Film Studies Teacher Resources
Lights, camera, action! Roll out new and unique curriculum to best direct your pupils in the art of cinema.
Showing 128 resources
EngageNY
EngageNY Grade 8 ELA: Module 2b, Unit 1: Building Background Knowledge: Understanding Shakespeare and Launching A Midsummer Night’s Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream takes center stage in a collection of 18 resources that explore not only William Shakespeare's appeal but also the question of authorship of the plays attributed to him. Eighth graders participate in read aloud...
EngageNY
EngageNY Grade 8 ELA Module 2b: A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Comedy of Control
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the anchor text in a three-unit module that has eighth graders examine how Shakespeare develops the theme of control. Young scholars look at why and how the characters seek control and the results of...
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Star Wars and Shakespeare Unit
Luke Skywalker meets Hamlet in a 10-lesson plan unit based on Ian Doescher's William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope (WSSW). Using Star Wars® as source material, Doescher has transformed Lucas's film into a Shakespearian...
EngageNY
EngageNY Grade 8 ELA: Module 2a, Unit 2: Case Study: Atticus Takes a Stand
Unit 2 of Module 1a continues a study of To Kill A Mockingbird with readers paying particular attention to the theme of taking a stand. A Mid-Unit Assessment asks students to compare a key scene in the novel with the same scene in the...
EngageNY
EngageNY Grade 8 ELA Module 2a: Working With Evidence: Taking a Stand
In the three units in Grade 8, ELA Module 2A, eighth-graders continue their study of the theme of taking a stand. In Unit 1, scholars develop their close reading skills as they examine speeches of real people taking a stand. They...
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Reconstruction: America After the Civil War
Excerpts from Reconstruction: America After the Civil War, Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s documentary series provide young historians with insight into the struggles the country faced in the years after the Civil war. Viewers learn about the...
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Ken Burns in the Classroom: Hemingway
Hemingway: BH, AH. Before Hemingway and after Hemingway. A collection of PBS lessons, authored by Julia E. Torres, uses clips from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s documentary to EXPLORE the influence events in Hemingway’s life had on his...
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Lesson: Mathias Poledna: Crystal Palace
Film analysis takes critical thinking, connections, and context. Upper graders look at the film installation, Crystal Palace in terms of the film makers choices, presentation, and perspective of truth. After an analytical discussion of...
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German Expressionism: Crash Course Film History #7
The seventh episode in the a film history playlist takes a close look at the rise and fall of German cinema of the post-World War I period. The narrator uses The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and its expressionistic use of mise-en-scene to...
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Movies are Magic
Persistence of Vision? The Phi Phenomenon? Zoetropes? Camera Obscura? Kinetograph? What part do these concepts and inventions play in the history of movies? Find out with a short video that launches an informative playlist on film history.
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Film Study
According to John Betjeman, "Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows." With The Boy in the Striped Pajamas film study, scholars work in small groups to discuss the quote and other...
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Moonlight
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences awarded its 2017 Best Picture award to Moonlight, which was written and directed by Barry Jenkins. The tender exploration of expectations for black men, contrasted with the reality of...
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Aliens
A playlist on film analysis and criticism continues with an analysis of James Cameron's 1986 sci-fi action classic Aliens, as well as why it is deserving of a place on a list of great films.
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A Cinematic Journey Through Visual Effects
George Méliès realized in the early days of cinema that, "Films have the ability to capture dreams." From classic movies like A Trip to the Moon, The Lost World, and Metropolis, to more modern marvels like Blade Runner, Jurassic Park,...
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The Language of Film
New ventures and new technologies require new ways of referring to things. In stepped Edwin S. Porter, whose films Life of an American Fireman and The Great Train Robbery used parallel action and cross-cutting to develop his narratives....
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Experimental and Documentary Films
Some of the boldest films in history have been documentaries or experimental films. Explore non-narrative cinema and its avant-garde techniques with a short video about a creative faction in film history. Additionally, the video...
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Dissecting The Camera
An episode of a film history playlist looks at camera technology and the roles of the various operators. The narrator presents an overview of different types of film camera lenses, apertures, shutter speed, frame rates, ISO, and codex....
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Outline for Final Presentation
If you're working on a movie analysis unit or you teach film studies, consider using this helpful resource. Create a project for film analysis using the provided outline. Though not a complete rubric, this handout can give you ideas to...
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Create a Magic Lantern Show; Freed People in the Reconstruction South
Engage your scholars by having them create "magic lantern shows" inspired by the film Dr. Toer's Amazing Magic Lantern Show: A Different View of Emancipation. As they study the South's Reconstruction through primary sources, learners...
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The Achievements and Challenges of Egypt
Awesome, that is all I have to say! This set of lessons provides learners with an understanding of ancient Egyptian laws, lifestyle, religion, and culture. It engages them in a critical analysis activity regarding the film, "The Prince...
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Film Festival: Documentaries for Hispanic Heritage Month
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the New York Times provides links to five short documentary films depicting Hispanic themes and culture. Learners can click on each embedded link to view the films, then answer each set of related...
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The First Movie Camera
The second episode in a playlist on the history of film focuses on the role the Kinetograph and the Kinetoscope played in film history. The video also includes information about the contributions of scientists, Vaudeville performers, and...
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Film Language and Elements of Style
How do you read a frame? How do you read a shot? Here's a resource that shows viewers how to read films. As part of the study, class members examine the camera angles, lighting, movement, and cinematic point of view in Mr. Smith Goes to...
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Lesson: After Nature: Dystopia and Detournement
Werner Herzog's film, Lessons of Darkness is the topic of this lesson on art, politics, and culture. Learners discuss the concepts of utopia, dystopia, detournment, and Scorched Earth then compose a paper which describes dystopian reality.