Real life 'Slumdog Millionaire'

I don't seem to be able to see anything any more without thinking about how it might be useful in our Geography lessons. I went to see Slumdog Millionaire a couple of weeks ago, as I've already discussed with some of you! I've been thinking about how best it can be used and have contemplated reinventing the 'Are the streets of Kolkata paved in gold?' unit to reflect Slumdog Millionaire instead but will have to wait until the DVD is released. Athough it is a 15 cert, it would be possible, with some careful scene selection and parental consent, to craft a new unit of work around this film for the year 9 curriculum! Scenes that are particularly relevant include one where the children are running through the slums, as well as one in which call centre staff are being trained in 'Britishness' almost, by learning about Kat and Alfie in EastEnders!

BBC News reported the real life slumdogs and featured the child stars of the film who were paid £3,000 each. Let's remember this is a film that has made $140 million at the Box Office! Watch the report HERE.

Urban Earth

A geography teacher, Dan Raven-Ellison, has been creating short films of a number of cities, including Mumbai, Bristol, Mexico City and London. They have been created by walking across these large cities, taking a photo every 8 steps! Here's an example...


To see the rest, go to Urban Earth.

The Day After Tomorrow

8x2 have finished their assessment one week before the next rotation, so we are wrapping up the Sustainability unit by looking at the depiction of climate change and the potential effects in the film 'The Day After Tomorrow'. We are ultimately deciding whether it is scientific truth, environmental pressure, or just a disaster movie. Here's the YouTube trailer for the film...



We discussed whether the hailstorm scene in Tokyo is realistic or not. Check out this YouTube video...


Now what do you think?