CKV varendonck college

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Participating in cultural activities and then forming and supporting your opinions about them is an important part of the CAT course. Writing a good review is considered challenging by most students. Below is a step-by-step plan with guidelines, tips, and agreements. All reports must be submitted to Teams. Each report has a deadline. Due dates are recorded in the PTA. So be sure to write them down/save them!

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       Preliminary report ​

• Your name and class

• Activity details: where are you going and when? Who is the director/artist/actors/producer/architect/performer, etc.?

• Content: What is it about? Explain the essence of the story/performance/building, etc., in your own words.

• Reviews (from journalists!): You may copy these. Always cite the source. Has the activity not taken place before? Then look for reviews of previous performances/works by the same performer. You can find reviews via the Nexus Lexus newspaper database in Magister: Go to ELO -> sources -> Kennisnet -> newspaper database. If you really can't find any reviews, look for in-depth information about the theme/topic of your activity.

• Your expectations: Try to avoid words like "fun." It can be helpful to review the viewing or listening guide for the relevant discipline beforehand.

• Your goals: What will you be paying attention to? Be specific and thoughtful. Put on your CAT glasses.

• Make sure the activity is approved by the teacher on time. Submit your report as early as possible, at least one week in advance, but preferably sooner. Ensure it's neatly formatted.

• Activity tips: click here.

• What to keep in mind per discipline (viewing and listening guides): click here.

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       Activity

• Always keep your ticket; it serves as proof of participation and should be included in your report (photo!).

• For the film discipline, you are required to attend an arthouse cinema or movie theater. So, no Netflix. The film should not be a standard Hollywood film. If in doubt, consult your instructor or check our film recommendations on this website.

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      Final report cultural activities 1, 2 and 3 (4HAVO/4VWO/4TVWO)

• General information such as the name, date, and location of the activity.

• Substantive aspects related to the discipline: describe what you saw and/or heard using the aspects that fit your chosen discipline. These aspects are covered in the lessons and are described on the website. For example, in theater, you can discuss not only the story but also the set, costumes, and acting. And in film, you can discuss not only the story but also camera angles and editing, for example. You can use the viewing and listening guides as a framework. We greatly appreciate it if you dare to step outside your comfort zone and explore an activity that is new to you, a place you haven't yet visited, or a discipline you know nothing about. If you choose familiar territory, look for an alternative performance or give yourself an extra challenge. Ultimately, the goal of the activity is to broaden and deepen your cultural knowledge. If your final report demonstrates in-depth research in the form of additional information, self-produced images, interviews, and original solutions, this will be taken into account in the assessment.

• Opinion: Once you've analyzed what you saw or heard, you can discuss your experience. Try to describe your impressions and experiences as specifically as possible. Focus on the "why." For example: why did the story come across so clearly? Why did you think the costumes didn't fit the genre?

• Expectations: In your preliminary report, you wrote down certain expectations. Did the activity meet your expectations, and why/why not?

• Reviews: Reread the review(s) and/or information sources from your preliminary report. Do you agree with the reviewer's description and opinion, and why/why not? Does the information you found match your experience?

• Conclusion: Conclude your report with a conclusion in which you describe what made the greatest impression on you (this can be either positive or negative) and what you learned from it.

• Formatting and Layout: Ensure your report is clear. Use headings, appropriate fonts, and visuals.

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       Final report cultural activity 4 and 5 (5VWO/5TVWO)

We expect you to be able to write your own review of up to 750 words in a readable and engaging way, assessing the cultural activity.

The review should include:

• A catchy headline that entices readers to read the review. In the introduction, clarify what you're going to discuss. Do this with a good opening line, a quote, or a short description of a scene. Make sure your headline and opening lines are engaging.

• The body of the review provides information about the book, play, or film, etc. The story: provide a general overview of the topic without going into detail or giving away the ending. Reviewers should never reveal the crux or ending! Spoiler alert! The design: briefly discuss the way the story is told, for example, the camerawork, lighting, editing techniques, acting or singing, audience interaction, the type of humor or suspense, choreography, genre characteristics, etc. Use the art guide! The meaning: what is the message, the moral of the story? The most important part of the body is formulating your opinion. Support your opinion convincingly with arguments. Include relevant information from the art guide and cite concrete examples. Compare it to other films/concerts/genres and use the review from your preview.

• The conclusion contains your conclusion: your final assessment, and possibly some advice (positive or negative) for your audience and perhaps even for the creator of the performance, exhibition, or film. Think of a catchy closing line as a closing remark.

• Your review should be ready in terms of content and design for publication in a newspaper or magazine.

• Place text and images on a single sheet of A4 paper in a clear and attractive layout.

• Ensure appropriate and attractive design.

• Include illustrations.

• For any information you haven't provided yourself, you must cite a source.

• Also cite the sources for your illustrations.

• Cite your sources in the relevant section as a footnote.

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       Agreements:

• There are deadlines. Please adhere to them! We certainly will. The deadlines are listed in the PTA.

• We use a minimum of 550 words for the final report as a guideline.

• Fraud or plagiarism exceeding 30% = report to the examination committee. The committee will then decide the consequences.

• A preliminary report is mandatory. You receive two out of ten points for this. Without a preliminary report, we will not approve the activity. You need it to prepare thoroughly.

• For each activity, you must have visited a different art form. If you have previously written a report in the field of "theatre," you may not attend a theatre performance again. A musical can be considered both music and theatre.

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     Reflection

• You must submit your report to Peppels with the relevant assignment. The CAT teacher will assess your report and provide feedback based on the schedule below.

• If the teacher has not received your report by the due date (see PTA), this will be reported to the examination board in the following week. The board will then decide on the consequences. In this case, the teacher may decide to have a reflection meeting with you so we can identify what went wrong and work on improvements. You can download the reflection report here.

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    Assessment

     You can find the assessment method for the reports in the assessment overview tab.

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