Topic of the lesson
A genius or a misfit — who is the protagonist of The Young Magician?

Prepared by: Kamila Żyto

Educational level:  primary school (higher grades), junior secondary school (lower grades)

Duration: 2 × 45 minutes (plus the time for watching the film)

After the classes the student:

– will be able to form and express his or her opinions,

– will be able to find arguments to support his or her opinions,

– will be able to prioritize his or her judgements and arguments,

– will be able to formulate counter arguments to support his or her opinion,

– will be able to evaluate the attitudes and behaviours of other people,

– will be able to describe the basic mechanisms of group functioning and the processes of socialization.

Methods of work
brainstorming, discussion, debate, group work, analysis of film material, expressing opinions, offering arguments, mental map

Course of the classes:

1. The lesson starts with watching the film The Young Magician. Then the teacher tells the students when the film was made and explains the historical context (the eighties of the previous century — the lack of respect for individuality, attempts to impose uniform views and behaviours on the society, restrictions on personal freedom). In the scenes in the classroom, we can notice props associated with Western culture, which in that period were objects of desire, considered a luxury, for example canned carbonated drinks, which were symbolically interpreted as a step on the road to freedom, democracy and respect for individuality.
2. The teacher asks the group to define the basic concepts of the topic of the lesson (“genius” and “misfit”). First, the students are allowed to speak freely, they try to define the concepts, describe a genius and a misfit.
3. Students work together to create a diagram to be filled in with key concepts of lesson. It will include expressions which were used most frequently during the classes.

For example: GENIUS — an outstanding, exceptionally talented person, an individualist, etc.

4. The teacher divides the students into two groups: those who believe that Piotr is a genius and those who think he is a misfit.
5. Students work in groups: each group formulates its own arguments and chooses one scene to support them.
6. Debate: groups present their arguments and formulate counter arguments.
7. The teacher summarizes the discussion and helps the students analyse the thesis: EACH GENIUS IS A MISFIT, WHILE MANY MISFITS TEND TO BE GENIUSES.