Screening the Silver Screen

Consumer technology has made it possible for filmmakers to create entire movies from the comfort of their home computer. Guide high school film buffs through the process of designing a documentary with an extensive unit published by...

You'll be a star at your next grade level meeting with an educational unit on Louis Sachar's Holes. Based on both the novel and film, the lessons include applications to language arts with character studies and movie reviews; social...

Finding the central idea is the focus of this lesson. Middle schoolers write descriptions of different animals using details and descriptive language. They watch a video of kids using descriptive language, and then use showing language...

A viewing of Silver Sling begins a consideration of the issues related to and the need for surrogate mothers. Class members then compare the stance of the film to that of the article, “Surrogate Mothers: Womb for Rent.” Richly detailed...

What can middle schoolers learn about persuasive writing by observing their snacks? This activity and several others introduce the idea of writing a critique in a persuasive writing assignment. The lesson consist of seven parts, which...

Encourage your readers to make connections between texts with this resource. After compiling notes for each text read (you choose the texts), groups craft skits in which major characters from each text meet. There is a rubric for the...

All stories contain themes. Examine the theme of an assigned story (the lesson suggests To Kill a Mockingbird). Your class can either read a story or watch a DVD to analyze the main theme of the story. They identify terms such as theme,...

High schoolers use the internet to track the growth of the King Arthur legend from the Dark Ages to its arrival on the silver screen.

Young scholars investigate the evolution of the King Arthur stories and analyze them as a window into the culture that preserved them. They trace the legends through their earliest versions through medieval and Victorian times and into...

Darth Vader, The Wicked Witch of the West, Shere Khan, Moby Dick...these are some of the most famous villains in film and literature. Study the four categories of conflict with your class and have them finish the day by creating a...