The Hollywood film The Day After Tomorrow generated interest in global climate change. Many of the resulting television and newspaper articles and images offer rich resources for geography. These materials present challenges for teachers, not least how to make the content accessible for candiates.
The website includes a number of scenes extracted from the film and Flash presentations relating to some of the propositions that the film is based on. (The film has a 12a rating so is unsuitable for use with younger candidates.)
Conceptual emphasis
Global climate change is an evocative issue. Many of the concepts behind the film are presented as unquestionable truths, when they are actually problematic and contested. Material for candidates needs to be motivating, interesting and accessible, yet not a simplification of reality that is untrue or indoctrinating.
Philip Stott and Richard North, who both present alternative perspectives on the issues behind global climate change.
Helping candidates view the film rationally, i.e. using an informed and critical eye is the primary aim. They should be able to enjoy the fun side of its dramatic scene, but not worry about it in an ill informed and emotive way.
Thinking geographically should mean that they know where the places are, how they are interconnected at a variety of scales. Scale can be used as a lens to explore the issues, and how people have a variety of views about the concepts highlighted by the film.
Much of the pre-release material concentrates on the ‘science’ of global climate change, the ‘scientific community’s’ reactions to the film and the way that ‘science’ helps explain such concepts. Some of these scientists are also geographers, thus geography has a significant role to play in contributing to candidates’ understanding of the film. There may also be opportunities to explore with science colleagues how best to empower candidates to make sense of the film and the media coverage it has attracted.
eaching and learning ideas
As a dramatic experience The Day After Tomorrow is an amazingly stimulating learning tool. Extracts from the website could be used as starters before exploring some of the geographical thinking and spatial causes and consequences of climate change.
To help candidates access the complexity of geography present them with a ‘geography montage’. This could be a variety of resources, quotes, views, maps, photos, vox pops and video extracts. Such montages demonstrate the variety of ways that a geographical idea can be represented or used. The BBC News site has a useful page relating to some concepts behind The Day After Tomorrow.
Other classroom strategies for using extracts of the film include:
- Mapping some of the places and events in different formats, placing photos, placing perspectives, mapping their own thoughts, mapping ideas from different people in different places, mapping different scenarios (geographical imaginations), mapping different causes and consequences.
- Showing a section of the film without sound and asking candidates to write alternative commentaries using the resources provided.
Showing a section of the film without pictures (utilise the contrast button on the television or mute button for an LCD screen, or minimise the image on a computer) and asking candidates to sketch or story board (either by hand or electronically) a sequence of images that may accompany the commentary. - Playing the start of an image or commentary and ask candidates to complete it.
- Stopping a section part the way through, ask candidates to act out the consequences.
- Playing a section as a stimulus to a candidate improvisation activity – perhaps in the form of a question and answer show.
You may also wish to access critiques of carbon neutral. In geography we can be guilty of raising problems with our candidates without providing them with any possible solutions. The Future Forests site also presents an interesting perspective on this.
<< Back to An Extreme Environment
Current conversations
What our website visitors are talking about.