Movie Discussion Club provides an opportunity to experiment with skills that are crucial to essay writing and academic exploration before learning those particular writing formats. Students in this class learn to articulate a position, communicate their findings, use concrete examples and evidence in support, find deeper meanings and make connections to other perspectives, make persuasive choices in light of their intended audience, and develop their writing processes and habits.
Our coach leads specific discussions to explore character, uncover themes, analyze plot points, and examine cinematic technology and art.
The movies viewed for this course were:
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Common Core and Academic Standards Support
What follows is a word bank and set of skills associated with this class. Use them to craft your own learning narrative for use in year-end evaluations, charter school reports, or any other accountability source.
Word Bank
- Character
- Memorization
- Narration
- Oral language
- Plot
- Recitation
- Self-expression
- Sequencing
- Setting
- Story arc
- Theme
- Transcription
- Vocabulary development
- Writing craft
- Written and visual narrative
Core Skills
- Analyze impact of cinematic choices: directorial, sound, cinematography, effects
- Analyze multiple interpretations of a story or theme
- Analyze structure of text
- Cite textual evidence to support conclusions
- Compare and contrast story and theme variants
- Determine central ideas and themes
- Identify moral or lesson
- Identify patterns
- Identify point of view
- Identify protagonist and antagonist
- Present arguments and counterarguments
- Relate film content to modern experience
- Study narrative arc: action, background, development, climax, resolution
