The Antagonist

This activity was built in the Learning Magic, Inc. Table of Contents template that we first introduced in our Raptors and Reptiles study unit CDs.

This activity explores the subject of what an antagonist is. In the first chapter the word 'antagonist' is defined and then students are informed that in the following three chapters they will meet two characters and have an opportunity to watch them interact.

The second chapter introduces the student to Cooper, a two-year old golden retriever.

The third chapter introduces them to Jake, a two-year old cat who lives next door to Cooper.

In the final chapter the students have the opportunity to watch the main characters in this book interact with each other at a small gap in a fence. On each of four movie pages, the student has to determine who is the primary antagonist in that short video and explain why.

At the end of the chapter the student has the opportunity to make a final determination as to who was the biggest antagonist throughout the encounter.

In classrooms, we have had a wide variety of opinion amongst students as to who is the real antagonist. In class votes, the wide variety of opinions has spurred much discussion.

The subject matter presented here has led to extended discussions in some classrooms into the subjects of "bullying", "pestering", and other behavioral traits that cause students concern and discomfort and foster an environment not conducive to learning.

This activity was built in Classroom Suite v. 3.2. The activity can be run on the ITAN Player. But IntelliPics Studio 3® is needed to perform data capture, automatic grading and portfolio management, as well as any editing or changes to the activity itself.