I need help with a suggestion for a movie for last-minute sub plans with a tough class and a 2-hour block...please don't snark at me for showing a movie, the situation with this class is such that it's the only option. I have am looking for a good documentary, film version of literature, or something inspiring...or just something to fill 2 hours, worst-case. The class has already seen most of what I can think of with other teachers (Freedom Writers, The Crucible, Beowulf, Stand and Deliver, etc). I would really appreciate any and all suggestions! :help:
Movies I Show For Class: Troy, The Butler, 12 Years A Slave, Gladiator, The Patriot, 300, The Help. Movies For Fun: Latest super hero/comic book film (Avengers, Captain America, X Men franchise), action film or a comedy. My kids also really like Tyler Perry movies. Good luck!
Thank you for the suggestions so far -- keep'em coming! It is an English Language Development class with 20 boys and 8 girls, so action is good. The majority of my students understand spoken English well so language level is not so much of an issue (my students struggle with academic language, not normal spoken language). They do have a really hard time with understanding British accents though... Thanks again for the help -- any other ideas?
Have you read any books with them this year? Are there any books that you could read with them if they saw the movie first? I'm always reluctant to recommend a movie unless it directly ties into the curriculum. The first movie that jumped into my mind was Dead Poet's Society. Would something like the modern Romeo and Juliet, or West Side Story, be appropriate with this group?
We have actually not read any books in this class because we were told by the consultants on the program we are using not to use books. In a reading class. Yeah... sigh.
Maybe Frozen and then read the original fairy tale version to them when you get back and they can compare and contrast? I find my kids love kids movies, even though they like to pretend that they are tough and mature.
The Miracle Worker - it's about Helen Keller. Awesome movie. We watched it in my high school classes, and have done it last year (at another school). Of course I did a whole lesson with it, will follow up activities, etc. This is a true story, very inspiring. You can find plenty of youtube video clips of the real Helen Keller that shows what she accomplished and that she actually learned to speak. The movie is 1 hour 30 minutes, so the follow up videos would go well.
If you are looking for an inspiring movie they will never forget Gifted Hands is a amazing true story (available on Netflix and also on DVD). I also agree that Miracle Worker is an amazing movie. If you show a movie with a sub, I suggest not showing something they probably have already seen before. One thing, I am not sure it is legal to show a movie at school unless it can somehow be tied to the curriculum. I have been told this by administrators 2nd hand, and I am not sure if this is true. Just to be safe you may want to show something that is tied to the curriculum to not get yourself in trouble.
I have to second Dead Poet's Society; that was the first one to jump into my mind, too. Or maybe All Quiet on the Western Front? I remember watching that in a high school class and loving it. Or A Beautiful Mind? Pay It Forward? But if you're looking for less academic options, there's always films like The Pursuit of Happyness or Patch Adams.
Akeelah and the Bee (about an inner city girl who, against all odds, wins the national spelling bee... sounds cheesy, but the kids love it). Pleasantville (theme of disillusionment/coming of age) The Truman Show (about a man who discovers his entire world is a lie... great for disillusionment/American Dream) A Raisin in the Sun (the 1950s version is best, and the kids love it) Pursuit of Happyness (spelled incorrectly in the title; Will Smith movie about the American Dream) United 93 (about the 9/11 plane that the passengers crashed) The Hunger Games (modern lit) Prince of Persia (great for mythology) An American Tale (about immigration/American Dream) The Elephant Man (about discrimination) Their Eyes Were Watching God (American lit) Those are some of our "go-to" movies when a sub doesn't show and we need a quick filler. It happens...
Thank you all so much for the great suggestions! I am going with "The Pursuit of Happyness" but will keep a running list for the future. I have an exit ticket-type assignment to go with it so I hope the class will be OK for the sub.
We show Remember the Titans to demonstrate integration and tolerance. The kids love the movie. Great music. Authentic interpretation of the attitudes before integration.
October Sky. True story about Homer Hickam, who grew up in a coal mining town during the Space Race and grew up to work for NASA. Very inspiring and based on the book Rocket Boys
I was wondering the same thing. If a movie is PG-13, I have to get administrative approval. I sometimes show clips of R-rated films, but never with anything that would cause it to get the R rating in them. Even for my dual enrollment course, that is all seniors, and they get college credit, I can't show PG-13 without approval (though for that course I am usually given approval...)
For movies, I try to watch something related to education such as Stand and Deliver or Dangerous Minds, or have them watch something that is based on a book they're reading - Of Mice and Men, etc.
We'll be watching this next week; the students will follow up with a short essay focusing on the changes in one of the main characters. I watched a great documentary the other night ( http://www.pennlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/04/documentary_aims_focus_on_new-.html) that I may use clips of as well.
I am very careful which movies I show, even if it is a "sub" lesson. I'm surprised at some of the ones listed here!
I was dead serious about my list. I've shown every movie I mentioned. Admin has bigger fish to fry than play movie police.
