Basic Notice and Focus Exercise

Before I do the Method with my students, I normally teach them how to do Notice and Focus, as I feel it was a more low-key, introductory approach to analysis. I begin by lecturing on the Five Analytical Moves, and then move into the following simple but effective exercise.

Basic Notice and Focus Exercise

Objectives: To practise Notice and Focus.
Materials: Any primary text of your choosing.
Time: 30-40 minutes

1. Choose a short, self-contained text, which lends itself to basic analysis. Since my theme is technology this quarter, I chose the iPod Nano Capture advert.
2. Share the text with the students. In my case, I played the advert twice.
3. Before you begin, remind the students that they should consider all the components of the piece. For instance, if it's an advert, they need to look at the video, the music, the lyrics and the text.
4. Show them the text again, and ask them to make a list of the most interesting, strange, revealing or significant aspects of it.
5. Go around the class, and have them each share one item from their list with everyone. Write these items down on the board.
6. Ask the students to look at the list on the board, choose the three most interesting etc. details from it, and then rank them.
7. Split the class into pairs and have them compare ranked lists, before coming up with a list on which they both agree.
8. Have them share their lists with the class. As they do, write the rankings next to the items. For instance, each time a student says an item is the most important, write a "1" next to it. Discuss any patterns that you see emerging.
9. Send them back into their groups, and have them discuss why they found those three details the most interesting etc.
10. Have them share their reasons with the class. If you're low on time, get them to talk about only one or two of the details.