This topic is one that is very relevant today.
To see what inspired me to develop this lesson plan, click here.
Many horror movies are nothing but gore. Instead of instilling fear in the viewer, they instill disgust. I am specifically referring to movies such as the Saw series or the Hostel movies.
Nice severed leg... From Hostel (2005)
Hopefully, Cycle 3 students have not seen movies such as they. But they will…eventually, they will. This topic will help students become aware of what they are seeing and analyze the impact that images and sound have on them. They will also be able to better distinguish tone and the sentiments it evokes, thus discerning suspense and thriller films from shock-and-awe tactic perversions of cinema.
This unit also relates to the students’ lives because it teaches them to think critically about the media. Fear is a strong emotion. This unit studies fear and how it is produced and manipulated by the media. This unit will help students see how the media can create emotions such as fear with something as simple as music in a minor key. They will begin to understand that media is created for a certain purpose. They will have to think about the purpose and intent of media–whether it is creating fear or creating the desire to buy a product.
The unit is primarily a language arts unit. It will develop vocabulary, writing skills and critical analyzing skills.