The Dare Cycle students began their project-based work by learning how point-of-view drives storytelling (writing what they know) by first identifying their unique POVs. Subsequent lessons included: (1) learning the similarities between a close-up and an adjective (understanding through close proximity) AND between a wide shot and a sentence (understanding through seeing the complete picture); (2) learning how images and colors, like words, have hidden meanings and how to pull context from them; (3) learning how writing analogies is related to writing character-specific dialogue which is related to writing personal essays in their English classes.

Television shows have Writers’ Rooms, and so did the Dare Cycle project. The class as a group broke down the story in general (wide shot) terms, just like in a Writers’ Room. Then the two-person screenwriting team specified all of the general info compiled by the class to write the script… their version of a close-up.

POV card below is from a different arts integration class at the school: same lesson, different class.