1. Using Film in the Social Sciences
Facilitated by Carolyn Van Zandt
Monday, October 5, 2015, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
UCF Orlando Campus: Teaching Academy Room, 130

2. Brain Storm Activity
What do you see as the positives reasons for using motion films, digital videos or motion pictures in teaching?
Could there be any negative ways to use film?

3. Research Shows
in the classroom to connect students to social studies topics.  When done properly, this  method of teaching with film stimulates the senses and emotions (Russell ,2007,2012).
 Using film to teach social issues in the secondary setting can be used to connect common core literacy standards and content standards while using media literacy skills.  (Newman, 2007) 
Teaching with film can conveys feelings and conditions of a time or place (Toplin, 2010) ) It has become an accepted pedagogy and a powerful way for students to construct meaning and connect with the content (Russell, 2012).

4. Research Shows (cont.)
Teaching with and about film, using Newman’s classroom thoughtfulness model; highter order thinking through disciplined inquiry and sustained study of important topics beyond the factural level to more abstract and conceptual meanings,  and meaningful discussions and deliberations in which all or monst students are engaged.
Teaching with film does not require a film degree, but it does require is recognition that film is produced by people, with in a particular context, and that will inevitabley influnce the perspective of the event or issue portrayed. (Stoddard, 2014)

5. Some Do’s and Don’ts Do use film: Don’t use film:
film as a visual textbook
film as a depicter of atmosphere
film as an analogy
film as a historiography
film as a springboard.
Don’t use film:
as a babysitter
filler for substitute lesson plans
for non educational purposes
without proper permission
without previewing first.

6. The Russell Model Stage One: The Preparation Stage
Plan your lesson with standards, preview film, meet legal requirements, parent and administration requirements, create activities, requesition equipment, and arrange classroom.
Stage Two: The Pre-Viewing Stage
Introduction of film, background, new vocabulary, purpose for viewing, connecting to Unit/Topic, relate to students’ prior knowledge, or every day lives, make connections to the content, cinema terms, viewing expectations, design culminating activity, collect permission forms.
Stage Three: Watching the Film Stage
Watch the film, activities are optional (consider student needs) Notes or Guided Video Activity
Stage Four: The Culminating Activity Stage
Stop the film, Review, Discuss (major points, concepts, issues, scenes, and/or inaccuracies), Assess
(Russell, 2009)
* Assess student learning
Optional Assessment Strategies
* Class discussion
* Class debate
* Rewrite the ending of the film
* Write a review of the film
* Take a test/quiz
* Complete a written assignment aligned with the film and topic/unit
* Have students reenact a scene from the film
* Have students conduct a mock interview with the star, director, and/or producer of the film
* Have students analyze and evaluate the film
Few studies, however, have looked at the extent to which social studies teachers utilize these methods in their instructional uses of film.

7. Analyzing Motion Pictures

8. Brain Storm Activity
What what ways would you use or have you seen film or video used effectively?
If you were creating a list of great videos or clips to consider for your classroom what would make your top 5 list?

9. My Examples
Glory -Guided Video Worksheet with a culminating activity, addressess accomodations for all learners, Identifies main ideas and is used to begin discourse about the topic.
Linn Manuel Miranda portraying Aaron Burr at the White House Poetry Jam – Connections, socio economic, diversity, that the topic under study is not just for “a white audience”
The reading of the Declaration of Independence, Morgan Freeman, et al.- Students see famous actors, it’s a primary source, we use it as an example of an argumentative essay
The Oklahoma land rush “Far and Away”-visual representation of a land rush. Depicter of time and atmosphere, contextualization.
The Auschwitz Album- primary sources, Eli Wiesel narates a poem he wrote, media literacy with archival assignment, oral histories.

10. Learn More about using Film
Two books written by Dr. William B. Russell, that will lay the foundations for teaching with film and guide you through each step of the process. Each book has an annotated filmography with suggested titles by topic.
Additional article readings that could inform your use of film would include:

11. Films by Topic Social Justic and Classic Hollywood
Mr. Deeds goes to Town (1936)
Mr. Smith goes to Washington (1939)
Our Legal System
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
A Few Good Men (1992)
Witness (1985)
A Time to Kill (1996)
The Pelican Brief (1993).

12. Films by Topic Environmentalism Civil Action (1998)
Erin Brochovich (2000)
Crude (2009)
Gas Land (2010)
Semper Fi: Always Faithful (2011)
My Toxic Back Yard (2013)
Health Care
Philadelphia (1993)
John Q (2002)
Food
Food Inc. (2008)
Fresh the movie
Scarecrow video by Chipoltle

13. Links for you to use cvanzandt/weebly.com

14. References
CHARACTER COUNTS!: The Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, Citizenship. (2007). Retrieved April 8, 2014, from
Hobbs, Renee, (2001) Media Literacy Skills: Interpreting Tragedy. Social Education, 65(7), pp
Marcus, A. S., & Stoddard, J. D. (2007). Tinsel Town as Teacher: Hollywood Film in the High School Classroom. Society for History Education., v4(n3), p303–330.
Matz, K. A., & Pingatore, L. L. (n.d.). Reel to Reel: Teaching the Twentieth Century with Classic Hollywood Films.
National Council for the Social Studies. (2014) Social studies for the next generation: Purposes, practices and implications of the college, career, and civic life (C3) framework for social studies state standards. Silver Spring, MD: Author.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common core state standards for English language arts and literacy in history/social studies subjects. Washington D.C. Author.
Newman, F. (1990). “Qualities of Thoughtful Social Studies Classes; An Empirical Profile,” Journal of Curriculum Studies, 22(1990)

15. References (cont.)
Newmann, F.M., King, M.B., & Carmichael, D.L. (2010). Authentic Instruction and Assessment: Common Standards for Rigor and Relevance in Teaching Academic Subjects. (Demoins, Iowa. Department of Educaiton, 2007)
Russell, W. B. (2009). Teaching Social Issues with Film. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Russell, W. (2012). The Reel History of the World: Teaching World History with Major Motion Pictures. Social Education, v76 (n1), p22–28.
Russell, W., & Waters, S. (2010). Reel character education: A cinematic approach to character development. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Russell, W. (2012). The reel history of the world: Teaching world history with Hollywood Films. Social Education, 76(1), pp 22–28.
Russel, W. (2009). Teaching Social Issues with Film. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Toplin, Robert Brent. History by Hollywood. 2nd Edition. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, Pp. ix, 269.
Toplin, Robert Brent. (2002) Reel History. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.