Educational activity based on the short film Violentissimo
Analyze the meaning of words (synonyms and opposites).
Produce a variety of texts (the character portrait).

Violentissimo © LISAA
TitleViolentissimo
Genre & keywordsComic, orchestra, musical instrument, despot
Age (for the film)6-11 years old
Duration02 min 17 s
DirectorA.Hamidi & V.Alessandri & M.Chave & V.Gibaud & K.Phou
MusicVera Nikine
ProductionLISAA (France, 2013)
Write the portrait of the conductor and rewrite the story in a “tendrissimo” version.
In this short film the main character is peculiar. He has magical powers but he doesn't use them wisely. The musicians in the orchestra all have injuries, their faces are scarred, they wear bandages and one of them is in a wheelchair.
After a first viewing, let the students share what they understood. If necessary, explain and watch the film again. What do they think of the conductor’s attitude?
Ask the students to describe the character. To do this, do some vocabulary work. …that define him? Have the students work alone to take ownership of the work, then in pairs or groups for an initial pooling of ideas. Leave dictionaries, thesaurus, and any other tools available in the class to help them. Then make a collective summary and write down the words on the board.
From this work, begin the writing phase. We can imagine that this sequence allows us to reinvest notions seen previously in a more detailed sequence on the portrait. Check out an example on the Val 10 blog...
Ask the students to write a short text to describe the conductor, a paragraph on their physical appearance (a middle-aged man, he is losing his hair, tall, thin, elegant, a stern expression, drawn features...) and another on the moral portrait (violent, angry, dynamic, authoritarian, severe, brutal...).
Do a whole-class correction using one or two pieces of work so that everyone can correct their own text.
Then suggest a vocabulary session on opposites with the words from the previous step on the board. Start with a second search (kind, gentle, attentive, caring...) and revise the conductor's portrait in a new version. Then rewrite the story “tendrissimo” version. How could this character use his magical powers in this new context? …for the musicians?
Activity sheet written by: Valérie du blog Val 10. Discover the Val 10 blog...


