In the following chapter, I list a selection of activities that can be used alongside film viewing in schools. These activities are meant for secondary school EFL classes.
Activities are planned for some of the films summarized in Appendix A, however, they can be adapted and changed to fit a multitude of films with similar topics. Examples include pre-viewing, while-viewing and post-viewing activities, meant for different skill-levels, as well as the aims of the activities. The activities are arranged due to their difficulty level – from lower-intermediate to advanced. For the purposes of this thesis, I assume the teachers are able to acquire the film and show it in its entirety in class, without copyright and timing issues, however, when using the activities, these issues should be kept in mind.
4.1. True or False
Level: lower - intermediate, intermediate Type of activity: pre-, while- and post-viewing Aims of the activity:
-developing listening and observation skills
-looking for contextual clues while watching the film
This is a true/false activity. Prior to watching, the students are given a number of statements which they mark as true or false while watching the film. After viewing, students discuss the correctness of the statements and fix the false ones.
As an example, the following statements refer to the film Harriet (Lemmons, 2019).
The film Harriet is a biographical film about a Black woman who led a revolutionary movement of slave liberation in the mid-19th century (further synopsis in Appendix A).
This activity can be adapted to most films, but is suited especially well to biographical films.
43 The following statements are examples of what can be used and are not placed in chronological order as seen in the film. The underlined words are false and corrected in the brackets.
1. She was born Araminta “Minty” Ross, but she later changed her name to Harriet Tubman to honor her mother and her brother. (Her husband)
2. In 1849, Tubman escaped to New York and became free. (Pennsylvania) 3. Harriet Tubman went by several nicknames, including “Conductor of
Underground Railroad and “Moses of Her People”
4. Harriet jumped off the bridge to kill herself. (To escape her master) 5. Tubman was 5.5 (167 cm) feet tall. (Less – 5 feet tall)
6. She dressed as a man to save slaves.
7. She had a scar on her chest because her overseer hit her. (Her forehead) 8. Tubman was the first woman to lead an armed raid. It freed 700 slaves in South
Carolina.
9. She used a pistol to frighten the slaves to keep moving to freedom.
10. Harriet was a vocal advocate of the women’s rights movement.4
This activity can be adapted to most films, but is suited especially well to biographical films, as students get to know important historical figures and their lives.
4.2. Discussing the Differences
Level: lower-intermediate, intermediate Type of activity: while- and post-viewing Aims of the lesson:
-developing listening comprehension
-developing the ability to compare two cultures and behaviors -acquiring vocabulary on different personality traits
4 Statements are taken and adapted from Homeschool Super Freak (2021).
44 -developing critical thinking when having to apply a similar situation to themselves This activity requires students to observe and notice the differences in different cultures and races. While watching the film, students write down as many examples of different behaviors, habits, language, clothing, etc., they can spot, and how people behave when faced with different cultures. The film The Hate U Give (Tillman, 2018) is a wonderful example of how Black people change their behavior when placed in a mostly White environment, as the main character is a Black girl, attending a predominantly White school (more in Appendix A). This activity is not meant to reinforce stereotypes, but to show how people adapt to their environment, especially when faced with uncomfortable situations.
After watching the film, students discuss why some people change their behavior when in different situations. Students are then welcome to share how they change their personalities based on where they are and who they are with.
This activity is suited for films that deal with at least two different cultures, where the shift of behavior and personality traits of people from either culture can be seen.
4.3. Know-Wonder-Learn
Level: intermediate
Type of activity: pre-, while- and post-viewing Aims of the lesson:
-developing writing, listening and speaking skills
-developing the ability to recognize information from the context of the film
This activity relies on students’ prior knowledge of the selected topic. Before watching a film, students are instructed to write down as many examples of the selected category as they can remember – this is what they know. Following, they write down what they do not know, or what they wonder about the topic and what they would like to learn.
Then, when the film is played, the students check their statements and questions, trying to find as much new information as they can. After the film, there is a discussion
45 about which new information the students acquired, as well as how factual their previous “Know” statements were.
As an example, I apply the activity to the film Hidden Figures (Melfi, 2016), about a group of Black women in the 1960s, who were vital to the American space race (further information in Appendix A). The category in which students share their knowledge is
“examples of racism and discrimination Black people had to face in the 1950/60s”. The film provides many examples of racism, both from people and institutions, as well as the abolishment of some of the “rules” Black people had to stick to.
4.4. Personal 10-point program
Level: upper-intermediate Type of activity: post-viewing Aims of the lesson:
-practicing teamwork and cooperation while working in groups -developing writing and speaking skills
-developing presentation skills
-acquiring the ability to defend and/or critique own or others’ ideas
This activity is inspired by an activity by Wayne Au, posted on Zinn Education Project.
After watching a film dealing with activism and fights for human rights – such as Judas and the Black Messiah (King, 2021) or The Hate U Give (Tillman, 2018) – students are presented with the 10-point program of the Black Panther Party. Students are instructed to get into groups of 2-4, preferably those who share similar opinions. Each group chooses a social issue they are passionate about. There are many possible options, ranging from discrimination – racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism – to issues such as climate change, politics, students’ lives, etc.
Students are then instructed to write their own 10-point program that is related to their topic, listing demands and requests to help their cause. Each group gets the chance to present their points in front of the class. The rest of the students are then welcomed
46 to comment, criticize, and debate whether those points are reasonable and even feasible (Au, 2021).
4.5. Film Literacy and Analysis
Level: upper-intermediate, advanced Type of activity: pre-, while-, post-viewing Aims of the lesson:
-developing critical thinking
-picking up contextual clues from the film -developing the ability of argumentation
This activity is based on the analysis of the film and the reasons for its creation and showing it in class. Prior to watching the film, handouts with the following questions from the Centre of Media Literacy (2008) are given to the students. They are then instructed to analyze the film and its themes. With these questions, students start to develop critical thinking in reading the film, the purposes of it being created, and assess the reasons why the film is being shown in class.
1. Who created this message?
2. What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?
3. How might different people understand this message differently?
4. What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
5. Why is this message being sent?
(CML, 2008, p.47) After watching the film, students are instructed to answer the questions, and they are welcome to use the internet for any information that is not seen in the film. Due to the nature of this activity, it can also be a home assignment. After the students have
47 answered the questions, a discussion can be held about the film’s messages, its purpose and general understanding of it.
This activity may be used with nearly all films shown in class, because the aim of the activity is the analysis of the film itself and its purpose. As it comes to films dealing with racial themes, this activity is helpful to develop critical thinking as the reasoning to show films with racial themes is that the students can connect the films to current movements of Black rights, such as Black Lives Matter.
4.6. Different Point-of-View
Level: advanced
Type of activity: post-viewing, home assignment Aims of the lesson:
-conducting own research -developing writing skills
-developing critical thinking while viewing the situation from the point-of-view of other people
While this activity can be adapted for other films, it is inspired by and best connected to the film The Help (Taylor, 2011).
After watching The Help (Taylor, 2011) students are instructed to think of a social problem which other people deal with. It is best if they choose a problem, they personally do not deal with and are not the target group of the issues. Examples such as racism, homophobia, sexism, classism, ableism, etc., are provided.
They then do some research on their chosen topic and write a short article (around 200 words) from the first-person point of view, similarly to how Skeeter wrote a book from the POV of the Black people to illustrate their struggles. Due to the required research, this activity should be given as a home assignment. Students are welcome to talk to people dealing with these issues as they conduct their research. Articles may then be presented in class if time permits.
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