Using a music video, students explore how the point of view of the narrator directs responders to the values in the text. In doing so, students develop their inferential reading/viewing skills and an appreciation of the constructed nature of a text.
English Textual Concepts, Values, Focalisation, Point of View
Through a study of a music video - an example of a multimodal text, this learning module develops students' understanding of point of view. Experimenting with point of view allows students to explore other ways of seeing the text.
POINT OF VIEW: WHAT IT IS
Point of view in a text is the position from which the subject matter of a text is designed to be perceived. In defining a point of view the writer, speaker or director of the text controls what we see and how we relate to the situation, characters or ideas in the text. Point of view may be expressed through a narrator or through a character (focaliser in a novel, persona in a poem) and because we are invited to adopt this point of view we often align ourselves with the character or narrator. The point of view constructed in a text cannot be assumed to be that of the composer.
Composers can privilege certain points of view by choosing a particular narrative stance including omniscient, limited, 1st, 2nd or 3rd person narrator. In visual, film and digital texts, point of view is indicated through such devices as foregrounding in visual images, types of camera shots or guiding a pathway of navigation through a web site. In spoken and audio texts the tone and accompanying sounds convey a point of view. Point of view therefore constructs an attitude towards the subject matter in a text which the reader, listener or viewer is invited to adopt.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT
Understanding point of view is a critical reading practice because point of view is often inferred rather than explicitly expressed and its exploration leads to an appreciation of the constructed nature of the text. It is a device which allows subject matter to be foregrounded or distanced and therefore it invites certain attitudes and feelings in response to the text.
English Textual Concepts (NSW Department of Education and English Teachers Association of NSW, 2016)
Stage 4
Students understand that point of view and focalisation shapes the meanings, the values and the effect of the text. They learn that:
Learning Intention: To respond to and understand important life values.
Success Criteria:
Watch the music video, "Caught in the Crowd" by Kate Miller-Heidke.
Think-Pair-Share
Record 5 important points from your discussion. Then watch the videoclip again and read the lyrics as you listen.
Think-Pair-Square: Now think about the ideas presented in the video by working with a partner and prioritising the messages of the video from most important (1) to least important (5) for you.
| Ideas | Ranking |
| Cowardice | |
| Bullying | |
| Friendship | |
| Regret | |
| Peer pressure | |
| Complicity | |
| Other? |
After you have your list, find another pair and compare and contrast your lists. How are they the same and different? Discuss why.
Remembering that values are the things that you believe are important in the way you live and work, look at what you ranked in your top three. This tells you about your values.
Comment: Share 1-3 points from your discussion. If you could add another song, poem, film or book that is about important life values, what would it be? Explain the values it presents.
Read through other students' comments and comment on 1-2 that you like/agree with, explaining why.
Purpose: This update focuses on engaging students through responding to the music video and lyrics and discussing how the song relates to life values.
Teaching Tips
To create accountability, students can record key ideas from their discussions in the Think-Pair-Shares/Squares. They can also draw on these notes in their written comments. Also in the final comment, students can suggest other texts. This allows for differentiation as well as promoting metacognition and active knowledge making.
Sentence and Paragraph Writing
The discussion will scaffold writing comments. Further, seeing other students writing comments will model what they should write. As the teacher, you should also comment and model for students.'
Through the comments, students develop their writing skills through writing sentences and paragraphs. They become active knowledge makers, adding information to their learning community as well as writing for real audiences and with real purpose. Encourage them to focus on their spelling and punctuation.
Learning Intention: To understand types of narrators and that the values in the text are expressed through the narrator's point of view.
Success Criteria
Who is telling the story?
Here are 3 videos about point of view (POV). Work with a partner.
Then teach each other what you have learnt.
Now read the definitions about types of narrators. Tick the ones that apply to "Caught in the Crowd".
| Definitions | Caught in the Crowd |
| A first person narrator tells the story from her/his point of view. He/she is in the story and uses I/me. | |
| A focaliser uses first (I/me) and third person (it/he/she/their/they/them) to give the main point of view expressed in the text; the events and interpretations are filtered through the focaliser. The focaliser is generally a character in a narrative who shows how he/she/they see the world. An author can use different focalisers throughout a narrative. | |
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An omniscient (omniscient = all knowing) narrator "knows" the whole story and can know whatever the author chooses; for example having access to all the actions and thoughts of multiple characters in the narrative. The omniscient narrator may/may not be a character in the narrative. The omniscient narrator generally uses third person. |
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A limited narrator has a restricted view of events and doesn't "know" the whole story. The limited narrator uses third person. (Consider other characters if they were narrators) |
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| The narrator may be reliable or unreliable - an unreliable narrator is not a reliable source of ‘the truth’ or trustworthy information because of poor memory, a disability or deliberately lying/omitting information/misinforming. | |
| An objective narrator describes what's happening but doesn't know what anyone is thinking and does not give opinions about what's happening. The objective narrator uses third person. |
Comment: Think about the narrator in "Caught in the Crowd". What sort of narrator is she? How would the narrative change if the point of view was changed to another person? For example, what if "Caught in the Crowd" was told by a limited narrator or the focaliser changed. Would the values expressed in the song be the same or different? Provide examples. After adding your comments, comment on 1-2 comments of other students.
Purpose: This update focuses on the main conceptual understanding that is developed through "Caught in the Crowd":
Teaching Tips
Students can work independently to teach other about point of view. This could allow the teacher to work with selected students in a mini lesson, using the videos on point of view.
This activity also scaffolds the writing activity in the "Writing Jigsaw" in Update 4.
Learning Intention: To understand how film makers construct point of view.
Success Criteria:
Analysing scenes in the video for techniques used to construct point of view:
Let's look at the beginning scene of the videoclip.
| Technique | Evidence - what you see and hear | Effects |
| Sound/Audio | No music at first; then some sounds of water dripping and some instrumental music before the singer starts singing |
Emphasises setting Sound/Audio Tools: When the performer sings her tone is soft, gentle, harmonious (chorus) and lyrical as it expresses emotions and is reflective; it creates a personal social distance while loud discordant sounds create a more public social distance). |
| Setting | A school lab | Suggests a discovery is going to be made just as scientific discoveries are made in labs. |
| Symbolism | Flashlight | Shining a spotlight on a certain event that has been shrouded in darkness. |
| Symbolism | Butterflies | A metamorphosis is going to take place; a self-discovery; pulling a sheet off the lab equipment is symbolic of pulling off a veil over this painful memory that the singer has buried. |
| Characters | One main character is introduced - the singer | She is the narrator remembering events as a student. She is telling the story. |
| Gaze | Singer looks around the room | Looking around the room establishes the setting. She doesn't look directly at the viewer with a direct gaze yet (she does this in the chorus where she addresses the responder directly through her gaze). She is gently inviting us to enter her world and see it through her eyes. This establishes her as the Focaliser. At this stage there is a public distance between the narrator (singer) and the viewer. |
| Shots (panning, close up, mid shot, long shot) |
Panning shots Mid shots of singer Close up of singer |
Establish the setting. Mid shots introduce the main character The close up just before the singer starts singing establishes her as the narrator and focaliser. The close up also begins to create a close social relationship between the singer and the viewer. |
| Camera angles (high, low, level) | At level | Viewer is invited into the singer's world to understand her point of view. |
| Lyrics | n/a | Language Tools: Note the first point of view and the close personal distance. |
| Cartoon/ Animations | n/a | Animations create a close personal relationship between the singer and the target audience of young people. It is like a comment on the story. |
Analysis
After the film maker establishes the setting through visuals of a science lab and sound effects of dripping water, he uses symbols of a butterfly and a science experiment to suggest a new understanding or self discovery. He then focuses on the singer, using a direct gaze, mid shots and a close up to establish that the narrative will be told from her point of view. She is the narrator and the focaliser, telling the story through her eyes. The direct gaze and close up also begin to create a personal social relationship between the singer and the viewer so that the viewer can respond emotionally as she reflects on experiences in her youth.
With a partner, choose 4-6 lines from the lyrics to analyse together. View the music video again and analyse the visuals and audio that accompany the lyrics. Your main focus is to see how point of view is constructed. Use the Visual Tools and Social Distance definitions to help you. Then individually write a short paragraph based on your analysis.
Comment: How was point of view constructed in the section of the video that you analysed? Share your paragraphs. Then read other students' paragraphs and comment on 1-2, sharing more ideas and commenting on similarities and differences.
Purpose: In this update students develop their understanding of how visuals, audio and language construct point of view and affect the social distance (personal or public).
Teaching Tips
Allocate 4-6 lines or allow students to select 4-6 lines to analyse. Once students select their lines, they view the videoclip and analyse the visuals and audio that accompany those lyrics.
The model should support some students to work independently. Others could work with the teacher to go through the analysis in a structured mini lesson.
Sharing paragraphs in the discussion forum will provide accountability and also provide a scaffold for students who are less confident about writing their own paragraphs. Alternatively, students who are not confident about sharing in the discussion forum can share their completed paragraphs with a partner/small group and provide feedback to each other.
Grammar focus
Changing the point of view - 1st, 2nd or 3rd person and discussing the effects of writing in 1st, 2nd or 3rd person.
| Singular Pronouns | Plural Pronouns | |
| 1st person | I, me | we, us |
| 2nd Person | you | you |
| 3rd Person | he/she/it, him/her/it, they/them | they, them |
Learning Intention: To apply your understanding of the role of the focaliser in a narrative.
Success Criteria:
Firstly, do some brainstorming based on the character you have been allocated:
1.Girl in high school at time of story
2.Girl with hindsight (this is the same as the song but in prose)
3.The boy in high school
4. A student who is in the crowd
| What did you see? | What did you do? | What were you thinking at the time? | How did you feel? | What are the character's values? |
Work in a jigsaw group.
Next, use the brainstorm to write 3-4 paragraphs retelling the subject matter from your focaliser's point of view. Add images or a storyboard or music or video.
Comment: What did you learn from other students' stories? What was some useful feedback you received? Read other students' comments and comment on 1-2 .
Purpose: Students apply their knowledge and skills creatively and critically in order to develop deep understanding of how the point of view may be through the focaliser. They also reflect on their learning.
Teaching Tips
Peer review of students' retellings can be based on the jigsaw groups. All 1s swap their stories and give constructive feedback on them, etc. Then students revise. Use the rubric to guide students as they write and as they give feedback (optional).
Grammar Focus
Narratives are generally written in the past tense or the present tense. Students rewrite at least one paragraph of their story (they can do all three) in another tense - change past to present or present to past. What about future tense?
Discussion focus: How does it change the story? Present tense makes the reader feel like it is happening now. Past tense makes the reader feel more separated from the events.
Teaching Tip: Model some examples of tense using regular and irregular verbs.