This article introduces a free online collection of images, video clips, and animations that teachers can use in creating resources for use with students. The four steps in creating a video clip, an animation, or other resource are presented.

The 12th grade learning experience consists of 7 mostly month-long units aligned to the Common Core State Standards, with available course material for teachers and students easily accessible online. Over the course of the year there is a steady progression in text complexity levels, sophistication of writing tasks, speaking and listening activities, and increased opportunities for independent and collaborative work. Rubrics and student models accompany many writing assignments.Throughout the 12th grade year, in addition to the Common Read texts that the whole class reads together, students each select an Independent Reading book and engage with peers in group Book Talks. Language study is embedded in every 12th grade unit as students use annotation to closely review aspects of each text. Teacher resources provide additional materials to support each unit.

Students will consider the different ways that humor can be used by a writer to criticize people, practices, and institutions that he or she thinks are in need of serious reform. Students will read satirists ranging from classical Rome to modern day to examine how wit can be used to make important points about culture.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students research an aspect of modern life that they would like to lampoon.
Students read from satirists across history to absorb the style and forms of humor and institutions satirized.
Students write their own satire, drawing on techniques of famous satirists to criticize their targets.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.

What is satire, and when is it too harsh?
How can humor and irony make you more persuasive?
What do you think is funny? How far would you go to satirize it?
Who gets more reaction—satirists or protestors?

In this lesson, students will consider what makes the examples they and their classmates found satirical.

In this lesson, students will study voice in the comedy of a contemporary satirist, this time in the comic’s writing. Then students will look at their own voice in a piece of writing.

In this lesson, students will start to think about the satirical videos they will create to end this unit. Students will sort through all the satirical pieces and videos they have considered and use them as a springboard for their own ideas.

Production of Educational Videos is an introduction to technical communication that is situated in the production of educational videos; the assignments are all focused on the production of videos that teach some aspect of MIT's first-year core curriculum. The objective of these assignments is improvement in both communication ability and communication habits; these improvements are effected by providing participants with instruction, practice, feedback, and the opportunity for reflection. In addition to improvements in communication skills, improvement is expected in students' attitude towards writing, oral presentations, and collaboration; as the semester progresses, students should feel confident of their ability to write, present, and collaborate.

The purpose of this course is to provide a project-based visual arts program, which guides students to achieve the standards in the visual arts and career technical training, by providing students with the technical instruction and practical experiences for aspiring video and film makers in the production of film, video, and new media projects for business and entertainment. Students experience both the creative and technical aspects of filmmaking in conjunction with learning about historical and contemporary traditions and conventions.Students are instructed on the three stages of project creation. In pre-production, students learn the basic principles of story development, screenplay writing, storyboarding, scheduling and budget planning. Instruction in the production stage includes basic visual composition, color theory, set up and operation of camera, sound, and lighting equipment. Students learn to use cutting-edge software applications for video and audio post-production. Mastering and delivery methods, in both traditional and new media, are explored.The course also includes the basics of job shadowing, internships, and job placement. The competencies in this course are aligned with the California High School Academic Content Standards and the California Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards. Interdisciplinary experiences and arts activities lead to refining a personal aesthetic, and a heightened understanding of career opportunities in art and arts-related fields.