As you bring in some novels that truly challenge your kids, a film version can assist with understanding. Your reading curriculum is no doubt far below the reading level of your students. Use Film To Support Above-Grade-Level Reading Now, take this understanding and apply it to literature by discussing an author’s motives. Watching a film can be more than entertainment, it can be an experience in critical thinking. This kind of understanding moves students from knowledge into the evaluation realm of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Where will the characters stand? How will they get into their correct positions? What will the stage look like at this moment? How will the actors convey the emotion behind their lines? Understand creative role of directors and actorsĪs my class watched Marlon Brando in Julius Caesar, I constantly paused and noted how the director makes creative decisions when adapting Shakespeare’s plays to the screen. ![]() Clearly illustrate the hero’s journey using Star Wars, The Matrix, or The Wizard of Oz.ĥ.Need your kids to understand the different between the falling action and the dénouement? I go straight to a discussion of Pixar films (boy they do some great dénouements!).Want to explain climax? Show the giant action scene that ends your favorite movie.Plus, it hits students with another modality, which is always a bonus. However, a quality film uses many of these same techniques, but does it in a way that, one, is fun and, two, is fast. Teaching literary devices naturally requires literature. Become Fluent In The Language of Literary Devices To learn more about critique (some of these are specific to ‘art’ but can easily be adapted to any medium), head here:Ĥ. In teaching students about being critical evaluators, we provide a way to honor their opinions, but also rigorously demand that those opinions be backed up with specific, relevant evidence. Similar to a teacher creating a rubric, students can then ‘grade’ films based on these criteria. Set up opportunities for critique by asking “what makes a good film?” It’s far different from the typical playground evaluation of “that sucks.” To critique a film, students must learn the language of film, they must learn to set criteria, and they must learn to evaluate based on that criteria. ![]() But if it does, use this opportunity to teach students what it means to critique.Ĭritique (n) – A serious examination and judgment of a work of art. The Art of CritiquingĪfraid your students won’t like your favorite black and white classic? Worried they’ll rebel against your beloved film?įirst, it probably won’t happen. Read more about taking classics and remixing them into new ideas. By comparing Nemo and Davey Jones, my students developed a greater understanding of both characters. It’s important for our students to understand the rich heritage that modern works draw upon. Immediately my kids picked up on the parallel between Davey Jones and Captain Nemo – noting similarities that I had missed. I bet they’ll be pretty intrigued when you tell them George Lucas used Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress as a blueprint for the first Star Wars film.Īs my class watched 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, I asked students to look for commonalities with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Think your students might struggle with fifty year old, black and white, subtitled Japanese films? Rafe Esquith offers Akira Kurosawa films to his 5th graders. Your passion for the subject will do far more than picking the “best” classic film. So how do you pick what to expose students to? Simply pick those classics you love and are most knowledgeable about. ![]() If their understanding of films is based solely on Alvin and the Chipmunks, we are not providing them with a strong foundation to build on. Just as the Romans built upon the Greeks, our students will build upon their creative foundation. There’s no need to make it into a critical study with massive assessments and writing assignments. Perhaps, as gifted educators, it is part of our job to provide this exposure. Likewise, The Wizard Of Oz is referenced whenever you hear “there’s no place like home” or “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.”Ĭonnecting students to the source of these references increases the richness of their intellectual life and gives them more to draw upon as creative people. Even if you don’t love Jimmy Stewart, even if you can’t stand black and white, and even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, it’s impossible to avoid references to this film. In America, It’s A Wonderful Life is part of our cultural heritage. Here’s seven ways utilizing film benefits your gifted students. Movies like these are essential pieces of our culture that enrich students lives and connect them to a larger community. I am consistently amazed that so few of my students have experienced classic films such as The Wizard of Oz, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, and It’s A Wonderful Life.
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