TWM offers the following “movie worksheets”:

• Film Study Worksheet for Fiction;
• Film Study Worksheet for Historical Fiction;
• Film Study Worksheets for Documentaries:

– Worksheet for Informational Documentaries,

– Worksheet for Films that Seek to Persuade on Issues of Political or Social Significance, and

– Worksheet for the Aristotelian Modes of Persuasion: Appeals to Logos, Pathos, and Ethos;

• Film Study Worksheet — Hero’s Journey;
• Film Study Worksheet — Cinematic and Theatrical Elements; and
• Six Television Program Worksheets for Homework.

The basic idea is to get students to analyze something which will interest them and to express their conclusions in writing. This will make schoolwork, in class and at home, more palatable. It will lead students to give their best effort.

These worksheets are generic; useful for almost any movie or TV program of the type indicated. Also check out TWM’s Extra Assignments for a Food Program.

The worksheets are suitable for most subjects taught in k-12. The 2010 Common Core State Standards require that teachers in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects join in the effort to assist students in learning how to read, write, and listen. See Common Core State Standards page 5, item # 6, and pages 59 – 69. This may be a change for teachers in those subjects. The worksheets listed in this article will help teachers in subjects other than ELA meet the requirements of the standards.

To use the worksheets, first review them to make sure that they are appropriate for the class and the movie. Feel free to make any necessary adjustments. In most cases, have the class read the questions on the worksheet before watching the film.

TWM worksheets are ideal for homework. When assigning students to watch films at home, provide one or two after-school viewing opportunities for those students who cannot get access to the movie or assign a selection of films so that students will be able to gain access to one of them. When assigning television programs to be watched at home, make sure that everyone has access to the channel on which the program will be played.

See also TWM’s Movies as Literature Homework Project and Historical Fiction in Film Homework Project.

THE ADVANTAGES OF USING GENERIC FILM STUDY WORKSHEETS

 

Many movie worksheets contain questions about specific scenes or details to test whether students have been paying attention. This ensures that students follow the film and don’t daydream or text or surf the Internet on their cell phones. This type of worksheet is beneficial when the film has educational value or is going to be used to drive assignments requiring the exercise of important skills. It’s certainly better than just turning down the lights and letting the movie run.

Generic worksheet questions have the same advantages, however, they also demonstrate to students that all films and TV programs of each genre have certain characteristics that can be broken down and analyzed. For ELA classes generic movie worksheets show that movies contain the elements of story and the devices of fiction. For documentaries, they show students how to analyze any non-fiction film.

Generic worksheets require that students use thinking skills of a higher level than those requiring students only to remember and regurgitate scenes or facts. For these reasons, TWM suggests that teachers use generic movie worksheets in their lesson plans. TWM provides movie worksheets that are specific to the film only in special circumstances.