Welcome to Film Clips for Character Education
The following pages and videos contain an exciting new approach to character education which reaches students through a medium for which they have a natural affinity: Hollywood movies. In this nine-part series, clips from the movies are used to assist teachers and students engage in reflection and discussion about character and moral action.
At its core are clips from popular Hollywood movies that exemplify key character traits and issues surrounding moral development. The clips provide students with situations that relate to ‘real life’ experiences and draw them into a natural engagement with the subject. This approach not only stimulates students’ thinking on moral action and character, but enhances their engagement with the regular curriculum in the areas of Language Arts, Social Studies, and Fine Arts.
In this guide you will find resources to help you create the greatest impact with Film Clips. Four clips are listed under each key character trait, for the purpose of illustrating some positive or negative aspect of the given trait and stimulating creative reflection and discussion. This study guide provides a great deal of flexibility for the teacher to use Film Clips most effectively. You will want to use your discretion regarding the appropriateness of both the clips and the suggested activities to the age as well as the intellectual and emotional skill levels of your students.
With this in mind, this study guide can help you take a fresh approach to character education, using the letters F-I-L-M to summarize the appropriate steps:
F:Fitting Clips to Advisory Lesson or Top Ten Trait of the Week
The team or the individual teacher can choose to create up to four 20-25 minute sessions by showing any or up to all of the four clips under a key theme, pausing for after each for reaction and, and then doing one of the following exercises.
I:Introducing Clips to Students
As you prepare to show a film clip, you can introduce it with a plot synopsis. This gives students who have not previously seen the movie from which the clip is taken some context for understanding the clip.
L:Listening to the Students Discuss the Clips
There are teaser questions you can use following the film clips designed to initiate thoughtful discussion. The follow-up "Going Deeper" questions, should encourage further personal exploration. These questions can be addressed in the context of the whole class, or by splitting the class into small groups and then having the groups report back to the whole class after they have explored their thoughts and opinions,or through a written exercise to be handed in later. the quotations help students build higher order thinking skills, foster analysis of the quotation and relate the film clip to their own lives and the topics they are discovering in class.
Character "Word Wall": A "word wall" can help your students develop/build their vocabulary in terms of meaning, context, and relevance. The words below come directly from the video clips themselves or the question prompts. Developing a word wall is a great way to introduce key vocabulary terms at the beginning of a concept or develop piece by piece as your advisory explores a unit of character.
TRUTH COOPERATION ADVERSITY HONOR LEADER RESPECT INTEGRATE UNIQUE
DEFACTO SEGREGATION SPORTSMANSHIP INTEGRITY EMPATHY WIN/LOSE KINDNESS
SELF-CONTROL SUCCEED COMPASSION TEMPTATION COURAGE LOYALTY PERSEVERANCE
FEAR LEADER DETERMINATION OVERCOME COMMITMENT WILL
M:Moving Students to Reflection & Action
Suggest activities to engage students more deeply with the issues raised by the film clips and discussons. Many of the activities are created as original exercises for this Film Clips curriculum. Others have been adapted from existing resources, including the superb National Middle School Association guide. Treasure Chest: A Teacher Advisory Source Book, edited by Cheryl Hoverstein, Nancy Doda and John Lounsbury. We heartily commend this and similar resources from the NMSA and related education organizations.
At its core are clips from popular Hollywood movies that exemplify key character traits and issues surrounding moral development. The clips provide students with situations that relate to ‘real life’ experiences and draw them into a natural engagement with the subject. This approach not only stimulates students’ thinking on moral action and character, but enhances their engagement with the regular curriculum in the areas of Language Arts, Social Studies, and Fine Arts.
In this guide you will find resources to help you create the greatest impact with Film Clips. Four clips are listed under each key character trait, for the purpose of illustrating some positive or negative aspect of the given trait and stimulating creative reflection and discussion. This study guide provides a great deal of flexibility for the teacher to use Film Clips most effectively. You will want to use your discretion regarding the appropriateness of both the clips and the suggested activities to the age as well as the intellectual and emotional skill levels of your students.
With this in mind, this study guide can help you take a fresh approach to character education, using the letters F-I-L-M to summarize the appropriate steps:
F:Fitting Clips to Advisory Lesson or Top Ten Trait of the Week
The team or the individual teacher can choose to create up to four 20-25 minute sessions by showing any or up to all of the four clips under a key theme, pausing for after each for reaction and, and then doing one of the following exercises.
I:Introducing Clips to Students
As you prepare to show a film clip, you can introduce it with a plot synopsis. This gives students who have not previously seen the movie from which the clip is taken some context for understanding the clip.
L:Listening to the Students Discuss the Clips
There are teaser questions you can use following the film clips designed to initiate thoughtful discussion. The follow-up "Going Deeper" questions, should encourage further personal exploration. These questions can be addressed in the context of the whole class, or by splitting the class into small groups and then having the groups report back to the whole class after they have explored their thoughts and opinions,or through a written exercise to be handed in later. the quotations help students build higher order thinking skills, foster analysis of the quotation and relate the film clip to their own lives and the topics they are discovering in class.
Character "Word Wall": A "word wall" can help your students develop/build their vocabulary in terms of meaning, context, and relevance. The words below come directly from the video clips themselves or the question prompts. Developing a word wall is a great way to introduce key vocabulary terms at the beginning of a concept or develop piece by piece as your advisory explores a unit of character.
TRUTH COOPERATION ADVERSITY HONOR LEADER RESPECT INTEGRATE UNIQUE
DEFACTO SEGREGATION SPORTSMANSHIP INTEGRITY EMPATHY WIN/LOSE KINDNESS
SELF-CONTROL SUCCEED COMPASSION TEMPTATION COURAGE LOYALTY PERSEVERANCE
FEAR LEADER DETERMINATION OVERCOME COMMITMENT WILL
M:Moving Students to Reflection & Action
Suggest activities to engage students more deeply with the issues raised by the film clips and discussons. Many of the activities are created as original exercises for this Film Clips curriculum. Others have been adapted from existing resources, including the superb National Middle School Association guide. Treasure Chest: A Teacher Advisory Source Book, edited by Cheryl Hoverstein, Nancy Doda and John Lounsbury. We heartily commend this and similar resources from the NMSA and related education organizations.