Teaching film study and Literature to Film

The following is meant to be a resource for teachers in starting and maintaining a Film Study or Literature to Film and Composition course in their high school.

It is best to make a lecture and lesson your own, which should involve doing some research and discovery on your own. Feel free to copy and use any of the following information, please credit those responsible for the research and work they have contributed.

Film Study Course Description

Course Description: Students investigate how and what ideas, values and concepts are connected through film. In analyzing film, students will examine elements of plot, setting, style, and point of view. Class activities include viewing, listening, researching and analyzing film. Recommended before taking Video Production. District film policy requires parental permission before students can participate in the classroom viewing.

Film Study - lectures & lessons

Last update 05/15/08 Make these lectures your own, as you learn film terms and shots add them to the lecture, incorporate pop cultural references whenever appropriate. Check the Internet Movie Database for updates on the celebrities.

	Lecture and lesson on the film As Good As It Gets (1997), directed by James Brooks.
	Lecture and lesson on the film Boyz N The Hood (1991), directed by John Singleton. (04/29/08)
	Lecuture and lesson on the film Cellular (2004), directed by David R. Ellis. (04/29/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film Crash (2004), directed by Paul Haggis. (02/20/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film Daylight (1996), directed by Rob Cohen.
	Lecture and lesson on the film Dead Again (1991), directed by Kenneth Branagh.
	Lecture and lesson on the film The Departed (2006), directed by Martin Scorsese. (05/15/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film Dirty Dancing (1987), directed by Emile Ardolino. (05/16/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film Eternal Sunshine (2004), directed by Michel Gondry. (04/29/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film *Evita* (1996), directed by Alan Parker.
	Lecture and lesson on the film Fargo (1996), directed by Joel Coen. (05/15/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the filmThe Fisher King (1991), directed by Terry Gilliam. (02/05/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film I Am Sam (2001), directed by Jessie Nelson. (03/18/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film The Lost Boys (1987), directed by Joel Schumacher. (04/29/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film *Moulin Rouge* (2001), directed by Baz Luhrmann.
	lecutre and lesson on the film *Platoon*, (1986), directed by Oliver Stone. (04/30/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film *Pirates of the Caribbean* (2003), directed by Gore Verbinski. (02/25/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film *Rosewood* (1997), directed by John Singleton.
	Lecture and lesson the film Scream (1996), directed by Wes Craven.
	Lecture and lesson on the film Singin In The Rain (1952), directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly.
	Lecture and lesson on the film Some Like It Hot (1959), directed by Billy Wilder. (03/17/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film Stand By Me (1986), directed by Rob Reiner. (02/28/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film *War Games* (1983), directed by John Badham.

Literature to Film and composition course description

Course Description: This is a film study course with a focus on literature, where students are allowed to explore literature and the direct tie it has to the films of the same title. Students will read two required novels in the course and additional novels of choice are available for extra credit. This is an exciting course meant to open up the world of literature to the film buff and help students truly understand the connection, between a great story and a great film.

Lit to Film - lectures & lessons

Last update 04/30/08

	Lecture and lesson on the film About A Boy (2002), directed by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz. Based on the novel About A Boy, by Nick Hornby. (02/20/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film *Apollo 13* (1995), directed by Ron Howard. Based on the novel Apollo 13: The Lost Moon, by Jim Lovell.
	Lecture and lesson on the film *Angela's Ashes* (1999), directed by Alan Parker. Based on the novel Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt.
	Lecture and lesson on the film Blood Diamond (2006), directed by Edward Zwick. Referencing the book A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Solider, by Ishmael Beah. (04/30/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film *Catch Me If You Can* (2002), directed by Steven Spielberg. Based on the novel Catch Me If You Can, by Frank Abagnale, Jr.
	Lecture and lesson on the film Carrie (1976), directed by Brian DePalma. Based on the novel Carrie by Stephen King. (02/05/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film Cider House Rules (1999), directed by Lasse Hallstrom. Based on the novel Cider House Rules by John Irving. (03/17/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film *Dracula, Bram Stoker's* (1992), directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Based on the novel Dracula, by Bram Stoker.
	Lecture and lesson on the film Fight Club (1999), directed by David Fincher. Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk. (04/30/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film *Million Dollar Baby* (2004), directed by Clint Eastwood. Based on the novel Rope Burns: Million Dollar Baby by F.X. Toole. (05/16/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film Mystic River (2004), directed by Clint Eastwood. Based on the novel Mystic River by Dennis LeHane. (02/25/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film *Notes on a Scandal (2007), directed by Richard Eyre. Based on the novel Notes on a Scandal*, by Zoe Heller. (03/17/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film The Notebook (2004), directed by Nick Cassavetes. Based on the novel The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks. (02/20/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film Psycho (1960), directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Please note this is only the tip of the iceberg, there is a wealth of information available on this film. Based on the novel Psycho by Robert Bloch.
	Lecture and lesson on the film The Silence of the Lambs (1991), directed by Jonathan Demme. Based on the novel by Thomas Harris.(04/30/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film *Stuart Little* (1999), directed by Rob Minkoff. Based on the children's novel Stuart Little, by E.B. White. (12/04/07)
	Lecture and lesson on the film Sophie's Choice (1982), directed by Alan J. Pakula. Based on the novel Sophie's Choice by William Styron.
	Lecture and lesson on the film *Snow Falling on Cedars* (1999), directed by Scott Hicks. Based on the novel Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. (12/04/07)
	Lecture and lesson on the film The Wizard of Oz (1939), directed by Victor Fleming. Based on the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. (01/29/08)
	Lecture and lesson on the film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966), directed by Mike Nichols. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is based on the stage play by Edward Albee.

Essential Learning's/Percentage of course

Students will understand:

A variety of genre in connection to American Cinematography. Theatre Standard V – 20%
Terminology between dramatic arts and cinematography. Theatre Standard VI – 10%
The historical and society development and effects of film. Theatre Standard I, II – 30%
How to evaluate a film. Theatre Standard V, IV – 10%

Students will respond critically to Cinematography and the Dramatic Form. Theatre Standard V, VI, II – 30%

Colorado Model Content Standards for Theatre

Students develop interpersonal skills and problem solving capabilities through group interaction and artistic collaboration.
Students understand and apply the creative process to fundamental skills of acting, play writing, and directing.
Students understand and apply the creative process to skills of design and technical production.
Students understand and relate the role of theatre arts to culture and history.
Students analyze and assess the characteristics, merits, and meanings of traditional and modern forms of dramatic expression.
Students know and apply connections between theatre and other disciplines.

Lesson plans - Film Study

	Using Clint Eastwood as an example of an American film icon, students will learn about and understand the concept of icons by watching the American Masters episode Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows and by applying Guided Reading strategies to the essays and interviews featured on the American Masters Web site. Lesson by Anna Chan Rekate, PBS Teachers Source
	The American Master's series lessons for teachers on George Lucas will consist of three major components: the power of myths concerning good and evil, the power of a hero's journey, and the power of imagination and creativity. Lesson by PBS Teachers Source.
	Field of Dreams This guide has been written to help you study a feature film, Field of Dreams. It is specifically written for students in England and Wales, studying media for assessed work in English in Key Stage 4 of the National Curriculum (GCSE). It may be of interest to students of film generally. Source: Andrew Moore, Universal Teacher
	Nazism in Film This guide has been written to help you study feature films dealing with Nazism in Films. It is specifically written for students in England and Wales, studying media for assessed work in English in Key Stage 4 of the National Curriculum (GCSE). It may be of interest to students of film generally.
	Ideas for teaching with Field of Dreams, Gladiator, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow,Thelma and Louise, and What Dreams May Come.
	Amistad, Film as Literature Study Guide by Michael Vetrie
	Memento Film Study Guide by Michael Vetrie

lesson plans - Literature to Film

	*To Kill a Mockingbird*, Film as Literature Study Guide by Michael Vetrie
	*To Kill a Mockingbird*, Part Two, Film as Literature Study Guide by Michael Vetrie
	Study Guide Reading Tree Student Sample , by Michael Vetrie
	Visual Questioning Worksheet , by Michael Vetrie
	Jurassic Park. Students evaluate the quality of Web sites. Familiarity with Jurassic Park is not essential.
	The Pianist, Film as Literature Study Guide by Michael Vetrie

Teaching Film Web links

	Film and the Composition Classroom: Using Visual Media to Motivate First-Year Writers
	Using Film to Increase Literacy Skills English Journal, Vol. 93, No. 3, January 2004
	How to Organize a Film as a Literature Class (companion piece to Using Film to Increase Literacy Skills)
	Viewing the Films: Not Whether or Not, but How?
	Non-optimal use of video in the Classroom Learning, Media and Technology Vol. 31, No.1, March 2006, pp. 35-70
	AFI Film Study Curriculum for the 21st Century Educator
	Focus on Film: learning It Through the Movies Middle Ground Journal, NMSA, October 2006
	Media Literacy Film Resources Teacher resources for media literacy films to show in the college classroom
	The Director in the Classroom. This page contains links to sites with information about filmmaking, including desktop video.
	Film in the Classroom: A Guide for Teachers Source: PBS Masterpiece Theatre Learning Resources. Pages at this site include The Language of Film, Adaptation, Literary Elements, Wrap Up Resources, and more. Handouts include story board and a viewing log.
	Film in the Classroom. Tips for studying film in general, and a first-person account of movie making. Source: Salzburg Seminar American Studies Center, by Kitty Johnson
	The Criterion Collection, a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, is dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements.
	The British Film Institute, The University of California Press has made the British Film Institutes Library available online. These are incredible books on classic American films.

Film Research sites

	Film Site		Internet Movie Data Base
	Movie Gazette		Cinema.com
	Sense of Cinema		Celebrity search
	Academy of Motion Pictures		Rotten Tomatoes
	Hollywood Foreign Press		Motion Picture Association of America