1. Teacher Guide
This lesson is designed to teach kids to ask a critical thinking question that you can’t just put into a search box to solve. To do that, we encourage them with smaller questions that search can help them answer. Make sure that you read the notes for each slide: they not only give you teaching tips but also provide answers and hints so you can help the kids if they are having trouble.
Remember, you can always send feedback to the Bing in the Classroom team at You can learn more about the program at bing.com/classroom and follow the daily lessons on our Partners In Learning site.
Want to extend today’s lesson? Consider using Skype in the Classroom to arrange for your class to chat with another class in today’s location. And if you are using Windows 8, you can also use the Bing apps to learn more about this location and topic; the Travel and News apps in particular make great teaching tools.
Alice Keeler is a mother of 5 and a teacher in Fresno, California. She has her B.A in Mathematics, M.S. in Educational Media Design and Technology and is currently working on a doctorate in Educational Technology with an emphasis in games and simulations. EdTech speaker, blogger, and presenter. Founder of coffeeEDU, a 1 hour conference event for educators. New Media Consortium Horizon report advisory panel member. High school math teacher for 14 years. Currently teaching pre-service teachers curriculum, instruction and technology at California State University Fresno. Teaches online for Fresno Pacific University in the Masters in Educational Technology. Passionate that kids are not failures, researches gamification in education to increase student motivation.
This lesson is designed to teach the Common Core State Standard: English Language Arts
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

2. What makes a film a work of art?
© Alan Copson/age fotostock
Having this up as kids come in is a great settle down activity. You can start class by asking them for thoughts about the picture or about ideas on how they could solve the question of the day.

3. What makes a film a work of art?
For the next 11 days, this city on the French Riviera will be the center of the universe as far as the movie industry is concerned. Cannes was once a sleepy fishing village, but in 1946, when it was selected as the place to host an international film festival, the perception of Cannes changed forever.
Even when the festival’s not underway, a stroll down the seaside avenue, the Promenade de la Croisette, reveals the lasting influence of film-industry money and glamour: High-end retail and luxury resorts crowd the street. But historic sites and natural beauty also abound, giving the more casual visitor plenty to do if, you know, keeping an eye out for Brangelina isn’t one of your goals.
Depending on time, you can either have students read this silently to themselves, have one of them read out loud, or read it out loud yourself.

4. What makes a film a work of art?1
Web Search
Examine several definitions of the word “art.” 2
Choose 3 films from the AFI top What do these films have in common? 3
What some different types of media make up the arts? How many of these are in films? 4
Video Search
Find a video clip from a film you would consider a work of art, explain why. 5
Thinking
Can some films be considered art and others not? What would be the key differences between the two?
There are a couple of ways to use this slide, depending on how much technology you have in your classroom. You can have students find answers on their own, divide them into teams to have them do all the questions competitively, or have each team find the answer to a different question and then come back together. If you’re doing teams, it is often wise to assign them roles (one person typing, one person who is in charge of sharing back the answer, etc.)

5. What makes a film a work of art?5
Minutes
You can adjust this based on how much time you want to give kids. If a group isn’t able to answer in 5 minutes, you can give them the opportunity to update at the end of class or extend time.

6. What makes a film a work of art?1
Web Search
Examine several definitions of the word “art.” 2
Choose 3 films from the AFI top What do these films have in common? 3
What some different types of media make up the arts? How many of these are in films? 4
Video Search
Find a video clip from a film you would consider a work of art, explain why. 5
Thinking
Can some films be considered art and others not? What would be the key differences between the two?
You can ask the students verbally or let one of them come up and insert the answer or show how they got it. This way, you also have a record that you can keep as a class and share with parents, others.

7. What makes a film a work of art?1
Web Search
Examine several definitions of the word “art.”
(Possible Search Queries: define art, work of art)
Sources
Merriam Webster:
Dictionary.com:
Wikipedia:
Students should create a definition that should include an expression of beauty, emotion or ideas through a variety of imaginative means.

8. What makes a film a work of art?2
Web Search
Choose 3 films from the AFI top What do these films have in common?
(Possible Search Queries: AFI top 100, )
Sources
American Film Institute:
Wikipedia:
Students should examine the list and then search for each movie individually. Students will note that each film demonstrates a combined excellence of a variety of factors including, narrative technique, influence, acting, cinematography and or other esthetics such as music, lighting, sound etc.

9. What makes a film a work of art?3
Web Search
What some different types of media make up the arts? How many of these are in films?
(Possible Search Queries: The Arts different media)
Sources
Wikipedia:
Students will note the various media such as: painting, music, performing arts, poetry, drama, sculpture, architecture etc. Then students will examine the nature of film and note that films encapsulate a variety of different media including: narrative, music, acting, visual arts, photography etc.

10. What makes a film a work of art?4
Web Search
Find a video clip from a film you would consider a work of art, explain why.
(Possible Search Queries: (Insert Movie Title) clip)
Sources
Bing Video Search:
Students should search for a clip of the movie they are convinced is a work of art. Then students should describe what exactly the clip contains that sets it apart as such. For example, students may note the way the actors are able to express or convey a certain emotional state. Or how the narrative or music produces a similar effect. In the example from Citizen Kane above, this clip shows the actors’ ability to communicate ideas, conflict and generate a believable sense of tension.

11. What makes a film a work of art?5
Thinking
Can some films be considered art and others not? What would be the key differences between the two?
Students may argue that some films do not contain any appealing aesthetic content or fail to present any beautiful, emotional or important ideas. Students may argue that films that purpose to merely entertain the audience may tend to neglect certain aspects with aesthetic appeal. Other students may argue that even the most banal films can have certain artistic merits such as soundtrack or acting or the like.

12. What makes a film a work of art?
This slide is a chance to summarize the information from the previous slides to build your final answer to the question.