Some Help with Home School - Watch Classic Television

Disclaimer: I am a former k-12 teacher. I have never been involved in the homeschool movement which some people choose in place of sending their children to traditional schools. The term “Home School” as used here refers to the work that you will do with your children over the next few weeks during the quarantine.

Again, these ideas are not vetted by the homeschool movement. However, I was a public school teacher for 13 years, teaching 7th and 11th grades. I am National Board-certified in English/Language Arts for Adolescents and Young Adults. I hold an earned Ph.D. in Education.

The following advice is offered in a spirit of collaboration with directions from your children’s teachers.

-Jeanine A. Irons, Ph.D.

Guiding Thought: Use one resource in multiple ways to facilitate learning.

It is possible to use relatively ordinary experiences to supplement your children’s education in multiple ways. Classic television shows can lead to rich learning experiences. “The Andy Griffith Show” is one example. This particular show can be viewed on cable tv, Tubi, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, and Philo.

The following information gives some ideas on how to use “The Andy Griffith Show” to facilitate geography, character analysis, handwriting, and/or diversity learning experiences for children of various ages.

You can view multiple episodes, in any order*, and use different ideas each time. You can pick and choose from the ideas provided and/or use your own ideas, based on factors you deem significant, such as your children’s ages. Note that if you have young children, you may want to view these somewhat in order*; seeing Opie’s character change drastically in age from one episode to another might be confusing for them.

Try watching an episode together with your children once or twice a week and then discussing it afterward. [Always put the captions on, so that you sneak in a bit of reading while they are viewing.] If there are discrepancies in the captions, discuss them. For example: What did the captions say? What should they have said? How did the mistakes get there? What can be done about them? What should a person do when they make a mistake?

Here is some background information on the Andy Griffith television show The main characters on the show are:

Character Description Andy Taylor Widowed father and sheriff of Mayberry Opie Taylor Andy’s son, who grows from about age 6 to a young teen Bea Taylor Andy’s aunt; she runs his household after his wife dies Barney Fife Accident-prone deputy sheriff and Andy’s good friend Floyd Lawson Town barber, Andy and Barney’s friend Gomer Pyle Employee at local gas station, Andy and Barney’s friend, Goober’s cousin Goober Pyle Employee at local gas station, Andy and Barney’s friend, Gomer’s cousin Helen Crump Opie’s teacher, Andy’s girlfriend, friend of Thelma Lou’s Thelma Lou Barney’s girlfriend, Helen’s friend

Some minor characters include: Howard Sprague, Ellie Walker, Emmet Clark, Clara Edwards, Otis Campbell, Ernest T. Bass, the Darling family, Mayor Stone, Mayor Pike, and others.

Following are some ideas for using the visual text, “The Andy Griffith Show” in your Home School activities. Note that multiple ideas are given, so that you can use episodes of the show and this list over and over in different ways. You could use one or two different ideas each time, or if your family likes one idea in particular, you can use it over and over and expand it to suit your needs. As you talk with your children about the show, model turn-taking for them and make sure that everyone gets to contribute to the discussion.

Some Ideas for Discussion Guide your children to support their ideas with evidence from the show, no matter which idea(s) you choose.

-Who were the characters in this episode? (For older children, add: Which characters in this episode were major characters? Which were minor characters? Flat characters? Round characters? Static characters? Dynamic characters? What forms of characterization were used?)

-Identify theme(s) in the episode. • Some of the common themes on these shows are: charity, duty, empathy, fairness, friendship, honesty, justice, and responsibility. This is not an exhaustive list. What themes can you and your children find? For older children: What supporting evidence is present in the episode to support this/these theme(s)? • How can we show more (insert the theme(s) you decided on) in our lives? (Allow the kids to brainstorm some ways. Have one child write down the ideas [This incorporates handwriting practice - The finished product must be legible] and then display it on the refrigerator or in another prominent place in the home. Try doing some of the ideas the next day or two. Discuss everyone’s progress from time to time [This incorporates discussion skills, pronunciation, turn-taking, recalling information, applying information to daily lives, integrating knowledge learned from the show into daily lives, and visual text-to-self connections]

After the children get used to this activity, you can probably let them watch the show alone and report to you afterward. [This will give them practice recalling information, summarizing information, and speaking. It can also build independence and accountability within the children.] For you, this will give you roughly 30 minutes when the children are productively engaged in learning and you can focus your attention elsewhere.

You may want to try these kinds of activities with other classic tv shows, such as: “Father Knows Best” “Hazel” “Leave it to Beaver” “The Waltons”

Some Related Experiences/Additional Learning Opportunities -The show takes place in a make-believe town called Mayberry, North Carolina. • Find North Carolina on a digital or printed map and explore it together. [This is an opportunity to learn some geography and practice map reading. Even if you use a map online, discourage the use of online search engines. The idea is to practice reading a map, which is a specific reading skill. We know that they know how to Google already.  If you allow them to use a search engine, get them to read out the information and then tell it in their own words. This encourages them to grapple with the text to construct their own meaning. †] ►What is the state capital? When do we use “capital” and when do we use “capitol”? [This incorporates spelling and homophone recognition. Search engines are okay for this, so long as they then explain it in their own words. †] ►Find two rivers that run through North Carolina. ►What place names can you find in North Carolina that appear to be Native American words? Look up what Native American tribes used to live in North Carolina/live there now [Search engines are okay - Standard rules apply†] ►What interstates run through North Carolina? Two-digit, odd-numbered highways run North/South. Identify one in North Carolina. Two-digit, even-numbered highways run East/West. Identify one in North Carolina. Three-digit, odd-numbered highways are bypasses, usually around major cities. Does North Carolina have one? Where? Three-digit, even-numbered highways are spurs, usually going into major cities. Does North Carolina have one? Where? ►What states border North Carolina to the south? (Look carefully. There is more than one! ) ►What state borders North Carolina to the north? ►What state borders North Carolina to the west? During the Civil War, was North Carolina in the confederacy or the union? † [history] ►What is the ocean that borders North Carolina to the east? ►Find two islands off the coast of North Carolina.

Some Ideas Especially for Older Children/Teens -What job skills would a person who wanted to be a sheriff or a deputy need? [This incorporates career skills, research skills, and digital literacy skills] Have them search career sites and report back. Discuss how they found the information and how they know it is credible.

-What rhetorical strategies did the writers of the show incorporate? How do you know? [rhetoric, supporting answers with prior or acquired knowledge]

-Who founded Desilu studios? What other shows were made there? † [pop culture history, traditionally marginalized populations]

-The Andy Griffith show has been criticized for its lack of diverse characters. Do you agree or disagree with this criticism? Why? Use supporting evidence from the shows to support your answer. Can you find any diversity in the characters? (Note that diversity is not always about how people look, although it can be.) -How have roles for female characters changed since this show was filmed? Why?