Girl On A Mission
A short documentary film, Girl on a Mission is the story of Miruna who lives with her parents and twelve siblings in a house that’s way too small, in which it gets blisteringly hot in summer. As the eldest daughter, she helps her parents run the family. Where Romanian Miruna (14) lives, it is never really quiet. Not outside, where the people yell and fight, and not at all indoors. Miruna is determined to study to become a police officer. She barely gets to do her homework and whenever she wants to study, she will have to do this in the midst of playing and fighting children. She is happy and focused on making her dreams come true changing the course of tradition in her community.
Directed by Heleen Dhaens and Eva van Barneveld. Netherlands, 2017
THEMES:
Other in My Classroom, Unknown Territory
TOPICS/ISSUES:
Tradition, Change, Courage, Poverty, Relationships, Aspiration, Careers
NI CURRICULUM LINKS:
LLW - Employability, Citizenship & Personal Development, Language & Literacy: English with Media Education, UICT/ICT, Thinking Skills & Personal Capabilities.
The suggested activities in the Nerve Centre Lesson Plan below can easily be used to support cross-curricular/connected learning at Key Stage 3. You may choose to deliver all the activities within one department or work cross-departmentally to deliver particular activities.
Lesson Plans
KS3 Lesson Plan One (Nerve Centre)
The lesson will present students with importance of creating positive future pathways in helping them to achieve all their goals by analysing Miruna's struggles in life, along with her wish to succeed in Girl on a Mission.
There are 3 suggested activities: 1. Critically watch the film and consider Miruna's story. 2. Use Miruna's story as inspiration to consider their own positive futures. 3. Create a digital ”Vision Dream Board” expressing their hopes, dreams and possible career pathways.
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Lesson Plan Two KS3 (Poland)
This lesson will broaden students understanding of how stereotypes and prejudices work. The students will learn about the work of the UN Declaration in the Rights of the Child and the Ombudsman for Children.
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Lesson Plan Three KS3 (Czech)
This lesson plan will compare the possibilities of the students versus possibilities of children
living in socially excluded areas.
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Work Sheets
KS3 Worksheet One (Nerve Centre)
The worksheets can be used to allow students to think critically about the film and how Miruna's story has been told. Students will explore their own strengths, dreams and positive future pathways.
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Worksheets Two KS3 (Poland)
This worksheet will support the context of the film Girl on a Mission . This film is part of a larger project called “Just Kids”, implemented in the Netherlands in cooperation with public television. The project is about presenting the current problems of children from different countries and encouraging the discussion about children’s rights and the need to enforce them.
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An Introduction to Film Language
Additional support material: An Introduction to Film Language using the 3C's & 3S's, Camera Shots and Angles.
