Choose Life.... by Year 6

So a couple of weeks ago, I went to see the sequel to a very iconic British film. I enjoyed it immensely. My favourite scene has to be the iconic 'Choose Life' monologue.

It got me thinking about a more age appropriate version for young people to relate to.

So with my Year 6 digital leaders, we considered all the different aspects of how to live a happy and successful life.

I did not mention the film at all (for obvious reasons) I just gave the group a clean version of the original 'Choose Life' monologue:

Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, wishing away your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, brats you raised to replace yourself.
We discussed the message here and how it is criticising society, consumerism and the system.We all want the same things (nice cars, clothes etc) and conform to society's conventions forgetting about our real dreams and when we realise we didn't fulfil our dreams it is too late to do anything.

Following a similar idea of living life to the fullest, reaching your potential and being happy, the group wrote their own 'choose life' monologue. The children listed all the things that matter to them such as school, sport and technology. They discussed some issues affecting them and others; fake news, internet safety and inequality.

The children wanted to promote a positive outlook for others to follow. When the children were told they were going to perform this monologue as a video which would be shared online, this seemed to motivate them more with their writing. When I explained that other young people who may feel alone, stressed and feel like they can't achieve their dreams might watch their video and feel inspired and this further added purpose to the task.

Once they had completed writing, they used Adobe Spark Video to create visuals to link to their words and then filmed themselves in front of the greenscreen. The videos and visuals were linked together in Doink Greenscreen. I had to then put the iconic music from the film to finish it off!

Here is their finished effort:

Choose life, choose your future, choose education. Choose to listen, enquire, invent and think. Choose to go to school not because you have to, but because you want to. Choose to read, not because it is a gift, because it is a right. Choose to read to get lost in great stories and not just to answer questions. Choose to write. Choose to tell stories, express ideas and be creative without worrying about the active and passive voice to tick a box.
Choose to exercise. Choose to go outside and run. Choose to jump, climb and play.
Choose to use the internet. Choose to be positive and share your ideas with a global audience. Choose YouTube, Instagram and blogging. Choose to be famous because you have excelled and achieved something not just for looking good behind a filter.  
Choose to be happy and confident with your self no matter what your size and shape as it is what's on the inside that counts. Choose to be respectful and appreciate that people are different and have different views but we should all be treated equally and work together. Choose to value the truth. Choose not to believe everything you see online and in the media as they can have hidden agendas. Choose to value people over money.  
Choose to have a passion and follow your dream so when you grow up working makes you happy and fulfilled. Choose to be happy. Don't just wait for the sun, dance in the rain. Choose to put your phone down and experience the incredible world around you. Choose to talk to your family and friends. Choose to make memories.  
Choose to be a master of technology and not a slave to it. Choose to make mistakes knowing it is one step closer to being a success. Choose to be the change you want to see in the world. Choose your future. Choose life.
 


Comments

  1. Nicola Gilbert22 February 2017 at 16:07

    Absolutely brilliant! This is a real message to all the children! I absolutely love it. Well done guys

    ReplyDelete
  2. Georgia+Joseph23 February 2017 at 08:07

    What a fantastic message and a thoroughly engaging way to portray it. "Choose to be a master of technology and not a slave to it." Yes!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sarah23 February 2017 at 14:44

    Brilliant stuff from your year 6. I thought the updated monologue in the sequel was good but they've done even better!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Chris T27 February 2017 at 08:58

    Absolutely brilliant Mr P and children. Going to share. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tech Blog22 March 2017 at 08:29

    Completely splendid! This is a genuine message to every one of the kids! I totally cherish it. Well done folks..!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous2 May 2017 at 17:14

    Very inspirational, today our head teacher spoke very fondly of it and even said that she might introduce digital leaders to our school! Our head teacher also played this video so the year 6's feel calm about SATs and it definitely worked!

    ReplyDelete

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