Using Subtitled Films

Reading in the Social Studies: Using Subtitled Films

Kerry Holmes, William B. Russell III, and Allison Movitz

Involving reluctant and low-achieving students with reading is an essential world, teachers can find films to supple- step to increasing students’ content area knowledge. One way to increase students’ ment almost any social studies theme. engagement with text is by linking social studies content with foreign films that have Foreign films explicitly expose students English subtitles. Not only can subtitled films help increase students’ engaged time to cultural differences by allowing them with text, but the use of these films provides a multi-sensory, multidimensional to enter the homes and workplaces of exposure to the social studies. Films bring social studies—particularly history and people around the world. Differences geography—to life for students, bringing them closer to the people and events they and similarities between the students’ are studying.1 Films can also impact and influence a person’s perspective of history lives and the lives of people in other and offer an accurate interpretation of history.2 places and at other times are easier to perceive. The compelling images and This article aims to identify and and sound, makes them exceptional at scenes enable students to make compari- describe specific films that teachers captivating students. sons between cultures and customs and, can use to supplement and enhance People are all drawn to movement; when fostered by discussion, may help the social studies curriculum (grades movement alerts the mind to danger and them develop greater appreciation and 6-12), while also encouraging reading. changes in the environment. Teachers sensitivity for cultures and customs dif- The article illustrates how teachers can have all had to compete with movement ferent from their own. capture students’ interest and stimulate while trying to keep students focused their imagination as they are learning. on their lessons. When someone passes Getting Started We also provide readers with a research- outside the classroom window or door, Two resources that provide an over- based rationale for using foreign films heads turn to focus on the movement. By all description of films suitable for with English subtitles in the classroom; linking lessons to movement, teachers classroom use are the book Engaging criteria for selecting films suitable for can capitalize on the instinctive preoccu- Reluctant Readers through Foreign Films classroom use; and information on the pation with movement. Studies on “inter- and the website TeachWithMovies.com. legality of using copyrighted material in estingness” indicate that students read at These resources also offer numerous the classroom. a faster rate and at a higher reading level vocabulary, reading, and social stud- when they are interested in what they are ies activities.8 Leonard Maltin’s Movie Capitalizing on Novelty, reading.6 Learning is also more likely to and Video Guide, Tom Wiener’s The Movement, and Interest be retained in long-term memory when Off-Hollywood Film Guide, and Elliot Novelty and movement are two rec- it is attached to an emotional response.7 Wilhelm’s Video Hounds World Cinema ognized ways to attract and maintain American students become emotion- are excellent preliminary guides, provid- student interest. Wolfe states that when ally connected with the lives of people ing brief descriptions of films and their new information is presented in a novel around the world through foreign films, ratings. context, students learn the material in while at the same time participating in Foreign films with English subtitles a deeper, more meaningful way.4 The reading and social studies learning. can be checked out for free from public brain is a “novelty seeker,” writes Sousa.5 libraries or rented from video and DVD Unexpected events provide interest People, Places, and Environment stores. Most of the foreign films described and stimulation. This aspect of foreign Because foreign films come in many in this article were found in various small films, accentuated through movement genres and are set in countries around the town public libraries. With small town

S o c i a l Ed u c a t i o n 326 Ziyi Zhang in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2003). Photograph courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

availability as a benchmark, teachers Technical Issues The national social studies standards are should have little problem finding the Ideally, films should be shown on a large described at www.ncss.org/standards. films they need in their public libraries. screen using a liquid crystal display The following annotated list of foreign Foreign films can also be ordered online. (LCD) to project the film onto a screen. films is adapted from a list recommended Prices for films range from $.25 to $25 This allows large groups of students by Kerry Holmes, one of the authors of this depending on format (VHS or DVD) and greater visibility for reading subtitles. article.9 These films address, to varying condition (new or used). Many are well However, during a pilot study in a rural degrees, the 10 social studies themes. Each under $10, if bought used, through shop- high school in Mississippi, students were film is briefly described along with some ping websites such as Amazon.com. shown a subtitled film on an older televi- of the dominant social studies themes that Viewing films beforehand for les- sion with a relatively small screen. All can be pursued in the classroom. son and age suitability is advisable. In students were able to see and read along some cases, teachers may choose to with the subtitles. This was determined Au Revoir Les Enfants, Grades 9-12 show clips from the film to illustrate or because students laughed and expressed Rated PG dramatize aspects of a lesson. At other sorrow during scenes where the meaning Set outside of Paris, France, during 1944, times, they may wish to show the film in was primarily communicated through this is a biographical history of 12-year- its entirety. By previewing the film, teach- print. The size of the class and location of old Julien, a non-Jewish boy, who becomes ers can determine the length of clips, and the television are two issues that should best friends with Jean, a Jewish boy hiding show the film over an extended period determine the type of equipment needed from the Nazis in a Catholic boarding of time to meet the objectives, needs of for classroom viewing. school. A vengeful act by a worker at the the students, and that perennial problem school sets off a chain of events that will of short class periods. Other criteria to Foreign Films for the Classroom haunt Julien all of his life. consider when choosing films include Foreign films with English subtitles This film addresses the social studies are easily aligned with the National theme of Time, Continuity, and Change. • educational worth Standards for Social Studies. Social The world beyond the boarding school has • interest of the plot to the students studies standards are organized around changed. Once innocent actions are now ten interrelated themes that are based deadly. Institutions such as school, home, • suitable levels of language and on the social sciences and related dis- and restaurants appear to be the same, to violence ciplines including history, geography, all outward appearances. However, the • absence of sexually explicit scenes civics, and economics. By connecting war and enemy occupation have infused • speed of words as they appear in themes from the films to the social studies hatred and anxiety into the most normal the subtitles themes, teachers can facilitate reading, of daily routines. A boarding school filled problem solving, and the examination with preadolescent and adolescent boys • readability of the printed text of critical issues within real-life contexts. demonstrates the power of peers and the

O c t o b e r 2007 327 need for peer acceptance. ( Individual The themes of Individuals, Groups, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Development and Identity) and Institutions, and Civic Ideals Grades 9-12, Rated PG-13 and Practices are explicit in this film. Set in nineteenth-century China, this Babette’s Feast, Grades 6-12 Institutions such as the family, church, film weaves nonstop action through the Rated G and government agencies impacted the unfolding events of two love stories. This This story is set in Frederikshavn, life of the major character. The civic is a story about women who possess super- Denmark, in1834. Frederikshavn is a ideals of responsibility and honesty are human qualities and their quest for power small community on the northeast coast largely the focus of this film. The viewer and love. The possession of the Green of Jutland, the largest geographical region sees how people must part with their Destiny sword, a sword with magical in Denmark. Film footage highlights life worldly goods, as illustrated through powers, leads to triumph sacrifice and in a small coastal Danish town, present- the burgeoning stockpiles at a pawn shop tragedy. ing homes with thatched roofs, a tiny gro- ( Time, Continuity, and Change). Antonio Students can compare and contrast cery store, the style of dress, transporta- also undergoes a dramatic change to issues related to gender roles, honor, tion, and food preparation techniques. meet the needs of a new life. responsibility, and being true to oneself. Philippa and Martina, two daughters ( Culture; Individual Development and of a pious minister, lead a simple, pure Children of Heaven, Grades 6-12 Identity; Time, Continuity, and Change; and life, honoring God and serving the poor. Rated PG Power, Authority, and Governance) Their values are severely challenged Set in the homes, market places, and a when Babette, a French woman, seeks school of modern day Tehran, the cap- East-West, Grades 9-12 employment and refuge at their house. ital city of Iran, this story, portrayed Rated PG-13 At the beginning of the film, the two through the eyes of two young children, This historical drama, based on the actual sisters, Philippa and Martina, are shown is about a lost pair of shoes. Ali, age nine, events told by the survivors, is set in the as old women. Their images then morph and Zahra, age seven, must find a way Soviet Union between 1946-1958. The into young women and the story begins. to share one pair of shoes without the film opens with scenes of hundreds of The flashback to the sisters’ youth offers knowledge of their overburdened par- happy Russian expatriates returning to viewers the unique perspective of see- ents. Ali, responsible for losing his sis- Russia from France at the end of World ing events unfold with full knowledge ter’s shoes, goes to extraordinary means War II. They are unknowingly headed of the conclusion ( Time, Continuity, to help her get a new pair. for tragedy. Stalin, seeking to keep the and Change). The theme of Science, Scenes from the lives of the people knowledge of a more affluent West from Technology, and Society can be explored in Iran are vivid, portraying the people the Russian citizens, has ordered their by comparing life in nineteenth-century as ordinary citizens going about their murder or imprisonment. This story fol- Denmark with contemporary times, with daily lives. ( Culture; Individual lows the plight of one expatriate family—a attention given to cooking technology Development and Identity; and doctor, Alexei, his wife, Marie, and young and the transportation of goods. The Individuals, Groups, and Institutions) son, Sergei. theme Global Connections is also high- Scenes from this film provide vivid lighted when the sisters are faced with The Cup, Grades 6-12, Rated G comparisons between life in communist different values, or experience “culture This statement from the film, “Inevitable Russia and the West. Cultural contrasts clash,” upon encountering visitors from modernization comes from the ideas of between life in postwar Russia and our France. These visitors bring with them the young,” epitomizes the story’s theme. lives today are dramatic. Citizens live in dreams and customs quite different from Set in a Buddhist monastery in India, the cramped quarters in fear and suspicion those of the people in the remote Danish viewer sees traditional customs through of their government and of each other. village. the eyes of young student monks. The ( Power, Authority, and Governance) film follows the antics of two young The Bicycle Thief, Grades 6-12 Tibetan refugees who have fled to India. Grand Illusion, Grades 9-12 Not Rated The spirited student monks challenge Not Rated This film is set in Rome, Italy, two years old customs when they go to great lengths This film is set in German prisoner-of- after the end of World War II. It is 1947, to see the 1998 World Cup soccer game war camps during World War I, in 1916, and people are suffering from a post-war between France and Italy. Scenes from and on a rural farm near the Swiss bor- depression. Antonio, a man of high integ- the actual World Cup game are shown. der. Though they were mortal enemies rity, desperate to put food on the table ( Culture, Individual Development on the battlefield, French prisoners of for his family, is driven to an act of crime. and Identity; Power, Authority, and war Captain de Boeldieu and Lieutenant His young son witnesses the aftermath Governance; Science, Technology and Maréchal find they have much in com- of the crime, creating a heartbreaking Society) mon with their German guards, especially situation for both father and son. Commandant von Rauffenstein.

S o c i a l Ed u c a t i o n 328 Students will grapple with social stud- Guido, knowing his son will be killed if he Several themes resonate throughout the ies themes when pondering questions is discovered, devises an elaborate game of four parts of this film. The primary theme, about war, friendship, social class, and hide and seek. The stories Guido invents as evidenced by the title of Tolstoy’s book, artificial boundaries among the coun- to shield his son from the truth are at once War and Peace, has to do with the ways tries of the world. This films deals with humorous and poignantly sad. This film is people’s lives are impacted during times human nature and its paradoxes. ( Global truly a study of the triumph of the human of war and in peace. Personal identity is Connections) spirit. ( Time, Continuity, and Change; poignantly addressed when a Russian People, Places, and Environments) soldier observes, “They are men just Jean de Florette, Grades 6-12 like us.” Individuals, groups, and insti- Rated PG War and Peace, Grades: 9-12 tutions played a major role in the way This film is set in the French countryside Not Rated people viewed their place in life. The of Provence after World War I, around This epic film, based on the book by Leo Russian Orthodox Church is shown as 1919. Farmers from two neighboring farms Tolstoy, has four parts. The accounts an integral part of the lives of the Russian have the same essential need: water. The of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and people. Effects of production, distribution, story is about one farmer’s desire for his the characters’ personal stories span a and consumption are tragically shown in neighbor’s water and another farmer’s period from 1805-1812. The film has the context of Napoleon’s march across blind optimism and determination to several settings including St. Petersburg, Russia. The types of warfare used during run a successful farm even when faced Russia, small Russian towns along the nineteenth century illustrate the levels with a drought. Napoleon’s invasion route, the battle- of science and technology that had been The story explores human interde- fields of Austerlitz and Borodino, and available at the time. Communications pendence and dependence on nature. the Russian capital of Moscow during on the battlefield and between the battle- ( Individual Development and Identity) the reign of the tsars. Tolstoy writes about field and home were grossly inadequate the human experience being a juxtaposi- by today’s standards. ( Individual Life is Beautiful, Grades 6-12 tion of frivolity, natural death, and war. Development and Identity; Individuals, Rated PG-13 The director, Sergei Bondarchuk, used Groups, and Institutions; Production, This film has two distinct parts. Part I many of Tolstoy’s words throughout the Distribution, and Consumption; Science, takes place in the Italian countryside prior film—the most notable being Napoleon’s Technology, and Society) to World War II. During this time, trag- farewell speech to his soldiers in Part IV. edy and persecution are foreshadowed as Andrei, a member of the nobility and a Summary Guido, Dora, and their young son Joshua Russian officer, and Pierre, the illegitimate All teachers, whether they signed on for happily go about their lives. Part II takes son of a nobleman, are best friends. Their the job or not, must help students become place in a German concentration camp, romances, hopes, and dreams are shown more proficient at reading. Reading is a weeks before the American liberation. throughout the story. necessary tool for learning social studies

Teachers and the Law Teachers must adhere to the following guidelines when showing a copyrighted film to their students: Can teachers show copyrighted films to students in their class- rooms without prior permission or without paying royalties? Yes, Films must be shown in a non-profit educational institution. Within but they have a legal responsibility to know and follow the law the institution, the film must be shown in a classroom or place regarding the use of copyright protected materials. Section 110 (1) intended for instruction. of Title 17 of the United States Code on Copyright and Conditions Films must be for planned educational purposes, not for extra- cites the following exemption for the use of copyrighted films for curricular entertainment. educational purposes: The teacher must show films to the students in a “face-to-face” Performance or display of a work by instructors or pupils encounter. in the course of face-to-face teaching activities of a non- The Teach Act passed on November 2, 2002, and signed into profit educational institution, in a classroom or similar law by President George W. Bush, has loosened the restrictions place devoted to instruction, unless in the case of a motion on the copyrighted materials, including videos, teachers can use picture or other audiovisual work, the performance, or in the classroom.1 However, teachers still cannot make copies of the display of individual images, is given by means of a the film, use the film for public performances, or make a profit copy that was not lawfully made under this title, and that from the film. Teachers are absolutely prohibited from making or the person responsible for the performance knew or had showing a pirated copy of a film. reason to believe was not lawfully made. Note 1. Kenneth D. Crews, New Copyright in The Age of New Technology. Fastback #405 (Bloomington, Ind.: Phi Delta Kappa, 2004).

O c t o b e r 2007 329 content. Students must be able to read and Guardians of the Past theater to his role in organizing the 2006 Carter G. Woodson Honor comprehend books and other materials from page 307 1963 March on Washington, Rustin’s Book: Secondary Level that convey information about the social quest to end racial discrimination is Uh Huh! The Story of Ray Charles, by studies. Using foreign films with English documented in No Easy Answers: John Duggleby. Greensboro, N.C.: subtitles encourages students to read and Conclusion Bayard Rustin and the Civil Rights Morgan Reynolds Publishing, Inc. gather information on a variety of social I found that while developing a project Movement. Reviewed by Carrie Sorensen, profes- studies themes. Subtitled foreign films or unit plan such as this takes time and sor, Saginaw Valley State University, serve to supplement reading and the effort, it is well worth it. Students want Saginaw, Michigan. social studies curricula. Turn down the to be engaged in the learning process. lights and turn up the learning. Not only did they learn more about the Who among us has never heard the time period involved and the historical soulful sound of a Ray Charles musical Notes implications, they also learned how to arrangement? His phenomenal career 1. Karl A. Matz and Lori L. Pingatore, “Reel to Reel: properly analyze cases and understand Teaching the Twentieth Century with Classic spanned 50 years and included a Hollywood Films,” Social Education 69, no. 4 the principle of judicial reasoning. They (2005): 189-192; worked with “real” cases and imple- 2. John E. O’Conner and Martin A. Jackson, American History/American Film (New York: Ungar Publishing mented them in the form of a creative, Company, 1988); Robert A. Rosenstone, Visions of interactive lesson. In this way, students Digital Age: the Past: The Challenge of Film to Our Idea of History found an appropriate means of assessing (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1995); Technology-Based Matthew J. Paris, ERIC Clearinghouse for Social the historical and constitutional implica- Studies/Social Science Education (Bloomington, tions of past events without depending K-12 Lesson Plans for Ind.: ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. Social Studies DOSO9714, 1997); W. Russell, Using Film in the on a teacher’s notes or textbook. Social Studies. Lanham, Md.: University Press of Over the years, by using an item anal- Linda Bennett and Michael J. America, 2007). 4. Patricia Wolfe, Brain Matters: Translating Research ysis of the multiple choice questions and Berson, editors Into Classroom Practice. (Alexandria, Va.: Association comparing essay responses from the New Mentored by A. Philip Randolph NCSS Bulletin No.105, 200 pp. 2007 for Supervision and Curriculum Development, York State Regents Exam, I found that and advisor to Martin Luther King, 2001). students’ retention of subject-matter was Jr., Rustin was a critical organizer of 5. David A. Sousa, How the Brain Learns (Thousand Exemplary K-12 social studies lessons Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press, 2001), 5. significantly higher on the government numerous civil rights endeavors includ- that infuse technology are the focus of 6. Richard C. Anderson, Interestingness of Children’s section than on other parts of the test.9 ing the Journey of Reconciliation (bus Reading Material, Report No. ED 248 487 this bulletin. At least one of the authors Their written essays demonstrated an rides through the South to challenge (Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Education, is a classroom teacher in the majority of ED, 1984). ability to accurately analyze and inter- Jim Crow laws) and the now-famous the lessons presented. The lessons are 7. Sousa, How the Brain Learns. pret the information, provide relevant March on Washington for Jobs and diversity of musical genres rarely seen 8. Kerry Holmes, Engaging Reluctant Readers through Freedom. Rustin not only fought racial from one artist. His path to success is based on the NCSS standards. Each Foreign films (Lanham, Md.:Scarecrow Education, outside information with correct facts, lesson includes links with NETS-S 2005). examples, and details, and offer a logi- discrimination, he was saddled with an extraordinary tale, chronicled elo- 9. Ibid. the stigma of being gay. His sexuality quently in this book by John Duggleby. (National Educational Technology cal and clear plan of organization. This alienated him from many in the civil By the age of 19, through shrewd deal- Standards) and suggests technology exercise also enabled them to write more rights movement and relegated him ing with record executives, Charles, applications appropriate for the grade References clearly and effectively. Committee grad- Hoffman, James, “Read a Good Movie Lately? Using ers were struck, for instance, when one to “invisible man” status. However, blind since childhood, was producing level. In addition, the bulletin includes Foreign Films in Reading,” Reading Today 11, no. 3 his belief in the cause of freedom his own records and negotiating rights a section on tools and techniques (1993): 29. student observed that restrictions on forced him to continue the ﬁght for to retain ownership of his own record- concerning classroom management, Meigs, Carolyn, and Ruth McCreary, “Foreign Films: free speech can and do provide absolute An International Approach to Enhance College power to governmental authority during equality. ing masters—something no other artist Internet safety, software, images, and Reading,” Journal of Reading 35, no. 4 (1991-2): 306- 310. an international crisis. She weighed her Through civil disobedience, stem- had done before. Duggleby describes podcasting. National Center for Educational Statistics, Nation’s response with a reflection on the true ming from the Quaker belief in paci- Charles’s many lifetime triumphs and Report Card: Reading, 2005. Retrieved March 10, ﬁsm and Gandhi’s teachings on resis- tragedies. Students may be personally 2007, from nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/reading. meaning of democracy and its applica- Catalog Number: 070105 tance without violence, Rustin played motivated by this story as they exam- Teach with Movies, Teach with Movies, 2007. Retrieved tion to civil liberties. When asked on the March, 10 2007, from www.teachwithmovies.com. an integral part in championing civil ine the ways Charles overcame physi- Price: NCSS Members $14.00 regents how much power government change. cal and social obstacles. Duggleby’s Non-member $24.00 should have in promoting civil rights, A timeline and list of websites for book could provide an excellent struc- another student explained the histori- Kerry Holmes is assistant professor of curricu- further study are included, as well ture from which to examine the social lum and instruction at the University of Mississippi cal reasoning behind the enactment Order toll free 9am–5pm ET: as a bibliography and index. NCSS issues that impacted Charles’s life from in University, Mississippi. Email: kholmes@olemiss. of the Fourteenth Amendment during strands include: PEOPLE, PLACES, his childhood through his death in 1 800 683-0812 edu. William B. Russell III is assistant profes- Reconstruction and its application to the AND ENVIRONMENTS; INDIVIDUAL 2004. NCSS strands: CULTURE; sor of social studies education at the University of 1950s and 1960s with particular refer- Central Florida in Orlando. Email: Willbr3@yahoo. DEVELOPMENT AND IDENTITY; TIME, CONTINUITY, AND CHANGE; ence to the Brown and Heart of Atlanta Or order via Fax anytime: com. Allison Movitz is an English teacher at Bruce CIVIC IDEALS AND PRACTICES. INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS, AND High School in Bruce, Mississippi. Email: movitz@ Motel cases. These results proved what I INSTITUTIONS. 301 843-0159 olemiss.edu. had already suspected: Creative lessons

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