Originally published: April 17, 2018
Every Thursday night, the PBS NewsHour profiles people and their passions in the serie Brief But Spectacular. Creator Steve Goldbloom and his producing partner, Zach Land-Miller, wanted to find a new way to share original voices the public might otherwise not see. This lesson has been updated to work for online learning during the coronavirus pandemic.
Grades
6-12
Subjects:
English, English Language Arts, English Language Learners, Social Studies, Art, Film, Media Arts, Journalism
Essential questions (choose what fits best):
- How does sharing your passion and ideas with others help them understand your identity?
- Why is it important for people to share their ideas and passions with others? How does giving voice to people's ideas and passions create empathy?
Materials:
- Notebooks or computer device for writing script
- Cell phones for recording
- Online learning system (if in physical classroom, projector for sharing)
Overview:
To date, Brief But Spectacular has produced over 75 episodes with a mix of guests from well-known figures like Kathleen Turner, Marina Abramović and Alec Baldwin, to new and diverse individuals like poet Mahogany L. Brown and artist iO Tillett Wright.
It has also been heartwarming to watch viewer’s respond to some of our lesser-known guests. For example, Brief's video featuring 92-year-old former high school teacher Flossie Lewis (see video below!) earned six million views within a few weeks of being released. Have a look at the series highlights here.
We were thrilled to discover that viewers of the NewsHour--mostly students--have engaged with the series by creating their own Brief But Spectacular videos. A recent YouTube search revealed dozens of videos uploaded from across the country. That's where you come in!
Procedure
Warm up activity
Let your students know they'll be watching three short videos (see below) before setting out to make their own Brief But Spectacular films.
Ask your students what ties all three videos together? What do you think is the main purpose of this series? How do each of the videos start? How do each of them end? Why is the person looking directly into the camera? Why do you see Goldbloom and Land-Miller setting up the shot at the beginning of the film? What is the expression on the person's face? What makes them passionate about the subject?
Music enables singer-songwriter to reveal “the beast within”
What it’s like to start over after spending your teen years in jail
She’s 91 but she feels 15. Here’s her secret
Main activity:
- Option 1: Conduct your own interview! Think about your topic, make a brief outline and start rambling (see more about the rambling below!).
- Option 2: Conduct and record an interview of a classmate using a video conferencing tool you are familiar with and your school recommends. Don't forget the clap!
A. The Interview
B. The pieces are written in the edit room. You might think that after 20 minutes of rambling you’ll wind up with an overwhelmingly unfocused amount of material. This is true. Be sure your students know this is okay .
C. Finally, remember to include the #BriefButSpectacularEDU and @NewsHourExtra tags when you share these videos on Facebook/Twitter. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Extension activity:
Go through the Brief But Spectacular videos to see if there is one that matches up in some way to student's own videos. What connections can they make between their video and the one featured on Brief's website? Students should let the person know via social media that their Brief video inspired them in some way. They will be thrilled to learn about your students' passions.
Still need more inspiration? Check out this Brief But Spectacular video:
About the author
Steve Goldbloom, creator of 'Brief but Spectacular,' wrote this lesson plan. He produces the series from California through his production company, Second Peninsula.
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