Origins
This video could be used to stimulate narrative story writing.
Film Literacy
Watch the film with the children discussing various points
Where did the Robot come from?
Why is it alone in the woods?
Inference and deduction - How can we tell he is lonely? Does he feel at home in the woods? What is the factory like inside? Why does he decide to go back into the woods?
Pause it before the gates of the factory and ask the children to debate whether or not going inside would be a good thing. Can they give reasons? Can they write about what is inside and why it is a good idea to stay in the woods.
Compare with Pixars Wall-e
Writing ideas:
Show not tell – ask the children to write about a being wandering through the woods, describing him and his surroundings without revealing what he is until the end.
Write an alternative ending – the robot decides to go into the factory or gets spotted by the guards as he walks off.
Use description to alter the setting, for example, he could go into the factory – it could be an amazing place like Willy Wonka’s factory or it could be a sinister place. Analyse how the descriptions would differ.
Create a friend for the robot. Draw or describe him. Give
him a personality. There could be a whole class of robots, created in DT and woven into each other’s stories.
Write a diary entry for the robot focusing on the events in the film.
Write a letter from the robot to his long lost family.
Film Literacy
Watch the film with the children discussing various points
Where did the Robot come from?
Why is it alone in the woods?
Inference and deduction - How can we tell he is lonely? Does he feel at home in the woods? What is the factory like inside? Why does he decide to go back into the woods?
Pause it before the gates of the factory and ask the children to debate whether or not going inside would be a good thing. Can they give reasons? Can they write about what is inside and why it is a good idea to stay in the woods.
Compare with Pixars Wall-e
Writing ideas:
Show not tell – ask the children to write about a being wandering through the woods, describing him and his surroundings without revealing what he is until the end.
Write an alternative ending – the robot decides to go into the factory or gets spotted by the guards as he walks off.
Use description to alter the setting, for example, he could go into the factory – it could be an amazing place like Willy Wonka’s factory or it could be a sinister place. Analyse how the descriptions would differ.
Create a friend for the robot. Draw or describe him. Give
him a personality. There could be a whole class of robots, created in DT and woven into each other’s stories.
Write a diary entry for the robot focusing on the events in the film.
Write a letter from the robot to his long lost family.
