Viewing Activities

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE FREEWRITE

Directions:

The film you are about to watch follows a photographer with a mission to capture images of the elusive Florida panther. Consider your own personal familiarity and connection to these topics by responding to one of the following prompts in a short free-write.

PROMPT 1: PHOTOGRAPHY

What makes a good photograph? What are the skills of a great photographer? How can photographs inform or influence changes in society?

PROMPT 2: FELINES

What do you know about panthers or other cats? What are some typical feline behaviors or traits? How do domestic house cats differ from wild cats?

DURING VIEWING:

NOTECATCHER

Directions : This film centers on wildlife photographer Carlton Ward and his efforts to photograph the Florida panther. Throughout the film, you will meet oth er people involved in the fight to protect the panther and its habitat, and also learn about human activities that disrupt the natural habitat of the panther. As you watch, record observations of the different actions that humans take, placing each observation on the line below with respect to how much that action is harmful, neutral, or beneficial to the Florida panther.

Beneficial to Panthers

Neutral

Harmful to Panthers

Curriculum Guide | CAFILM Education Path of the Panther

RESPONSE QUESTIONS

Directions: Respond to each question, referring to specific scenes, events, and dialogue from the film as evidence for your interpretation.

1. What is the overall importance of the Florida Wildlife Corridor? What are the most important things humans must do to preserve it?

2. What life experiences and observations informed Carlton Ward’s passion for protecting the panther?

3. What were the greatest challenges Ward had to overcome to capture images of the panther? How did he overcome these challenges?

4. How are the indigenous Miccosukee perspectives on the panther unique or different from Western perspectives?

5. What laws or restrictions do you think should be imposed at either the state or national level to protect wildlife such as the Florida panther?

FOUR C’S

Directions:

Respond to each prompt in complete sentences, citing specific scenes, events, and dialogue from the film as evidence for your response.

CONNECTIONS

What connections do you draw between the film and your own life or other learnings?

CHALLENGE

What ideas, positions, or assumptions do you want to challenge or debate in the film?

CONCEPTS

What key concepts or ideas do you think are important and worth holding on to from the film?

CHANGES

What changes in attitudes, thinking, or action are suggested by the film, either for you or others?

Adapted from Harvard Project Zero’s Think Routine Toolbox:

http://www.pz.harvard.edu/resources/the-4-cs

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

Take inspiration from Carlton Ward’s mission to photograph the Florida panther and and start your own foray into wildlife photography. Though you might not be able to create the elaborate camera traps used in the film, you can still celebrate the biodiversity of your own environment by documenting some of the local wildlife.

Directions:

1. Identify an animal species that lives in the wild near you - no pets allowed! Challenge yourself by picking something elusive, but also make sure you pick something that you can photograph safely.

2. Take a photograph of this animal in its natural habitat. You may want to research the animal’s sleep habits and habitat preferences to help you know where and when you can find it.

3. Share your photograph! Lots of regional park systems have social media accounts that might post your image if you send it to them. You can also look for wildlife photography contests to submit to.

Tips for Taking Wildlife Photographs: • If you are using a camera phone, shoot in landscape mode, with your phone horizontal. This framing is usually better for capturing animals as well as their surrounding landscape. • Use the zoom function so you can keep a safe distance from your subject and not startle them. Be careful not to zoom so much that the resolution becomes pixelated. • Take lots of photographs! You can always delete the weaker images and pick the best ones later. • Compose using “the rule of thirds.” This means imagining your frame is divided in thirds both horizontally and vertically, and placing the main subject of your film along those third lines. • If your camera has an adjustable shutter speed, use a fast shutter speed to reduce motion blur of your subject.