Five-Week Plan
Year 9 HEAP • Documentaries • Five-week sequence
This sequence treats a documentary as an argument made from images, sounds and words. Students learn how film-makers select, arrange and explain reality, then plan a short documentary of their own without pretending that any representation is neutral.
Choose the films carefully. The packet does not prescribe a documentary. Use extracts that are age-appropriate, cleared for classroom use and available through a legitimate source. Check for distressing content, subtitles, copyright and the school's viewing policy before screening anything.
Week 1 - Truth and framing
| Lesson | Focus | Formative checkpoint |
|---|
| 1 | What a documentary claims, and how it differs from news, drama and propaganda. | Three texts classified by their truth claim and purpose. |
| 2 | Truth and form: documentary modes, reconstruction and the ethics of representation. | A completed mode map for one extract. |
| 3 | The rhetorical situation on screen: film-maker, subject, audience, purpose, context and medium. | A situation map that names who is speaking and who is spoken about. |
| 4 | Framing and mise-en-scene: shot size, angle, composition, light and setting. | Three annotations that connect a visual choice to an effect. |
Week 2 - Construction
| Lesson | Focus | Formative checkpoint |
|---|
| 1 | Editing and juxtaposition: order, duration, cut, montage and the Kuleshov effect. | A shot sequence reordered to change the argument. |
| 2 | Sound and voice: diegetic and non-diegetic sound, music, silence and narration. | A sound map with three choices and their effects. |
| 3 | Interview and testimony: who speaks, who is cut, and how testimony becomes evidence. | An interview plan with three open questions and a consent note. |
| 4 | Archive and reconstruction: context, provenance, re-enactment and the line between illustration and evidence. | A provenance note for one archival item or reconstruction. |
Week 3 - Argument and ethics
| Lesson | Focus | Formative checkpoint |
|---|
| 1 | Narrative structure and argument: hook, setup, complication, evidence, turn and resolution. | A beat sheet for a five-minute documentary. |
| 2 | Persuasion and manipulation: rhetorical appeals, omission, false balance and emotional coercion. | One ethical risk and one safeguard for a chosen extract. |
| 3 | Research and fact-checking: claims, sources, statistics, dates and the limits of archive. | A claim table with three checked sources. |
| 4 | Case study: two documentaries on a related subject, compared for evidence and framing. | One paragraph explaining a difference in construction. |
Week 4 - Analysis and planning
| Lesson | Focus | Formative checkpoint |
|---|
| 1 | Close analysis workshop: from observation to a claim about the whole text. | One analytical paragraph with a short quotation of image or sound. |
| 2 | Planning a short documentary: subject, question, access, treatment and ethical review. | A one-page treatment with a clear central question. |
| 3 | Storyboard and paper edit: shot list, interview plan and sound plan. | A complete storyboard for a two-minute sequence. |
| 4 | Pitch and feedback: does the plan answer the question, and is it feasible? | A revised treatment that responds to one piece of feedback. |
Week 5 - Test and reflect
| Lesson | Focus | Formative checkpoint |
|---|
| 1 | Rough cut or paper screening: show the sequence to a small audience. | Three specific responses recorded anonymously. |
| 2 | Revision: clarify the argument, adjust pacing and check the ethics of every image and voice. | One before-and-after change with a stated reason. |
| 3 | Presentation: introduce the documentary, explain a choice and answer questions. | A short introduction that names the question and the approach. |
| 4 | Transfer: analyse an unfamiliar extract using the same questions. | A completed analysis without prompts. |
The plan is adaptable. If production time is limited, keep the paper edit and the ethical review rather than rushing a filmed sequence. A documentary unit can be completed through analysis and planning without requiring every student to film.