, and looking down the hall at the departing class. She is tired, and returns to her desk, alone, with stacks of papers to grade. Dissolve to mail boxes in the office. Teacher enters, in coat, on her way home. She checks her mail. She grimaces at one envelope, and turns to another teacher to complain: the film she ordered has arrived. Cut to CU card from librarian. She tells her friend it is a film about Western pioneer days. Cut to hallway as she says she should do a "hundred things" about the film, but she is too tired so she decides to take care of it tomorrow: "after all, what can go wrong?" Cut to CU teacher talking to the audience: everything went wrong, she tells us, and she still dreams about it. Animated dream sequence follows: teacher tells class they will see a film on the Old West. A student asks, "How, with no projector?" She leaves the classroom, races down the hall, enters the AV library, demands a projector. She ignores the AV instructor's warnings and leaves with a leering projector she has never used before. Meantime, back in the classroom, chaos reigns. She finally gets the projector working, then has trouble with the blinds. The projector wheezes, the titles are backwards, she is tangled in film. The projector leers. She calls for the AV man. He gets the projector running but it is the wrong film, a knock-down dragout shoot-'em-up Western. The kids love it but the teacher is totally beaten. FO/FI on teacher talking to audience; she tells us she did better the second time. She talks with the AV man (Mr. Travers, the Instructional Materials Coordinator). He shows her the film catalogue in their library and helps her select one. He then shows her other teachers' ratings of the film, giving her a teacher's guide. A maintenance man sees that the blinds work and the windows ventilate the room properly. She is instructed on the projector. In her classroom, a student points to areas on maps of the Western Expansion. She posts a list of reading materials and asks for a volunteer student to help with the projector: the entire class volunteers. She chooses Billy, who is very pleased. She shows him the projector; he threads it, starts the program. The two of them view the film, then discuss it (CU Billy; two-shot; ECU Billy; ECU teacher; two-shot). Teacher in class. CU students. She is at the blackboard helping them to understand the film. Billy starts the projector, lights out, and close in on Billy standing by the light. LS of class as they watch the film (soundtrack only on the film sequence which is to be supered). Back to LS of class as lights go up. Teacher at blackboard. Pan class; they are excited now, and discuss the film. Billy recites. Girl recites. Others volunteer projects they will do. Everyone takes part. Pan class as they work on projects at work tables. Pan past mural they have made. CU preparing a map. Group writes book report. Fredrick Remington print of an Indian is discussed. Billy directs a skit he has written. Jane shows a poster she has made. LS of teacher talking to class as they work. Cut to Billy standing by projector. Back to teacher talking to us. The effectiveness of film depends on you. FO."