Being a clown is hard work — no joke! Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee's Laugh Clown Laugh, a short film about German clown Reinhard "Filou" Harstkotte, asks viewers to consider the various roles played by clowns and to consider the...

Students study what influenced and inspired Billy Wilder while determining the plot, characters, and historical context of the film Double Indemnity. They investigate the stereotypes of Film Noir and how it shows the media messages of...

Students view the film "Dogs: The Early Years" from PBS then participate in different activities revolving around dogs. After researching different breeds, students select a dog that best fits their personality and living situation as...

Fifth graders create a video. In this historical presentation, 5th graders watch a video clip of a dramatization of a historical event in American History. Students discuss how this video was put together. Students divide into small...

Practice responding to controversial information with the New York Times lesson provided here. Middle schoolers watch a video interview with the director of The Lost Tomb of Jesus. After reading a companion article, they identify...

Identify their feelings about Shakespeare's plays, addressing their readability and relevance to their lives. 2. Explore the effects of remaking Shakespeare plays in a modern context, as well as differences that emerge when a play is...

Identifying an author’s choice, especially choices that concern craft and literary devices, is a difficult skill to teach. Here's an activity that will make your job easier. The resource breaks down how to teach the skill to novice,...

If you're delving into Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, this worksheet might be for you! Literature scholars respond to higher-level questions about character actions and motivations and the Zefferelli film version of the play. The...

Students research soldier's lives in the American Civil War. They create a video about a soldier's life

In this decimals worksheet, learners solve 10 different word problems that include using decimals. First, they determine the amount of change received from a cashier given a specific amount. Then, students write a decimal representing...

Students are directed by the teacher on how to practice safety in a lab setting.

In this reading comprehension instructional activity, students read several passages about the film industry and then answer eight corresponding questions. Additionally, students write a short description of a documentary they would make...

Students examine how Pip's inner thoughts are portrayed through the medium of film in "Great Expectations." After viewing the film, they answer discussion questions, and compare and contrast the differences between the portrayal of...

Students discuss the purpose of city symphonies that were used in the past. In groups, they compare and contrast the social systems of a school and city to create their own city symphony video together. They also write what is known as...

High schoolers list the five best films of the year, in their opinion; brainstorm a list of criteria for a "good" film. They compare their own lists with the nominees in this year's Academy Awards; consider patterns in Academy Award...

Students examine the way they react to characters and text. They write respones to different media tests. They are required to bring in a photograph and create a mini-biography for homework.

Students create their own weather report. In this weather lesson, students work in groups to predict the weather for three days and create their own video. They have a director, camera-person, still cameraman, and two weathermen. 

Learners read a scene from Hamlet, without stage directions. They recreate the scene using their own stage directions as they see fit for the scene.

For this famous person worksheet, students read a passage about Quentin Tarantino and then complete a variety of in-class and homework activities to support comprehension, including partner interviews, spelling, cloze, synonym...

In this Kitano Takeshi worksheet, students read a passage about Kitano Takeshi and then complete worksheets such as spelling, a listening gap fill, synonym matching, scrambled sentences, and more.

students read the Ghost of Caesar scene and use prompt books to stage the scene. In this Shakespeare lesson, students read the scene and then stage the scene. Students make prompt books for the staging activity and then perform the scenes.

For this Romeo and Juliet worksheet, students view three versions of the balcony scene. Students discuss why the director chose the elements for the film versions. Students then complete a prompt-book activity analyze the setting,...

Students explore where Shakespeare exists in local community plays. In this Shakespeare lesson, students create a documentary to define the existence of Shakespeare in their community drama activities. Students participate in community...

Students get in the habit of writing. They gain confidence in their ability to write and their development as a writer (padding a portfolio). They demystify the MN Basic Standards Writing Test.