Teachers.Net - TEACHER.NET GAZETTE - Teachers.Net Chat center provide 24 hour discussions for teachers around the globe. Early childhood chatboard primary elementary chatboard upper elementary chat middle school high school administrator chatboard student teacher chat substitute teacher beginning teacher chatboard new teacher 4 blocks four blocks chatboard gifted and talented GATE ATP academically talented advanced placement special education chatboard music teacher science social studies arts and crafts board pen pals 100 days chatboard project boards teacher job listings and education jobs teacher career support forum. Bookmark the Teachers.Net Chat Center and tell a friend!
Postcard from Planet Esme...

by Esmé Raji Codell

  To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu
------------------------------------------------------------------
This article was printed from Teachers.Net Gazette,
located at http://teachers.net.
------------------------------------------------------------------
This Summer's Coolest Classroom Idea: Cinema Club

When I became a public school teacher, I made reference to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and was met with blank stares and the sound of crickets. I asked how many children had seen The Wizard of Oz, and only half of the class raised a hand. I began to realize I was dealing with a lot of kids who thought Peter Pan was a brand of peanut butter and that The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Tarzan were written by Walt Disney. I decided that since they didn't know history, I would doom them to repeat it, and started a Cinema Club. Friday afternoons the classroom was transformed into a movie theater, complete with popcorn. We sent tickets to other classrooms and teachers gave them to deserving students who came as our special guests. Permission slips were signed so children could stay until the end of the movie, which sometimes ran close to two hours past the last school bell. We always had a full house, and many parents joined us. Start your own cinema club and visualize a summer of blockbuster books with their filmic follow-ups...and visualize some air-conditioning, too, while you're at it!

A big hurdle in the children's initial enjoyment was that many of the movies were black-and-white. This proved traumatic for a couple of shows, but then the audience got used to it. Watching Anne Bancroft fist-fight with Patty Duke over the dining room table in The Miracle Worker, well, you just didn't need Ted Turner's colorization to keep your eyes glued to the screen. The other hurdle was that movies were sometimes black-and-white in other ways; racial stereotypes were rampant, even in movies that were otherwise wonderful and sophisticated. This afforded a great opportunity to discuss what we were watching and to put it into historical context. I loved showing the movies, warts and all, because nearly all of them could be integrated into both American and World history, geography and social studies. Musicals were painful, especially for the boys, until I showed Oliver! and West Side Story, and then at least they saw that if singing and dancing was cool enough for the Artful Dodger and the Sharks and the Jets, it was palatable enough for them. Some of the movies had strong language, some had mild violence or romance. I was concerned until I started watching the prime-time television shows that my students recommended. I noticed there was more innuendo and violence in the commercial breaks than there was in any one of the entire movies I was showing. Characters who made poor choices or said or did inappropriate things did so in a developed story rather than a show in the midst of a ratings war or an advertisement desperately trying to soak the viewer for money. Cinema Club was about narrative and dramatization, and proved to be a great and natural extension to our literature-based learning. The content of the movies should be no problem so long as you are available to discuss or clarify what you are watching.

Many children took an interest in reading the book after seeing the movie on which it was based. Further, the older movies tend to have more challenging vocabulary and fast-paced dialogue, which I believe contributed to increased attention spans and listening skills...to say nothing for sense of humor and timing. Even low-achieving students were introduced to the timeless plots, characters and the language of classic literature without excessive frustration. I also found that it helped first-generation immigrant children feel affection for their new country; children who were struggling to read or write in English did not have to struggle to be entertained, and filmic knowledge seemed to usher them into the culture.

Children live in an increasingly visual society, so it's only fair that we prepare them to be media literate; the books and movies below pass the screen test and will make stars out of all your summer school students.

Hints for Cinema Club

  1. Have tickets, serve popcorn.

  2. Expand horizons by showing movies that the children may be less likely to see or choose on their own.

  3. Watch the move yourself first, to anticipate ways you may support your audience and to determine appropriateness for your particular group.

  4. Offer incentives for itchy kids to make it through movies; for instance, get your ticket stub punched at the end of the show, and turn in five stubs for a homemade award/t-shirt/gift certificate to the local movie theater (would they donate?)

  5. Discuss historical context every time.

  6. Point out and discuss racial and gender stereotypes every time.

  7. If you show the film in a school, take care to notify families beforehand what movies are going to be shown and what their ratings are, and get signed permission slips so you are less likely to get an earful about content later.

Cinema Club picks (and read-aloud tie-ins):

You'll be president of the AV club yet!

Happy reading...and viewing!...always,

Esme Raji Codell
Site Director, PlanetEsme.com

Also of Interest:

That's the Ticket! Where to Find Great Movies

Roll Out the Red Carpet! Screen Actors in the Schools
Whether through streaming video, sizzling phone lines or in-the-flesh visits, real live actors can come to your classroom and share favorite stories! Explore http://www.bookpals.net/storyline to check out this very exciting initiative that adds a whole new level of glamor to storytime.

Hooray for Hollywood...and Reading!
For children's books that celebrate the glitz and glamour of La-la land, grab your boa and sunglasses and visit
http://www.planetesme.com/hollywood.html

Also, for more Cinema Club ideas and a variety of multi-media inspiration, the Oscar goes to How to Get Your Child to Love Reading, a new debut and where these suggestions were first auditioned! Check it out at http://www.planetesme.com.

How to Get Your Child to Love Reading: For Ravenous and Reluctant Readers Alike
by Esme Raji Codell

Planet Esmé www.planetesme.com
This printable version is provided for the convenience of individuals.
Reproduction of multiple copies requires permission from editor@teachers.net.

#