Educator Amber Chandler’s feel-good Movie Magic in the Classroom prepares any teacher to guide students through 10 films that address a range of SEL topics, from creating a sense of belonging to building an inclusive community, writes Sarah Cooper. For ELA, history and more.
Close Reading the Media / Literacy and Film
by MiddleWeb · Published 09/19/2018 · Last modified 09/02/2020
Media literacy expert Frank Baker participated in an August conference to introduce educators to a major new curriculum from Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation – “Portraits of America: Democracy on Film” – which will be available free to educators. Here’s his report.
Future of History / Teaching with Movies
by Sarah Cooper · Published 05/29/2017 · Last modified 11/27/2019
Showing short video clips to her history students is easy for Sarah Cooper to justify, but with full-length movies she is more cautious about the time investment. Here she shares three films that make the cut: Iron Jawed Angels, Glory, and All the President’s Men.
Taking care of ourselves means finding time to rest, getting enough exercise, and having balance in our lives. It also means being inspired about who we are and what we do. Barbara Blackburn shares six ways she has incorporated inspiration into her teaching life.
Do your students know that when they watch docudramas, they’re not watching history as it actually happened? Do they understand movie makers’ “artistic license” for condensing history into 2-hour films? Frank W. Baker suggests media-oriented films and teaching strategies.
Sixth grade teacher Kevin Hodgson uses What’s the Big Idea?, a philosophy website for middle schoolers, to guide his students through a close reading of movie and TV clips, exploring ethical questions and examining filmmaker’s intentions.
