Educational screen & audio-visual guide (c1956-1971])

FILM EVALUATIONS by L. C. Larson and Carolyn Gtiss Reading Improvement Series (Coronet Instructional Films, Coronet Building, Chicago, Illinois) 5 films, 11 minutes each, 16mm, sound, color or black and white, 1961, $110 or each. Teacher's guide available. Description These five films designed primarily for use on the junior high level deal with developmental reading, in turn stressing (1) basic skills of reading, (2) word recognition, (3) gaining speed with understanding of the value of variable speeds, (4) vocabulary development, and (5) organizing ideas for comprehension. Student participation and self-evaluation are inherently treated in all five films. Animation is frequently used to explain methods and to contrast results. Action emanates from a classroom setting. Defining the Good Reader compares the reading skills of Bill, who has difficulty concentrating while he reads, Alice, who reads very slowly, and Tom, who is a good reader. In explaining the techniques of effective reading, the film points out other methods of getting information such as motion pictures, recordings, radio and television. It explains such advantages of reading as a method of getting ideas as the complete control each person has over where, when and under what conditions he reads. Tom is shown reading at different speeds for different purposes, sorting out and relating ideas he gains from reading, learning the meaning of new words, and developing the ability to recognize words quicklv and accurate ly Word Recognition Skills. The value of being able to recognize words by the way they look, the way they are used or by the way they sound is demonstrated. Various graphic techniques are used to block out letters and words to show the audience the mental process involved in recognizing words without stopping to identify each letter and, sometimes, to identify words by their context. Tom finds use^f the dictionary and dividing words into syllables very helpful. The process is explained and recommended. Vocabulary Skills recommends as helps in building a vocabulary: (1) writing down unfamiliar words to look up later, (2) referring to the context and the dictionary, and (3) consciously using new words in reading and speaking. Jack is shown employing these methods. Jack's motivation to build his vocabulary stems from missing the word "inchoate" in a spelling match and finding out from Sue who spelled the word correctly liow she knew it. As Jack works at building his vocabulary he observes that scientific terms generally have one very specific meaning and that scientific books often have glossaries defining such terms. He also becomes intrigued by the many meanings of such a word as "hand." Jack's efforts are rewarded at the end of the film by his being able to explain to his father the meaning of the word "inchoate." Comprehension Skills recommends three basic steps in reading for comprehension: (1) getting an overview of the material, (2) organizing the main ideas, and (3) reviewing and/or outlining. In getting an overview of the material, the reader is advised to recognize the contribution of paragraphs and topic sentences which contain the main idea of the paragraph. The teacher in the film works through these steps with a class as they read about penguins. Effective Speeds shows (1) why different reading rates are needed, (2) breaking bad reading habits, and (3) the importance of phrase reading. Miss Wilson, the teacher, guides the class through a series of reading experiences which demonstrate the interrelationships of reading speed and comprehension. Bob, a slow reader, is shown analyzing some of his weaknesses and improving liis reading ability. The class is challenged to read .-.s fast as they can and understand what they read. Appraisal Used singly or as a series, these films provide the teacher an additional instructional resource in the important area of developing reading .skills. Under the authorship of Dr. Theodore L. Harris, professor of education and director of the Reading Clinic at the University of Wisconsin, the films succeed in dividing the complex problem of developing reading skills and interests, into five discrete areas and dealing with them in an effective manner. Even though the students appear to be eighth or ninth graders, the evaluating committees felt the content was more appropriate for intermediate grades. Some may feel that the films are too pedantic; others will feel that only after students have mastered the basic reading skills will they be motivated to read on their own for ideas and enjoyment. The continuity of characters and treatment of content facilitates student orientation to successive films in the series. The most effective time spacing of these films will be a matter for each teacher to decide on the basis of his particular group and other teaching materials being integrated into the unit. The guide is recommended for providing very complete descriptions of content and suggesting specific teaching purposes and related materials. Symphony Across The Land (United World Filnw, 1445 Park Avenue, New York 29, New York) Produced by V. S. Information Agency. 50 minutes, 16mm, sound, bkw, 1959 $160.89. Description Symphony Across the Land explains the role of music in the United States and features leading symphony orchestras from the various states as they perform music by American composers. It stresses tlie fact that symphony orchestras are no longer a monopoly of cities of the East. Today, thanks to the appreciation and support given them, there are orchestras in almost every comer of the United States. Disciples of music express their deep and strong love for it in myriad ways. George Adamson, for one, makes batons. From his studio at Carnegie Hall in New York City he sends out five batons to symphony 356 EDUC.4TIONAL ScREE.X AND AUDIOVISUAL GuiDE — JuLY, 1961