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Elizabeth Daley, Educator

For the Love of Film (Season Two)

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Elizabeth Daley, Educator - For the Love of Film (Season Two) - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

"I hope all of our students leave us knowing that they do have power to speak and to say things they care about." -Dean Elizabeth Daley, The Thread

Dean Elizabeth Daley has been at the USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1991 and continues to mentor and guide young filmmakers who have gone on to be some of the most successful and recognizable names in Hollywood. Elizabeth Daley takes us on a fascinating behind-the curtain conversation and shares her secret of cultivating great storytellers and the importance of teaching media literacy today.

 

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Lesson Objectives

Social Studies

* Understand the origins of film as an industry and its growth as an academic discipline

* Explore the cultural influence of film and television and how it shapes American culture

* Examine the historical evolution of media and the impact and changes technology has had on the industry

English Language Arts Focus

* Examine perspective taking from the point of view of one educator

* Analyze the structure and purpose of a narrative, identify key themes in the episode, and synthesize information from a spoken text

* Introduce critical media skills by practicing film analysis such as identifying themes, discussing character development, editing choices, and filmmaker’s intent

* Analyze, reflect on, and discuss the title “For the Love of Film” after watching the episode

* Use Elizabeth Daley’s episode as evidence to write a commentary or synthesis essay on an assigned topic

Social Emotional Learning: By offering engaging personal narratives, students can discuss and strengthen the five SEL competencies - self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

Media Literacy: Students will practice media literacy skills by analyzing information, points of view, and claims made in The Thread and be able to translate these strategies with all forms of media to make more informed decisions.

Elizabeth Daley, Educator - For the Love of Film (Season Two) - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

First Take >

The “First Take” activity is a warm-up writing or conversation exercise created uniquely for The Thread to strengthen media literacy skills. Like an opening song in a musical, the first stanza of a poem, or even the first impression one person makes on another, the “First Take” asks students to reflect and share their initial thoughts and feelings about the episode’s opening and why the filmmaker and editor made these choices.

Download Elizabeth Daley’s lesson to access the complete “First Take” activity.

Elizabeth Daley, Educator - For the Love of Film (Season Two) - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

The Thread Up Close >

After watching the interview, students will debrief and discuss the life story and engage in a close read and analysis of her interview using "For the Love of Film” episode and transcript.

In this lesson, the suggested close read focuses on the need for to strengthen ongoing media literacy skills across disciplines and ages. In a conversation Dean Daley had with filmmaker George Lucas, she recounts saying "If you don’t know how to take the tools of media and create meaning with them and understand how meaning is created with them, you are living as a read-only participant in the society, and you often don’t really understand what’s going on around you.”

Download the lesson to access “The Thread Up Close” activity.

Elizabeth Daley, Educator - For the Love of Film (Season Two) - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

"For the Love of Film" >

In this activity students will analyze the meaning of the lesson’s title and demonstrate their understanding by engaging in a media literacy exercise using one of their favorite films.

Download the lesson to access the entire “For the Love of Film” activity.

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