Then I asked, "What do you think the message or big idea was in this film?" They shared lots of thoughts, and I noted the common ideas the group came up, which were love and hope.
After their first viewing, I asked them to share what they noticed about the film. The first time was simply to enjoy the story. For this lesson, my students watched the film twice. I then share common themes found in stories, such as, perseverance, family, friendship, hope, honesty, self determination, courage, etc. I describe theme as the heart of the story. One of my absolute favorite lessons to teach is "theme." Last year, my fifth graders were having trouble grasping the concept, so I searched for a good short film to visually "show" them theme, and I found the perfect one! Learning what the skill looks like visually, and practicing with a media kids are already familiar with, is an effective first step in students applying the skill to their reading. Just about ANY reading skill can be taught with shorts: making connections, asking questions, sequencing, predictions, drawing conclusions, plot, character development, theme, and this list goes on and on!
Which reading skills can be taught using shorts? You don't want any unexpected surprises! Also, sometimes there is an advertisement to get through at the beginning, so I always set it up beforehand, that way it's all ready to go for the lesson. Be careful to always view films before showing them in class. My go to place to find great shorts is YouTube. My students, regardless of their level of language proficiency, "get" the lesson more easily because the shorts are visual. Most shorts do not have dialogue, they're all action. Show a short film and students are engaged! Visual learners and students who typically struggle with reading comprehension, including English language learners (ELLs), have greater success practicing comprehension skills with shorts.
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