For students:
We hope this two-page guide will help sharpen your reading skills and deepen your understanding of this issue's articles.
For teachers:
We encourage reproduction and adaptation of these ideas, freely and without further permission from Saudi Aramco World,
by teachers at any level, whether working in a classroom or through home study.
— THE EDITORS
Jump to McRel Standards
Activities
Welcome to this month’s Classroom Guide. We’re calling it the Reality tv Edition.
Why? Because the articles in this issue of Saudi Aramco World seem well suited to
it! We’ll walk you through the steps of “translating” a magazine article into a
different format: a reality tv show.
Reality tv
What makes a good reality tv show?
Reality shows are all over television. But what makes a reality show a good reality show? If you watch any of these shows,
think about and make some notes about what you like about them. For example, do you like them because there’s a hero you’re
rooting for and/or a villain you don’t like? Do you like the suspense? Do you (dare we say it?) like the ones where you learn
something? (If that sounds like an oxymoron, check out the Web site for The 1900 House.) If you don’t watch such shows,
do an Internet search to see what other people say makes for good reality tv.
Make some notes about what you find. Then divide the class into three groups and share with your group your ideas about what
makes for a good reality show. Generate a list of qualities, or elements. These will be the building blocks you’ll use to
invent your own show.
Defining the Topic of Your Reality Show
It might surprise you to know that several articles in this month’s Saudi Aramco World provide some juicy subject
matter for reality tv. It’s all in how you look at them. Try reading these
articles looking for what’s exciting and entertaining. Assign each of the groups one of the following articles: “Sailing
Through Time: Jewel of Muscat”; “The Point of the Arch” and “Discovery at Al-Magar.” On your own, read the article you’ve
been assigned. As you read, keep in mind what you identified as making a good reality show, and keep an eye out for these
elements in the article.
Finding the Elements to Make Your Reality Show
Make a two-column chart with your group. In the left-hand column, list the elements of reality tv
shows that you identified earlier. In the right-hand column, write where you find these elements in your article. For example, reality
tv shows often have moments of discovery—anything from who’s been voted off the island
to whether that speedometer in your family’s attic really came from the Hindenburg. If the left-hand column of your chart has
“moments of discovery” in it, in the right-hand column write down the moment or moments of discovery in your article. Continue filling out the
chart with information from your article. You might find that not every article contains every element you identified. That’s okay. When
you’ve completed your chart (including adding additional elements you may have thought of as you read and analyzed your article), look at
how many or how few of the elements your story has. How good a show do you think it will make?
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One way to answer that question is to consider your chart in light of whom you would like to be the audience for your show. Do you see it
attracting a mass audience, like American Idol? Or a smaller one, like History Detectives? If your show has a very specific
audience, that’s okay. You’ll just need to make sure you’ll make it to please those people, and that you’ll be showing it in places where
your audience is likely to see it.
With your analysis in hand—which elements of reality tv your article has and what audience
you’ll be targeting—you can decide whether you’ve got the makings of a successful program. If you don’t think you’ve got enough to make a
really good show, you might split up your group and have members join the other groups. But we don’t think that will be necessary. We think all
the stories will make good reality tv.
“Pitching” Your Show
Probably a lot of people around the world have ideas they think would make good reality tv, just
like people have ideas for books, movies—and magazine articles. But they don’t all get to make their shows or pursue their other ideas.
To get anything made you need to “pitch” it. “Pitch” is shorthand for “sales pitch.” You have to “sell” your idea.
Think about whom you need to convince and how you can convince them that your show will benefit them in some way. Make sure you include the
following two recipients for your sales pitch: First, you need to convince a tv channel that
there’s an audience for your show. Who will be your audience? Which channel caters best to that audience?
The other pitch recipient is the one with the money—a financial backer. Someone has to pay for you to build the Jewel of Muscat,
perform mtdna analysis on ancient bones or travel to places where you’ll find early examples of pointed arches. Sometimes those funders are
companies that want “product placement” in shows. That’s why you might see on a show or in a movie a brown truck from a specific delivery company
or a red can from a particular soda company. Are there any such companies that might want their product to be visible on your show? Be creative:
Think, for example, about airlines (for your global travel) and pharmaceutical companies (who might have the tools for doing DNA analysis).
Another possible funding source is an organization that funds educational shows. The National Geographic Society, for example, might provide money
for research that would make for good programming.
Constructing the Narrative and Thinking Visually
Now comes the really fun part. Before they could write the articles you read, Saudi Aramco World’s writers had to sit down with a lot of
information and figure out how to make it into an interesting story. That’s what you’re going to do, with one big difference: What makes an
interesting magazine article might be different from what makes a compelling reality show. This is when you need to think about the medium and
genre you’ll be working with. Rather than a magazine (medium) with a non-fiction article (genre), you’ll be planning a television (medium)
reality show (genre).
You already began this process when you identified the characteristics of a good reality show. Now turn your attention to sequence: in what
order will you put these elements in creating your show? How will you construct a narrative—put together a story to tell—that will
keep viewers watching? You might find it helpful at this point to do a little research: watch one or more episodes of a reality show! But don’t
just watch for fun. Watch with paper and pen in hand. (Not only might this convince your parents that you’re actually working, but it will help
ensure you are actually working!) Notice as you watch the show that it is divided into segments. They might be recognizable because of commercial
breaks, or because of scene changes, topic changes or point-of-view changes. As you watch, list the segments you see. (You can watch with one or
more of your group-mates if you think it will help you with this part.) What you’re really doing here is called a “reverse outline.” You’re seeing
how a show is organized, writing down that organization and using it to help you outline your own show.
With the members of your group, create an outline for your reality show. Use the following materials: the outline of the show you watched,
the article from Saudi Aramco World and the two-column chart that shows the elements of reality tv
and how they correspond to your content. Outline the segments of your show in order, listing them in the left-hand column of another two-column chart.
In the right-hand column of the new chart, identify visual images you can use during each segment of your show. Some of those visual images might come
from the photos in the magazine. (The photos that accompany “Sailing Through Time” are particularly action-oriented.) Other images you might imagine.
For others you might find models online.
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Extra Credit! If you have the technology and the time, actually make one or more segments of your show. This will take some
imagination, but small samples like this are what impress your funders and the tv executives. Share them with your class, and vote on which
show gets made first.
Reflecting on What You’ve Done
One thing that effective learners do is reflect on what they’ve done. With your group, discuss what you’ve learned from this project. Some of the
knowledge you’ve gained no doubt came from the content of the article you used. Discuss that. You’ve also learned about some more general things: what
works in different media, for example. List these as well. When you’re done, write an email to me at julie.w1@comcast.net
telling me about what you’ve learned, what you liked best about this project, and what you wish I’d done differently. I’ll pass it on to the editors of
Saudi Aramco World. That will help us reflect, because we’re learning, too. Your feedback can help us improve our next Classroom Guide..
MJ12 Standards Alignment
McRel Standards
Discovery at Al-Magar
Geography
Standard 4. Understands the physical and human characteristics of place
Standard 17. Understands how geography is used to interpret the past
Historical Understanding
Standard 2. Understands the historical perspective
World History
Standard 2. Understands the processes that contributed to the emergence of agricultural societies around the world
The Synthesist
Economics
Standard 2. Understands characteristics of different economic systems, economic institutions, and economic incentives
Geography
Standard 13. Understands the forces of cooperation and conflict that shape the divisions of Earth's surface
Standard 16. Understands the changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution and importance of resources
Standard 18. Understands global development and environmental issues
Technology
Standard 3. Understands the relationships among science, technology, society, and the individual
Thyme Travels
Agricultural Education
Standard 1. Understands the connections between agriculture and society
Geography
Standard 9. Understands the nature, distribution and migration of human populations on Earth's surface
Standard 10. Understands the nature and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics
Standard 11. Understands the patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface
Sailing Through Time
Geography
Standard 9. Understands the nature, distribution and migration of human populations on Earth's surface
Standard 10. Understands the nature and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics
Standard 11. Understands the patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface
Standard 17. Understands how geography is used to interpret the past
World History
Standard 13. Understands the causes and consequences of the development of Islamic civilization between the 7th and 10th centuries
Standard 14. Understands major developments in East Asia and Southeast Asia in the era of the Tang Dynasty from 600 to 900 CE
The Point of the Arch
Geography
Standard 10. Understands the nature and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics
Standard 12. Understands the patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface
Standard 13. Understands the forces of cooperation and conflict that shape the divisions of Earth's surface
Standard 17. Understands how geography is used to interpret the past
Historical Understanding
Standard 1. Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and patterns
World History
Standard 13. Understands the causes and consequences of the development of Islamic civilization between the 7th and 10th centuries
Standard 20. Understands the redefinition of European society and culture from 1000 to 1300 CE
| Julie Weiss
(julie.w1@comcast.net)
is an education consultant based in Eliot, Maine. She holds a Ph.D. in American studies. Her company, Unlimited Horizons,
develops social studies, media literacy, and English as a Second Language curricula, and produces textbook materials.
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