Films in the Classroom

As a former film student, I love finding ways to incorporate films into my classroom. I have used films to demonstrate tone and mood (Tim Burton's short "Vincent") as well as plot and story elements (Tim Burton's original "Frankenweenie"... I love Tim Burton!). I have also used film versions of texts studied in class like A Raisin in the Sun, Hercules, Romeo and Juliet, and Where the Wild Things Are. I like to make the film an assignment as well. One way I've found to do this is to have students study the film review genre and write their own film reviews. Like the personal essays and persuasive essays, I start with a stack of film reviews and ask students to create a Noticings list to figure out the structure of a film review. Students have done well writing film reviews because it mixes something they see as pure entertainment (watching a movie) with the academic writing and reading of film reviews. Below is a bulletin board I created filled with movie reviews.

A Raisin in the Sun Student Activities

My bulletin board is currently filled with 7th grade poems, but I was able to hang the A Raisin in the Sun assignments on cork strips in the hallway. The students were very proud to see their work displayed. Check out their work below!

Character Charts and "Dream Deferred" Analyses

Quote/Theme Analyses and A Raisin in the Sun Act IV Activity

Exemplary Theme/Quote Analysis

Exemplary Theme/Quote Analysis

Exemplary Character Chart

Exemplary Character Chart

A Raisin in the Sun Unit Plan

I just finished my eighth grade drama unit with A Raisin in the Sun. I am so excited with the quality of work that my students completed as they were able to respond to high levels of thinking and inferencing. They made some great connections throughout the unit. I've taught the text a number of times, but this year it really came together in a way that was enjoyable, educational, and empathetic. (Wanted to throw some alliteration in there!). The A Raisin in the Sun flip book that I purchased on Teachers Pay Teachers provided a great framework for the unit. I've uploaded my complete A Raisin in the Sun unit guide that includes a lot of the materials that I used as well as a curriculum map. I'm going to take photos and upload student examples this week, so make sure to check back for some exemplary student work!

The 2008 movie version that we watched after reading the play. 

A Raisin in the Sun Flipbook

So, I just couldn't wait to share my amazing teachers pay teachers purchase. My eighth graders are studying drama and reading A Raisin in the Sun. Many of the literary terms are review from the novel study last semester, but since I work at a suspension school, most of my students were not with me during that time. This flipbook is a great resource to review those terms as well as study the content and themes of the play. I love the vocabulary section which was a great pre-reading activity and helped to focus the students as we started a new semester with new classes. It has been great for behavior management as well as students can work at their own pace for many of the activities. It is truly a terrific teaching tool, and I definitely recommend it for anyone reading A Raisin in the Sun. Thanks Ms. Knight! You're awesome!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/A-Raisin-in-the-Sun-Interactive-Layered-Flip-Book-1379353