Questions and tasks for the study of The Dark Knight.

1. AS 2.2
Analyse specified aspect(s) of studied
visual or oral text(s), supported by
evidence
4 Credits
Christine Wells

2. learning outcomes

3. success criteria

4. narrative structure
1. work in pairs to Create a flow chart to
show the progression of the narrative.
include exposition, climax & resolution.
2. For each section, write a brief
description from the film.
3. Include a visual/verbal feature to
represent each section.
4
Thinking
Relating to others
Using language, text and symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing

5. Choose 3 characters and complete a chart for each one.
Getting to know the characters
5
Thinking
Using language, text and symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing

6. Characters & Challenges
Any information about the characters is important to
the film.
Characters develop and change during the film as they
face challenges and conflict.
1. Choose 1 character and describe a challenge in their
life.
2. Explain how they coped with it (aim for 3 ways).
3. List 6 visual/verbal techniques which support your
ideas.
4. What do we learn about the type of person she/he is?
5. Explain what the director wants us to learn from
this character and how they dealt with their
challenges/conflict.
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Thinking
Using language, text
and symbols
Managing self
Participating and
contributing

7. Compare and Contrast
1. work in pairs to Create a Venn diagram
to show the similarities and differences
between 2 characters. aim for 5 of each.
2. Choose 1 similarity and one difference
and discuss what may have caused this
similarity or difference.
Character 1 Character 2
similarities
Thinking
Relating to others
Using language, text and
symbols
Managing self
Participating and
contributing

8. 1. Explain the
outcome of this
change. What did
the character
learn from this?
2. What does the
director want us
as viewers to
learn from this
change?
3. Include
visual/verbal
features.
1. Identify and
describe the
event or
person that
influenced a
change in the
character.
2. Explain how
the character
changed.
3. Include
visual/verbal
features.
change in a character
1. Describe the
character at
the
beginning of
the film.
2. Include
visual/verbal
features to
support
your
description.
Thinking
Using language, text and
symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing

9. Relationship development
1. Identify an
important
relationship in the
film.
2. Describe this
relationship – are
they friends,
related, enemies?
3. Identify any
visual/verbal
features that
support your
description.
1. Identify and
describe the
changes in this
relationship. Does
the balance of
power change?
2. Describe a major
conflict in their
relationship.
3. Does one person
help the other in
some way? What is
the outcome?
4. Include
visual/verbal
features.
1. Describe the
relationship at the
end of the film. do
the characters
respect one
another? Why/why
not?
2. Explain what the
director want us as
viewers to learn
from this
relationship.
3. Can this be linked
to human nature or
the world in
general?
4. Include
visual/verbal
techniques.
Thinking
Using language, text and
symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing

10. Essay Topics
Choose ONE of the following questions
and write at least 400 words.
1. Analyse how the beginning AND
ending of a text show an important
change in a character or individual
in a text you have studied.
2. Analyse how a character or
individual is influenced to make
decisions in a text you have studied.
3. Analyse how the growth of a
relationship affects the climax in a
text you have studied. Thinking
Using language,
text and symbols
Managing self

11. Setting
• Setting may include reference to time, place,
historical or social context, or atmosphere.
1. work in pairs to Identify the 3 main settings
in the text.
2. Choose 1 and create a brainstorm of
adjectives to describe it.
3. Locate 3 visual/verbal features from the
film that link to 3 of your adjectives.
Thinking
Relating to others
Using language, text and symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing

12. Setting & Effect
1. Explain the effect that the setting has
on the life of the protagonist or
antagonist.
1. Imagine how the setting would affect you.
Write a paragraph to describe how you
would react to the setting.
2. Explain what you think the director wants
us to learn about the protagonist by
placing him in this setting.
Thinking
Using language, text and
symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing

13. atmosphere
1. Describe the atmosphere in the film.
2. List 3 ways that the atmosphere is
developed – think about lighting,
sound and colour.
3. Explain how the atmosphere helps
the viewer to understand the film.
Thinking
Using language, text and symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing

14. Themes
A theme is a broad idea, message, or moral of a
story. The message may be about life, society, or
human nature. Themes often explore timeless
and universal ideas and are almost always
implied rather than stated explicitly.
1. in Pairs, Brainstorm a list of possible themes.
2. For each theme, describe the relevant section
of the film where the theme is shown.
Thinking
Relating to others
Using language, text and symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing

15. Theme and meaning
1. Choose one theme and discuss the meaning of
your theme. What does it mean exactly?
2. Explain how this theme may be seen in
today’s world.
3. What does the director want us to
understand about this theme?
4. Identify any social issues that may be
related to this theme. For example, health
issues; power and violence related issues.
Thinking
Using language, text and symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing

16. Theme & characters
1. in pairs, Choose 2 themes and list the
characters that are linked to each theme.
2. Explain why you linked each character to
the theme.
3. Include a visual/verbal feature for each.
4. Explain what you think the director wants
us to learn about these characters by
using this theme.
Thinking
Relating to others
Using language, text and symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing

17. Theme in action
in pairs, Choose one of the following activities to complete:
1. Choose a part of the film that shows one of the themes in
action and create a short cartoon to show what happens.
Include dialogue from the film.
2. Create a collage of visual/verbal features from the film
that are linked to the themes.
3. create a poster portraying the themes. Split your poster
into sections, each section will be for each theme. Include
characters & dialogue in the relevant section.
you may create an analogue or digital artefact.
Thinking
Relating to others
Using language, text and symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing

18. Symbols
A symbol is a person, place, or thing comes to
represent an abstract idea or concept -- it is
anything that stands for something beyond
itself.
1. in pairs, Identify 3-4 symbols from the film.
2. Choose 3 and explain what eaCh one’s
significance is, where it is seen in the text
and which theme and character it is linked
to.
3. Explain why the director included each
symbol. What does he want the viewer to
learn or think about?
Thinking
Relating to others
Using language, text and
symbols
Managing self
Participating and
contributing

19. Essay Topics
1. Analyse how symbols are used to develop an idea
in the text you have studied.
2. Analyse how successful a text you have studied
has been in influencing you to think
differently about an issue.
3. Analyse how important techniques are used to
engage our emotions in a text you have studied.
4. Analyse how atmosphere is established and
maintained in a text you have studied.
Thinking
Using language, text and
symbols
Managing self

20. Assessment schedule
Achievement
• Analyse specified aspect(s) of studied written
text(s), supported by evidence.
Achievement with Merit
• Analyse specified aspect(s) of studied written
text(s) convincingly, supported by evidence.
Achievement with Excellence
• Analyse specified aspect(s) of studied written
text(s) perceptively, supported by evidence.
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