How important are sound effects in films? In stage plays? In radio programs? To gain an understanding of the impact of these special effects, class members watch a short video spoof of the sound in a scene from Star Wars: A New Hope. Then, they prepare a reader's theatre presentation of a scene from the NPR dramatization of Star Wars.

Concepts

william shakespeare, film analysis, literary analysis, sound effects

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Have class members listen and discuss a short segment of an old radio program to prepare them for the activity
• Arrange the classroom in rows so that all focus is on the readers's vocal expressions and any sound effects, rather than visuals

Classroom Considerations

• The ninth in a series of 10 lessons
• Pupils need individual copies of William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher
• Also requires access to pages 320-335 of Brian Daley's Star Wars: The National Public Radio Dramatization book available for purchase from Amazon®

Pros

• Direct link to the Bad Foley YouTube clip
• Provides template for the radio drama cast list

Cons

• The activity does not include a discussion of the importance of the visual impact of the film and the play

Common Core

RL.9-10.7 RL.9-10.9 RL.11-12.7 RL.11-12.9