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NOTE: Post your overall (holistic) reflection of the ED638 activities you've engaged in. Remember, this reflection goes beyond the specified activities in Moodle. View the links above to get an idea of the holistic reflections (Re: A Glimpse of ED638 - Fall I, II).

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In order to post your entries for previous dates/postings not listed on the current web page, scroll to the bottom of the page until you see the wording Older Posts, and click on that link. You may also visit the ED638 Archive located on the right hand side of our homepage to access previous posts. Good luck, and we look forward to reading your entries! :)

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Labrador's IRA Newsletter Project: Effective Literacy Website 2: 
Simply Scripts
                                                                          
Simply Scripts” (http://www.simplyscripts.com) is an online resource that provides access to a plethora of scripts. Here, you can find many free scripts from the following categories; movie, TV, radio, Anime, Oscar transcripts, theater, musical, non-English, and unproduced scripts. There is no need for registration or to create an account (unless you want to participate in their discussion board) as it is constantly updated every month.  Students, as well as educators, can fully appreciate the world of performing and literary arts by going through the scripts of their favorite movie or show.  After introducing this site to my students, I required them every two weeks to find a scene from any script that they would like to reenact in class.  Sure enough, the students’ learning motivation skyrocketed making the class more interesting and exciting for them—I would reserve the library biweekly giving them an opportunity to explore and print an excerpt from their selected script.   If the library is booked, I would reserve it weekly or have the students explore the site on the classroom’s desktop computers.  Not only does it allow students to practice becoming technologically literate individuals, but also literary proficient learners. 
  Aside the vast accessibility of free scripts, “Simply Scripts” provides an online store for screenplays not available on their site.  You can also find books on screenwriting tips especially useful for novel, young filmmakers and directors. You won’t even have to worry about any purchasing issues in the store as the prices are very affordable.
Simply Scripts” has other features to help improve online dialogue about scripts; such as a discussion board, movie review, and treatment section.  The discussion board covers topics from script legal rights issues to opinionated reviews of certain movies or shows.  When you go through this section, you will see how active the discussions and commentaries are concerning the respective topics.  However, to participate in the discussions, you would need to create an account and log in.
In the movie review section, you are able to look over the approval ratings and criticisms of professional movie and television analysts.  This can be quite useful, if you want to find scripts that have academic value rather than tasteless humor.   The reviews are also quite entertaining to read on your spare time.
The last section, the Treatment, is an ideal place for directors or young filmmakers as it offers resources on how the movie or show should be shot, which camera angles to use, how “blocking,” or actor’s movements, is mapped out on the script, and more importantly, the narrative explanation of the film itself.  Simply put, this section provides outlines or steps that show how to “treat” each film into its expected appeal.
So, if you ever want to motivate your students into reading, have them navigate “Simply Scripts” and let them enjoy reading their favorite movies and shows.  Aside having students perform, it is equally fun to watch students read, memorize, and rehearse their script.  Witnessing this process is pleasing for most educators as it signifies student learning, allowing them to read, analyze, and recite dialogues in class. 



1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing your class activities. This is something I would like to try with my students.

    ReplyDelete