STEAM Challenge

Cut to the Chase – Police Drama

Submission Due Date: April 17, 2020

Designed for Middle and High School Students

Table of Contents

  • The Challenge
  • Assumptions and Logistics
  • Process
  • Presentation of Learning
  • Meridian Support Resources
  • Evaluation Rubric
  • Essential Questions
  • Student Proficiencies
  • Common Core Curricular Correlations – Mathematics: 7.RP.A.1, 7.RP.A.2, HSF-BF-A.1,HSF-BF-B.3) – ELA – W3, W4

Range of Activities

  • Word Problem Solving and Mathematical Problem Creation
  • Pythagorean Theorem
  • Exploration of Rates and Proportions
  • Character and Scene Creation
  • Scriptwriting
  • Digital Literacy Skills – Video – Pre-production, Production and Post-production
  • 21st Century Skills: Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Presentational Skills

The Challenge

Here’s a classic word problem: Two people located at Point A need to get to Point C. They can walk straight to point C, or they can stop at point B where they can increase their speed, such as by finding a bike or an easier surface to walk on. Assuming distances are specified, which route is fastest?

Your team’s task is to re-frame, solve and extend the problem…as a scene from a police drama! In the extension to the problem, the more complex the mathematical difficulty, the more competitive your submission will be!

Deliverables include:

  • Police Drama Digital Story (this is the only Meridian Stories deliverable)
  • Solution to the Problem (at teacher’s discretion)
  • Problem Extension (at teacher’s discretion)
  • Storyboard (at teacher’s discretion)
  • Shooting Script (at teacher’s discretion)

Assumptions and Logistics

Time Frame– We recommend that this Meridian Stories Competition takes place inside of a three to four-week time frame.

Length– All Meridian Stories submissions should be under 4 minutes in length, unless otherwise specified.

Slate– All media work must begin with a slate that provides:

  1. the title of the piece;
  2. the name of the school submitting;
  3. the wording ‘Permission Granted’ which gives Meridian Stories the right to a) publicly display the submission in question on, as linked from, related to or in support of Meridian Stories digital media; and b) use or reference it for educational purposes only in any all media; and
  4. We strongly recommend that students do notput their last names on the piece either at the start or finish, during the credits. 

Submissions– Keep in mind that each school can only submit three submissions per Competition (so while the entire class can participate in the Challenge, only three can be submitted to Meridian Stories for Mentor review and scoring).

Teacher Reviews– All reviews by the teacher are at the discretion of the teacher and all suggested paper deliverables are due only to the teacher. The only deliverable to Meridian Stories is the media work.

Teacher’s Role and Technology Integrator– While it is helpful to have a Technology Integrator involved, they are not usually necessary: the students already know how to produce the media. And if they don’t, part of their challenge is to figure it out. They will! The teacher’s primary function in these Challenges is to guide the students as they engage with the content.  You don’t need to know editing, sound design, shooting or storyboarding: you just need to know your content area, while assisting them with time management issues.

Digital Rules/Literacy– We strongly recommend that all students follow the rules of Digital Citizenry in their proper usage and/or citation of images, music and text taken from other sources. This recommendation includes producing a citations page at the end of your entry, if applicable. See the Digital Rulesarea in the Meridian Resources Centersection of the site for guidance.

Location– Try not to shoot in a classroom at your school. The classroom, no matter how you dress it up, looks like a classroom and can negatively impact the story you are trying to tell.

Collaboration– We strongly recommend that students work in teams of 3-4: part of the educational value is around building collaborative skill sets. But students may work individually.  

The Process

Below is a suggested breakdown for the students’ work.

During Phase I, student teams will:

  • Solve the word problem.
    • Teacher’s Option: Solution– Teachers may require that teams hand in a solution to the proposed word problem.
  • Brainstorm ways in which the problem – and your solution — is at the center of a dramatic crime scene or police drama. Things to consider include:
    • You will be shooting this, so brainstorm ideas that you can actually shoot/represent on video.
    • What is at stake in your drama? Having the good guys and the bad guys at direct odds with each other is often the key narrative element that creates the tension (but that is not the only creative story to tell). So, what does each of your characters want in your crime scene? And why?
    • Consider the tone of this story that you are about to tell. Is it comic like Keystone Cops? Are we meant to root for the villains, or the law enforcers? Or is your story more of a mystery? Or perhaps your story is one about a superhero who is figuring out the fastest way to get to Point C …to save a life.
  • Now, once your characters have arrived at Point C, what happens to extend the chase? What is the mathematical extension to the word problem and what is the plot twist to extend the story another beat?
    • Teacher’s Option: Problem Extension– Teachers may require that teams hand in a summary of the new mathematical problem, solution and integration into a dramatic scenario, for review and feedback.
  • In the end, your video will need to combine the creative side (plot, setting, characters, etc.) with the math content. Your team will want to find a fun and unobtrusive way to deliver the content without taking away from the drama of the video.
  • Be sure to specify the distances and speeds traveled in the word problem. The video must portray the “math paths” and show the winner (the quickest route) at the end.
  • Create an outline of the drama.
  • Create a storyboard of your drama, identifying key scenes, actions, mathematical moments and locations. The primary purpose of the storyboard is to plan out the shots for the shoot.
    • Teacher’s Option: Scene Outlines/Storyboard– Teachers may require that teams hand in either their Scene Outlines or Storyboards, identifying key creative and mathematical moments.

During Phase II, student teams will:

  • Finalize the outline and draft the script.
  • Finalize the storyboard, clearly identifying what the action is and where.
  • Cast the video.
  • Finalize the script.
    • Teacher’s Option: Shooting Script– Teachers may require that teams hand in their Shooting Scripts
    • Pre-produce the scene:
  • Scout locations for shooting
  • Create costumes, props and other set pieces, as needed.
  • Prepare the logistics for the actual shooting of the scene.
  • Rehearse the scene.
  • Camera Work – After a few rehearsals, your group should think about the camera’s role in this performance. Using your camera actively can be important. If your camera remains stationary throughout your whole performance, you risk the boredom of your viewer. Play around with your camera’s settings; take turns filming; do what you must to make your script and setting visually exciting. Things to consider:
    • Camera angle
    • Panning speed
    • Zoom intensity/speed
    • Camera location variation
    • Sound: How will you mic your characters?

During Phase III, student teams will:

  • Shoot the video.
  • Edit the video, adding stills and graphics as desired.
  • Post-produce the video, adding music and sound effects as desired, keeping in mind that music and sound effects can greatly enhance the tone and mood of your story.

Presentation of Learning

Meridian Stories is a proud partner of the non-profit Share Your Learning, which is spearheading the movement of over five millionstudents to publicly share their work as a meaningful part of their educational experience.

The workforce considers Presentational Skills to be a key asset and we encourage you to allow students to practice this skill set as often as possible. These short videos provide a great opportunity for kids to practice their public presentational skills.

According to Share Your Learning, Presentations of Learning (POL) promote…

  • Student Ownership, Responsibility & Engagement. POLs can serve as a powerful rite of passage at the end of [a project]. By reflecting on their growth over time in relation to academic and character goals, grounded in evidence from their work, students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning. Just as an artist wants their portfolio to represent their best work, POLs encourage students to care deeply about the work they will share.
  • Community Pride & Involvement. When peers, teachers and community members come together to engage with student work and provide authentic feedback, they become invested in students’ growth and serve as active contributors to the school community.
  • Equity. POLs ensure that all students are seen and provide insight into what learning experiences students find most meaningful and relevant to their lives.

Meridian Stories’ own research indicates this to be a really useful exercise for one additional reason:  Students actually learn from their peers’ presentations – it is useful to hear a perspective that is not just the teacher’s.

It is with this in mind that we you encourage you to plan an event – it could be just an end-of-the-week class or an event where parents, teachers and student peers are invited – to allow the students to showcase their Meridian Stories projects. For more free resources that will support this planning, visit shareyourlearning.org.

Meridian Support Resources

Meridian Stories provides two forms of support for the student teams:

1.    Meridian Innovators and Artists – This is a series of three to four minute videos featuring artists and innovative professionals who offer important advice, specifically for Meridian Stories, in the areas of creativity and production.

2.    Media Resource Collection – These are short documents that offer student teams key tips in the areas of creativity, production, game design and digital citizenry.

Recommended review, as a team, for this Competition include:

Meridian Innovators and Artists Media Resource Collection
On Scriptwriting and Comedy – Kent Pierce

On Fiction Writing – Lily King

On the Importance of Character in Storytelling – Scott Nash

On Producing – Tom Pierce

“Creative Brainstorming Techniques”

“Sound Recording Basics”

“Creating Storyboards, Framing a Shot”

“Scene Work: Camera Angles and Movement”

 

Evaluation Rubric – Cut to the Chase

CONTENT COMMAND
Criteria 1-10
Correct Answer The students supply the necessary information and the answer is correct and explained fully
Problem Extension The proposed problem extension is detailed, adds to our understanding of the algebraic concepts involved, and introduces new mathematical ideas
STORYTELLING COMMAND
Criteria 1-10
Story – Balance of Content and Drama The narrative is presented clearly and the mathematical content is integrated into the drama seamlessly
Crime Genre The creative approach and scripting capture the compelling spirit of the crime genre
Tone/Mood The tone and/or mood are well chosen and enhance our engagement with the video
MEDIA COMMAND
Criteria 1-10
Acting The acting is exciting and engaging, contributing to the scene’s success
Setting and Cinematography The setting and use of the camera enhance the action of the scene, creating the necessary tension and tone
Editing and Music The scene is edited cleanly and effectively

 

The selective use of music and sound effects enhances the tensions inherent in the scene

21ST CENTURY SKILLS COMMAND (teachers only)
Criteria 1-10
Collaborative Thinking The group demonstrated flexibility in making compromises and valued the contributions of each group member
Creativity and Innovation The group brainstormed many inventive ideas and was able to evaluate, refine and implement them effectively
Initiative and Self-Direction The group set attainable goals, worked independently and managed their time effectively, demonstrating a disciplined commitment to the project

 Essential Questions

  • How can the Pythagorean Theorem be applied outside the math classroom?
  • How are rates and proportions related?
    1. How can they be used to solve problems?
  • How can algebraic models be applied to real-life situations?
  • How has immersion in the creation of original content and the production of digital media – exercising one’s creativity, critical thinking and digital literacy skills – deepened the overall educational experience?
  • How has working on a team – practicing one’s collaborative skills – changed the learning experience?

Student Proficiencies

  1. The student will better understand how to use the Pythagorean Theorem in practice.
  2. The student will have a deeper understanding of rates and proportions.
  3. The student will gain experience in “translating” between math and the real world by representing a word problem with algebraic equations.
  4. The student will utilize key 21stcentury skills, with a focus on creativity, critical thinking and digital literacy, in their process of translating mathematical content into a new narrative format.
  5. The student will have an increased awareness of the challenges and rewards of team collaboration. Collaboration – the ability to work with others – is considered one of the most important 21stcentury skills to develop in students as they prepare for life after secondary school.

Common Core Curricular Correlations

The Cut to the Chase – Police Drama Challenge addresses a range of curricular objectives that have been articulated by the Common Core State Standards Initiative: Mathematics and English Language Arts

Below please find the standards that are addressed, either wholly or in part.

Common Core State Standards: Mathematics

Middle School: Ratios & Proportional Relationships

  • Analyze proportional relationships and use them to solve real-world and mathematical problems.
  • Compute unit rates associated with ratios of fractions, including ratios of lengths, areas and other quantities measured in like or different units. (7.RP.A.1)
  • Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities. (7.RP.A.2)
    • Represent proportional relationships by equations. (7.RP.A.2c)
    • Explain what a point (x, y) on the graph of a proportional relationship means in terms of the situation, with special attention to the points (0, 0) and (1, r) where r is the unit rate. (7.RP.A.2d)

High School: Building Functions

  • Build a function that models a relationship between two quantities
    • Write a function that describes a relationship between two quantities. (HSF-BF-A.1)
  • Build new functions from existing functions
    • Identify the effect on the graph of replacing f(x) by f(x) + k, k f(x), f(kx), and f(x + k) for specific values of k (both positive and negative); find the value of k given the graphs. Experiment with cases and illustrate an explanation of the effects on the graph using technology. (HSF-BF-B.3)
Common Core – English Language Arts
W3 (grades 8 – 12)

WRITING

Text Types and Purposes

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
W4 (grades 8 – 12)

WRITING

Production and Distribution of Writing

Produce clear and coherent writing which the development, organization and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.