Documentary Lens Lesson Plan for Octopus Hunt Page 1 Documentary Lens Lesson Plan for Octopus Hunt By Jocelyn Vernon Withrow Avenue Public School, Toronto District School Board, ON Curriculum Connections This lesson is designed for elementary and middle school social studies, science and drama courses. The time allotted for this lesson is approximately 2 hours. Octopus Hunt, filmed in 1966, looks at the lives of deepsea divers. Directed by Bernard Devlin, the film features elegant cinematography and presents the divers way of looking at the world. Students are to come to a decision about scientific explorations and/or prepare a job notice for a career as a diver. Lesson Objectives To make general observations about another community or group of people; become aware of the impact of interactions between humans and nature; examine the concept of identity from the point of view of women, men, and professional corporations; ask questions to gather a range of opinions on a subject and seek out similarities and differences. Canadian Social Studies Themes in Octopus Hunt In this chart, the following codes apply: Cit.=Citizenship; Id.=Identity; Ch.Con.= Change and Continuity; Cu.Com.= Culture and Community; EPP = Earth: People and Places; ISED = Individuals, Society and Economic Decisions; PG = Power and Governance. Octopus Hunt: Discussion Points Cit. Id. Ch. Con. Divers belong to several communities, e.g., the scientific community and the marine/animal community. What responsibilities do they have in each of these communities? Make a comparison with a Venn diagram. One of the divers describes the way they work as a team: It s not just company on the job, it s someone on whom your life depends. Can you think of people in your community to whom this description also applies? Cu. Com. EPP ISED PG This film was produced in 1966 and shows an octopus being captured for a public aquarium. Do you think our curiosity about wild animals has lessened over the years? Is such curiosity part of
Documentary Lens Lesson Plan for Octopus Hunt Page 2 Octopus Hunt: Discussion Points Cit. Id. Ch. Con. human nature? One of the divers describes going under the water for the first time, to really exist under the water Why does he speak of existing rather than swimming? At your age, do you believe you exist in your daily life, or do you simply follow the patterns already established by society? One diver admits that she feels like she s intruding on the world of the octopus. Do you agree? Does do the word intruder have a positive or negative connotation? Think of other situations in the world today where humans enter nonhuman environments. Should we be there? What are the possible consequences? Two of the divers in the film are women. Do you think this is representative of the time when the film was made? Do you believe attitudes towards women in sports and in extreme jobs have changed since the 1960s? Give an example of a profession that was once dominated by men but now has many women. The divers introduce human concepts, like beauty and the element of time into the underwater world. One of them says, It s man that judges things and calls them ugly or beautiful. Do you agree? Do we risk disturbing the natural environment with our presence? Can the federal government adopt regulations to protect these environments, or is it impossible to regulate them? Cu. Com. EPP ISED PG
Documentary Lens Lesson Plan for Octopus Hunt Page 3 Octopus Hunt: Discussion Points Cit. Id. Ch. Con. Divers are a strange breed of people you think, my God, how similar these people are to me! What elements contribute to creating a breed or group identity? Can it occur between people no matter where they are in the world? Does it come simply from spending time together? Or do we need to share common interests? Think of your identity in relation to your friends, your family, your teacher(s) and the people in your community. What started these relationships? What makes them last? Assessment Strategies Cu. Com. During the discussions, students are expected to share their ideas in a clear, organized manner, to use concrete examples to back up opinions, and to ask others for clarification when necessary. EPP ISED PG In Activity 1, Underwater Scenario, you could use anecdotal observations of the student s movements and gestures during the drama preactivity. The student s movements should be consistent with gravity on Earth and under water. In Activity 3, Job Opportunity, the student should be able to give a clear description of the job and make the connection between career expectations and a person s outlook and skills. Materials and Resources The three worksheets at the end of these notes. Web links Institut maritime du Québec: <www.imq.qc.ca/eng/careers/plonge_a.htm>. A page, in English, about a career as a professional diver. A diving school: <www.aei.ca/~academie/fronteng.htm> Oliver Perrin s personal page (in French): <olperrin.club.fr/plongee/laplongeesousmarine.htm> Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (on the protection of marine mammals): <www.dfompo.gc.ca/mammalsmammiferes/consultation/mmrrmm_e.htm> Activities for Octopus Hunt Worksheet A features questions that can serve as oral and written talking points during the lesson. They focus on skills in storytelling, making connections and reflecting on issues.
Documentary Lens Lesson Plan for Octopus Hunt Page 4 Introductory Activity ACTIVITY 1: Underwater Scenario 1) Ask the class to name the equipment needed for deepsea diving. Write their ideas on the board. 2) Ask students to imagine they are wearing all the equipment they just listed. They are to mime how they would move with that equipment on if they were on land. They should show that it is heavy and awkward. 3) Then ask students to pretend to dive into the water. They should show that they suddenly become weightless and seem to float. Ask them to imagine what it is like under the water; they will likely suggest that it is dark and silent. 4) Ask them to describe their feelings. What do they see? Are they afraid? Curious? What problems might occur under the water? Would they dive alone? 5) Ask students if they would like to go diving. Number the corners of the classroom from 1 to 4. Corner #1 represents Yes, absolutely! Corner #2 represents Hmmm maybe. Corner #3 represents Probably not. Corner #4 represents No, not at all! Invite students to go to the corner that corresponds to their position and discuss the ir choice. 6) Introduce the theme of the film: young divers go in search of an octopus and bring it back for a public aquarium. Tell students that after they view the film, they will be asked to reflect on the exploration of unknown regions of the world and decide whether they are for or against scientific exploration. The film highlights the viewpoints and emotions of the divers. Developing Concepts and Applying What You Have Learned ACTIVITY 2: Making a Decision 1) Show the film, Octopus Hunt. 2) Hand out Worksheet B, Making a Decision. The suggested question is, Am I in favour of scientific exploration? Or, you could use one of the discussion questions from worksheet A. The students in each of the four corners (from Activity 1 above) will work together to set out their reasons for and against the question. They can write their responses in the appropriate columns on the worksheet. 3) When they have finished, ask the for students to form a group and the against students to form another group. They will discuss the reasons behind their decisions. ACTIVITY 3: Job Opportunity Ask students to brainstorm the skills and strengths necessary for deepsea diving. Write ideas on the board under these four headings: Education, Physical Skills, Social Skills and Working Conditions. Hand out Worksheet C, Job Opportunity: Professional Diver. Ask students to use the results of their brainstorming to write up a job notice.
Documentary Lens Lesson Plan for Octopus Hunt Page 5 Extension and Alternative Activities 1) Have a debate on the question from Activity 2, Making a Decision. 2) Imagine that the federal government is offering a summer diving program for young people 11 to 16. Students make a poster or pamphlet describing the program. 3) Read the interview with professional diver Pierre Lecompte (in French) at <www.diablesdesmers.qc.ca/revue_la_plongee/pierre_lecompte.htm>. Discuss the differences between professional, commercial and sport diving. 4) You could change Activity 3, Job Opportunity, by replacing the written job notice with an oral one, for radio or television.
Documentary Lens Lesson Plan for Octopus Hunt Page 6 Worksheet A: Octopus Hunt: Questions Based on Concepts Divers belong to several communities, for example the scientific community and the marine/animal community. What responsibilities do they have in each of these communities? Make a comparison using a Venn diagram. One of the divers describes the way they work as a team: It s not just company on the job, it s someone on whom your life depends. Can you think of people in your community to whom this also applies? This film was produced in 1966 and shows an octopus being captured for a public aquarium. Do you think our curiosity about wild animals has lessened over the years? Is such curiosity part of human nature? One of the divers describes going under the water for the first time, to really exist under the water Why does he speak of existing rather than swimming? At your age, do you believe you exist in your daily life, or do you simply follow the standard patterns established by society? One diver admits that she feels like she s intruding on the world of the octopus. Do you agree? Does do the word intruder have a positive or negative connotation? Think of other situations in the world today where humans enter nonhuman environments. Should we be there? What are the possible consequences? Two of the divers in the film are women. Do you think this is representative of the time when the film was made? Do you believe attitudes towards women in sports and women in extreme jobs have changed since the 1960s? Give an example of a profession that was once dominated by men but now has many women. The divers introduce human concepts into the underwater world, like beauty and the element of time. One of them says, It s man that judges things and calls them ugly or beautiful. Do you agree with this statement? Do we risk disturbing the natural environment with our presence? Can the government of Canada adopt reasonable regulations to protect these environments, or is it impossible to regulate them? Divers are a strange breed of people you think, my God, how similar these people are to me! What elements contribute to a group identity? Can it occur between people no matter where they are in the world? Does it come simply from spending time together? Or do we need to share common interests? Think of your identity in relation to your friends, your family, your teacher(s) and the people in your community. What started these relationships? What makes them last?
Documentary Lens Lesson Plan for Octopus Hunt Page 7 Name: Date: Group: Worksheet B: Making a Decision The Question: Come up with facts and examples that support the for (+) and against () options. Option 1 Option 2 +/ +/ +/ +/ +/ +/ Conclusion:
Documentary Lens Lesson Plan for Octopus Hunt Page 8 Name: Date: Worksheet C: Job Opportunity Professional Diver Name of your company or organization: Contact Information (address, telephone number and email): Physical skills needed Social skills needed Education/degrees: Is this a permanent position or a contract? (circle one) Salary (in Canadian dollars) Working conditions: (place of work, number of hours, goal of the project)