LEARN
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2015 Grants Challenge

Generation Next: Ready on the SET and Action - Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math

Generation Next will bring seminars into high school classrooms to build writing skills and a love of writing by teaching screenwriting basics using professional screenwriters. Students in participating classes can submit ideas for movie or TV scripts dealing with scientists, engineers or technologists, and students with winning ideas will be supported by science and creative mentors in writing a full script. Top 2 finished scripts will receive a cash prize at the annual SET Awards Ceremony.

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In what areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?

San Fernando Valley

Westside

LAUSD

Studio City, North Hollywood, Hollywood, W. Los Angeles: schools located near movie and TV studios

How do you plan to use these resources to make change?

Implement a pilot or new project

Expand a pilot or a program

Adapt college model to high school level and new subject matter

How will your proposal improve the following LEARN metrics?​

HS student proficiency in English & Language Arts and Math

Academic Performance Index* scores

College matriculation rates

Describe in greater detail how you will make LA the best place to LEARN.

Through an innovative literacy program building on successes showing young people motivated by creative expression through script writing, Entertainment Industries Council (EIC) will address LA2050 Learn goal through the launch of Generation Next in high schools in L.A.

EIC team will adapt its Generation Next college film school program for L.A. high schools. To provide added value, we will bring Writers Guild screenwriters and tech experts into select classrooms to teach about script writing, mentor them on literacy and conversational skills through writing dialog, and through a common theme in the scripts, focus their attention on how exciting science, tech and engineering fields are, and their importance to our daily lives. We will build writing skills while instilling a love of writing movies and TV shows like the ones they watch. There is no better place to be when it comes to screenwriting than L.A.

Students will then be invited to submit ideas for scripts featuring 1 or more key characters who are a scientist, engineer or technologist. A panel of writers and scientists will select at least one submitted project in each class to be developed by that student into a script. Each will be assigned an expert in the field to be portrayed and a professional writer to be a creative mentor through EIC’s relationship with the WGA Foundation. Finished scripts will compete for a cash prize that will be awarded at EIC’s annual SET Awards. The process of creation at the idea submission stage and at the script writing stage will not only nurture writing skills but also encourage an appreciation and love for the science, engineering and tech fields.

Research has shown that the bulk of future job growth will be in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), making it vital that young people develop an excitement and interest in studies and careers in these fields. Unlike other literacy programs, students learn the key area of conversational English through dialog writing. Mentors will encourage students to stretch vocabulary skills and explore new ways to write. By focusing on a scientist, engineer and/or technologist, students will write dialogue for character from different backgrounds (since these will be schools struggling w/ performance), encouraging new language skills.

Please explain how you will evaluate your work.

Evaluation will include:

- Tracking the number of students reached in the 10 classrooms in which seminars are conducted.

- Tracking the number of script idea submissions from those 10 classrooms.

- Grading the writing ability of participating students based on an existing school paper before the program and based on the script they write during the program, and comparing the grades.

- Student evaluations conducted by mentors of the students they worked with.

- Identifying any change in the number of participants planning to go to college before and after the program.

- Class grade improvements for participating students as reported by teachers.

- Classroom attitude improvements for participating students as reported by teachers.

How can the LA2050 community and other stakeholders help your proposal succeed

Money (financial capital)

Volunteers/staff (human capital)

Publicity/awareness (social capital)

Community outreach

Network/relationship support