Movie Magic: Utilizing Film and the

Internet to Boost your Classroom

Katie McDermott, Elizabeth Weibley, and Jamie Venice

Coming Attractions!

Good afternoon class!

Our names are Ms. McDermott, Ms. Weibley, and Ms. Venice

Today we’re going to teach you how to use movies and the internet to enhance your lessons! This quote from the CML sums up our feelings on the subject quite well:

“While schools continue to be dominated by print, our lives are increasingly dominated by visual images, from the nightly news to MTV. Learning how to "read" the meanings of these images is a necessary adjunct to print literacy.”

— Center for Media Literacy

As America has moved into the 21st century the visual media has become a significant part of everyday life. The lives of our students have been totally effected by the media: the internet, film, television, commercials and advertisements. Somehow, someway our students are plugged in. Because of this immersion, teachers must “develop in student’s the…capacities for critical, deep “reading”: asking what the text’s author is attempting to accomplish, evaluate how they are doing that, and determining the extent to which they succeed – and why” (Burke 337).

Using film is one such way to help develop “deep ‘reading’”. Film and literature share characteristics: theme, plot, character development, setting, climax, symbolism, and point of view. Many times the techniques used in a film accomplish the same thing that prose description and dialogue do in literature. And while using films in conjunction with written texts is a powerful tool, teachers must also be cognizant of the fact films do not have to be linked to an established piece of text to be worth viewing. (Christenbury 270).

Screenplay

ActorDirection

sYou will be comparing and contrasting an excerpt from the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and an excerpt from the film Speak based on the book.

Using the graphic organizer on your tables, you will each fill out the four sections: Setting, Characters, Plot Events, and Resolution.

Each section has a left and a right column. The left column contains the differences between the book and the film; the right column contains the similarities between the book and the film

Because these are short excerpts there needs to only be at least two similarities and differences in both columns.

After you are finished put your pencil/pen on the desk and turn to the front to wait for further instructions

Method Acting

From Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson:

“As we Ride home on Heather’s bus, she tries to bully me into joining a club. She has a Plan. She wants us to join five clubs, one for every day of the week. The tricky part is choosing the clubs that have the Right People. Latin Club is out of the question, as is Bowling. Heather actually likes bowling—it was a big thing at her old school—but she has seen our bowling lanes and she could tell that no Right Person would set foot in there.” (pg. 22)

That’s a Wrap!

We are living in a world of technology and a fast pace one as well. So, as you can see using media in the classroom is a great way to help students explore different options and it helps students get a different view on things they are learning about rather than just simply sticking with the text. Using a compare and contrast technique with the novel and movie can really help a student out, especially if they are having trouble reading. It's always good to have something they can watch or even just listen too to help them get a better understanding.

Questions:

Why do you think it's a good idea to use media in the classroom? 

Do you think that using media in the classroom is appropriate for all ages? Why or why not?

If the novel your classroom finishes reading, would you have them watch the movie (if there is one)? Why or why not?

Online Resources

Here are some great online resources

for using film in the classroom:

Based on the Book

http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us/readers/movies

Compilation of over 1,250 books, novels, short stories and plays that have been made into a film

Chasing the Frog

http://www.chasingthefrog.com/index.html

Contains a list of movies based on movies dating to the 1930s. Has links to the trailer of the movie and the Amazon book page.

Books Made into Movies

http://www.epl.ca/EPLMaster.cfm?id=BOOKMOVIES

Another compilation site containing texts which have been made into movies, and linking to the book reference page

The Internet Movie Database

http://www.imdb.com

An online database of information related to movies, actors, and television shows

Topics

1. Briefly compare and contrast a book and its movie.

2. How can you apply the use of film in your classroom?

3. Write about a favorite movie or book.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. New York: Penguin Putnam, 1999. Print. Burke, Jim. The English Teacher’s Companion: A Complete Guide to Classroom, Curriculum, and the Profession. 3rd ed. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print. Christenbury, Leila. Making the Jorney: Being and Becoming a teacher of English Language Arts. 3rd ed. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2006. Print. Speak. Dir. Jessica Sharzer. Perf. Kristen Stuart, Michael Angarano, Elizabeth Perkins, Steve Zahn. Showtime, 2004. DVD.