Activity: Blue: Ripples of Change – Years 3 & 4

Quick summary: This lesson incorporates clips from Blue The Film as learning inspiration. In this lesson students draw conclusions and consolidate their learning from the Blue The Film: Inquiry – Years 3 & 4. Students begin by looking back at the topics they addressed in this unit. Using the messages of the ocean guardians and their knowledge of the threats to our oceans, students work in groups to plan and create a media clip to share a positive message about taking action for our oceans, encouraging ripples of change.

Blue is a feature documentary film charting the drastic decline in the health of our oceans. With more than half of all marine life lost and the expansion of the industrialization of the seas, the film sets out the challenges we are facing and the opportunities for positive change. Blue changes the way we think about our liquid world and inspires the audience to action. Find out how to screen or download the film here. Along with the film is an ambitious global campaign to create advocacy and behaviour change through the #oceanguardian movement. To become an ocean guardian, see the website.

Learning intentions:

• Students will recognise how ocean guardians can use their voice to share their knowledge in order to make change.
• Students will understand how to plan and make a media clip to share a message.

21st century skills:

Australian Curriculum Mapping

Content descriptions:

Year 3 Science

• Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions (ACSHE051)

Year 4 Science

• Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions (ACSHE062)

Years 3 and 4 Media Arts

• Plan, create and present media artworks for specific purposes with awareness of responsible media practice (ACAMAM060)
• Use media technologies to create time and space through the manipulation of images, sounds and text to tell stories (ACAMAM059)

Syllabus outcomes: ST2-11LW.

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Literacy.

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.7, OI.9.

Relevant parts of Year 3 Science achievement standards: Students group living things based on observable features and describe how they can use science investigations to respond to questions.

Relevant parts of Year 4 Science achievement standards: Students describe relationships that assist the survival of living things and sequence key stages in the life cycle of a plant or animal. They identify when science is used to understand the effect of their actions.

Relevant parts of Years 3 & 4 Media Arts achievement standards: Students describe and discuss similarities and differences between media artworks they make and view. They discuss how and why they and others use images, sound and text to make and present media artworks. Students collaborate to use story principles, time, space and technologies to make and share media artworks that communicate ideas to an audience.

Topic: Blue The Film, Ocean Conservation, Water.

Unit of work: Blue The Film: Inquiry – Years 3 & 4.

Time required: 80 mins.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – oversee creation of clip and lead students in discussion.

Resources required: Student Worksheet – one copy per student. Device capable of presenting a website to the class. Digital media technologies and equipment for making media clip. Several copies of the Storyboard Sheet for each group of students. Butcher’s paper and pens. Film Making Tips.

Keywords: Blue The Film, ocean conservation, ocean guardians, oceans, messages, media clip.

Cool Australia and Northern Pictures would like to acknowledge the generous contributions of GoodPitch² Australia, Shark Island Institute, Documentary Australia Foundation, The Caledonia Foundation and Screen Australia in the development of these teaching resources.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

© 2017 Northern Pictures and Cool Australia