Once a degree of confidence in using the Internet has been achieved, appropriate curriculum use can be investigated. The examples given here are just ideas from which lessons can be planned. The 'Language of Persuasion' and 'World Newspapers' examples require pupils to view suitable Web sites and should cause no technical difficulties. The 'Famous Speeches' and 'Video Clips' examples require standard multimedia "plug-ins" and should be checked with your network manager before trying.

The Language of Persuasion

Outline
Advertising material for the presentation of new models of cars is a useful source for the language of persuasion. To showroom brochures and TV advertisements we can now add the Internet. The Ford Web site will have been carefully designed, is well produced and must have been very expensive, so how effective is it? You might also wish to look at other manufacturer's sites:

Questions

• What pictures of cars have been used on the site? How has the car been made to look good?
• How are people shown on the site? age-range, expression
• What type of life-style is depicted?
• In 'Focus Introduction', what words are used? stunning, delightful, exciting
• Take a specific model (select 'Car Range and Focus') and look at 'Features'. How much is rhetoric and how much factual detail?
• In safety - what hard information is given?

World Newspapers and their Viewpoints

Outline
Newspapers.com is a web site which accesses English language newspapers from all over the world. It is possible to look at a natural disaster (eg. an earthquake) and see how it is portrayed in different countries, pre-selection of the newspaper is important! Also a comparison of how this information is described by charity organisations and by newspapers.

Example Sites

Outcomes

• Students can compare how different counties and/or regions describe the same story (En 1, 2, 3 levels 4 - 8)
• Students can create their own newspaper article for a particular audience (En 2, 3 levels 4 - 8)
• Students could create their own poster, advert or advertising campaign for a charity (En 2, 3 levels 3 - 8)
• Students can role play an editorial team making decisions about what information goes in their front page story on the disaster and what is omitted. (En 1 levels 3 - 8)

Famous Speeches  

Outline
These sites includes several famous speeches which students can access in order to study the features and impact of speech writing. This could prove useful for KS4 and KS5 students, helping them create their own written and spoken pieces, as well as respond to examination questions. An audioclip of Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' ( freedomvision.com ) could support student study of the transcript.

Tasks
Students could annotate texts, highlighting examples of speech writing devices; structure, repetition, emotive language etc. Students could demonstrate comprehension of the text by representing the message and supporting points in diagram form.

Assignments
Produce GCSE examination-style 'written' speech.
Plan oral presentation for GCSE assessment.
Write essay on technique of speech writing for GCSE/AS/ A2 English coursework.

Technical
These audio clips all use RealPlayer. This is a streaming audio format (ie it is sent over the Internet at the same speed as it is heard). The bandwidth of these speeches is between 8 and 16 KBps which may be obtained easily from a modem. Pupils could listen at home as well as at school. However 30 pupils each listening to a different stream would overload a network using ISDN Internet access. Unfortunately these clips cannot be stored locally.

Claudia Heywood, Sittingbourne Community College

Film Trailers and Video Clips

Outline
An increasing number of film and theatre websites display trailers and/or clips. With good Internet access, it is possible to view trailers of the latest and upcoming films. Many websites also display behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with cast and crew members, as well as still images and background information. Copyright law allows reasonable 'quoting' of images and text as part of a review, this is entirely different to obtaining an illegal copy of a movie over the Internet!

Example Sites

Outcomes

• Students can analyse and compare film trailers
  (En1, 2, 3, levels 4 - 8)
• Students could storyboard their own film trailer for a particular
  target audience (En2, 3, levels 2 - 8)
• Students can compare a text with a director's interpretation
  (En1, 2, 3, levels 4 - 8) .
  

Technical

• Moving images require huge files! The small Gladiator trailer (240 x 180, 65 seconds) would take 25 minutes to download over a single ISDN channel.
• This exercise may not be realistic unless pupils are very patient. However broadband Internet access will cut the download time from 25 to 1 minute.
• If the movie clip can be stored locally, it can be used again and will load more quickly from a network or hard drive. Permission may be required.
• Streaming media (eg Real Player) cannot usually be stored locally and will load the system everytime they are used.
• A QuickTime plug-in will be required in order to view images. Check this with your network manager.