Trailer

Before watching the film, give each pupil a card which has a plus sign on one side and a minus side on the other. As they watch the clip encourage them to hold up the card with the appropriate sign when they see either a disadvantage or advantage to being a miner. This information should be recorded on the board.

This could lead to class discussion about the problems and difficulties associated with coal mining. Simple prompt questions as well as teacher input, should help to build up a deeper awareness of coal mining today: Where is coal mined today? What is coal used for?

Students should now be made aware that they are going to produce their own storyboard as the main lesson activity. Review an extract of the film (perhaps a 4 minute long clip), asking students to examine think carefully about the style of film: What do they feel towards the miner? Why? How does the filmmaker structure of the plot of the film? Can they come up with simple headings for the various stages in the miner's day?

Main Attraction

Ask students how they think fuels will be obtained in the future. Will they be mined? Or will they grow? After sharing their initial ideas in pairs, hear some examples as a whole class.

It's time to storyboard! Split the class into smallish groups: each group will be producing a short script and storyboard for a film about the 'miners' or fuel growers of the future that promotes renewable energy as a better alternative to coal and other fossil fuels. Pupils should be encouraged to use clips from A Day in the Life of a Coalminer within their storyboards as a way of comparing 'outdated' methods with 'improved' ones. Group members should be assigned different roles according to their abilities: researcher, writer, editor and story board artists.

Encourage pupils to research sugar cane growing in countries like Brazil and Costa Rica using the web as well as any printed resources you have. Alternatively, they could focus on any other bio-fuel case studies you have access to. Pupils will likely need a fair degree of support in thinking about how to structure their storyboard to put forward an argument in favour of biofuels over coal. It might be a good idea, once they have done some research, to begin by writing a voiceover that they can then fit images to.

End Credits

Begin to wrap up the lesson by allowing selected groups to present their ideas to the rest of the class.

The lesson could end with a discussion about the downsides of using bio-fuels, since pupils' storyboards will focus on the advantages of these fuels. You might also discuss the benefits and limitations of using film to present scientific information.