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-NiE ,
12 JULY 2017
Elementary Scriptwriting Note to the teacher
century learning skills
OUR children are riding the great wave of technology today. They now have facts and procedures at their fingertips. Teachers have to equip their students with new skills that allow them to thrive in today’s global economy. The activities in The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education pullout combine literacy skills with content to build this set of skills. The key below indicates the skills integrated into the activities in this pullout.
Calling the shots WHY do actors always say and do the right things at the right moments? Everything appears to fall in place, so much so that it is poetic! In reality, it is not as simple as it looks. Actors in movies or plays have to learn and practise lines that have been specially written for them. These lines are called scripts. People who write the scripts of plays are sometimes called playwrights or scriptwriters.
A playwright can write for many genres: plays, television shows and movies. Plays can be divided into a number of scenes. Many plays are also adapted from familiar legends, fairy tales or stories. Sometimes, even real-life incidents can be adapted into plays. The following is an example of how one part of a story from The Star can be adapted into a scene for a play.
What Happens to My Family? 8TV, Astro Ch 708 / HyppTV Ch 108, 10.30am Cha Soon-bong, a widower and a father of three children, finds out he has cancer. He decides to use his remaining time to ensure the happiness of his children, even though they are selfcentred and disrespectful. As part of his plan, Cha takes his children to court, demanding that they pay him an impossibly large amount of cash. But of course, none of them has the money. Hence, they have to fulfil their father’s seven requests. Only then do they realise their wrongdoings, but is it too late?
In a private ward in Hospital Orient. Cha Soon-bong is talking to Doctor Sia, who has just finished examining him. Nurse Jasmine is standing beside the doctor.
Cha Doctor Sia Cha
: So, tell me the truth, Doctor Sia. : (Shaking his head) I’m sorry, Mr. Cha. : (Softly) How long do I have? Just be honest. Doctor Sia : Five months, maybe seven. Nurse Jasmine : Is there anything I can do for you? Do you want me to call your children?
Cha
: Children? Ha! What a fine set of children I have. Not even one of them cared enough to come and visit me. Not one, out of the three. (He tries to get up but starts coughing.) Nurse Jasmine : (Trying to make Mr. Cha lie down again) Be careful, Mr. Cha. You need to rest now.
NiE Activity 1 Critical thinking ● Identify
Critical thinking
Creative thinking
Problem solving
● Identify ● Reason
● Imagine ● Invent
● Question ● Recreate
Communicating
Collaborating
● Oral ● Written
● Listen ● Contribute respectfully
● Reason
In groups of four, choose an article, news report or story (or part of it) from The Star. Use it to write one scene for a play script. You can invent a storyline, add more characters, change the setting and provide additional information that is not found in the article. When you have finished, take turns performing your scene in class.
● Measure ● Organise
Creative thinking ● Imagine
NiE Activity 2 Critical thinking
Creative thinking
● Identify ● Organise
● Imagine ● Connect
Problem solving
Communicating
Sometimes, scripts can even be written for cartoons. For example, the script below is based on the cartoon strip Kee’s World from The Star .
● Brainstorm ● Connect ● Invent
● Present ● Recreate
Problem solving
Collaborating
● Question
● Contribute respectfully
● Research
● Compromise
● Recreate ● Present
Communicating ● Oral ● Non-verbal ● Written ● Aural
Collaborating
● Non-verbal ● Written
Kee is walking in a park with his friends, Chin and Johnny. The sun is shining brightly. Chin: It is such a pleasant day, isn’t it? Johnny: Just the right weather for a nice walk in the park during lunch break. (It starts raining suddenly.) Kee: (Looking pleased) Such a beautiful day. Chin: (Starting to run) Beautiful day? You’re crazy. Oh no, my new shirt is going to get wet. Johnny: Quick, let’s dash across the field. Chin: No wait, there’s someone selling umbrellas. Johnny and Chin rush to the umbrella stall. Kee is there selling umbrellas. Johnny: What? RM20 for one umbrella? Chin: It was just RM10 this morning! Kee: Well, well, it wasn’t raining this morning!
In groups of four, choose one cartoon strip from The Star. Cut it out and paste it on a sheet of A4 paper. Then, create a play script based on it. Add at least three speaking lines of your own. You can also add extra characters if you like. When you have finished, act out your script in class.
● Listen ● Contribute respectfully ● Compromise ● Attain goal nie editorial manager: SHARON OVINIS senior nie executive: ROWENA CHUA writer: DR MALLIKA VASUGI layout designer: SHOBA illustrator: HASSAN BAHRI To order The Star for NiE lessons, call: Sundarrajan 03-7967 1388 ext 1437 or 016-288 3682 We welcome feedback; write to: Star-NiE, Star Media Group, 15 Jalan 16/11, 46350 Petaling Jaya or e-mail us at: starnie@thestar.com.my