Reading in the Dark: Using Film As a Tool in the English Classroom. INSTITUTION National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, IL
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 456 446 CS 217 685 AUTHOR Golden, John TITLE Reading in the Dark: Using Film as a Tool in the English Classroom. INSTITUTION National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, IL. ISBN ISBN-0-8141-3872-1 PUB DATE 2001-00-00 NOTE 199p. AVAILABLE FROM National Council of Teachers of English, 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, IL 61801-1096 (Stock No. 38721-1659: $19.95, members; $26.95, nonmembers). Tel: 800-369-6283 (Toll Free); Web site http://www.ncte.org. PUB TYPE Books (010) Guides Non-Classroom (055) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC08 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Classroom Techniques; *Critical Viewing; *English Instruction; *Film Study; *Films; High Schools; Instructional Effectiveness; Language Arts; *Reading Strategies; Units of Study IDENTIFIERS *Film Viewing; *Textual Analysis ABSTRACT To believe that students are not using reading and analytical skills when they watch or "read" a movie is to miss the power and complexities of film--and of students' viewing processes. This book encourages teachers to harness students' interest in film to help them engage critically with a range of media, including visual and printed texts. Toward this end, the book provides a practical guide to enabling teachers to ,feel comfortable and confident about using film in new and different ways. It addresses film as a compelling medium in itself by using examples from more than 30 films to explain key terminology and cinematic effects. And it then makes direct links between film and literary study by addressing "reading strategies" (e.g., predicting, responding, questioning, and storyboarding) and key aspects of "textual analysis" (e.g., characterization, point of view, irony, and connections between directorial and authorial choices) .The book concludes with classroom-tested suggestions for putting it all together in teaching units on 11 films ranging from "Elizabeth" to "Crooklyn" to "Smoke Signals." Some other films examined are "E.T.," "Life Is Beautiful," "Rocky," "The Lion King," and "Frankenstein." (Contains 35 figures.
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