A simple two frame beginning to get students using storyboards in English to flesh out ideas.

A fun activity as students think for carefully about how what we see is often constructed for us. Can be used in conjunction with film studies in English.

Using this handy scaffolding students can start to become more aware of the choices made by a filmmaker and the effect of those choices. This is a handy activity for doing at home either individually or in small groups. It can also be used with students of mixed ability as it can be applied to any film.

A 10 slide presentation which outlines the elements of film that are required for it to be designated a classic. Useful when teaching visual literacy and film in English or media. Helping students understand that being a ‘classic’ requires particular attributes. I don’t know about you but I get really peeved when people use the word ‘classic’ as a synonym for ‘old’ or ‘dull.’ People arguing against the inclusion of classic literature in English courses invariably infer that if a text is a classic then it is old and irrelevant. This is simply not true of course. It is not even logical. After all we can talk about ‘classic’ cars and ‘classic’ fashion, none of which is either old or boring. We also talk about classic films and film has not been around for a particularly long time. So what makes a film a classic? What are the elements that we look for when we are deciding whether a film, or any work really, can be added to the classic cannon?

A 10 slide presentation. It is important that we use the correct terminology when we talk about film, also that students understand how terminology or theories can cross mediums. These terms are not unique to film, indeed we know them from written texts as well. However by remembering them and exploring how they relate to film we get a firmer understanding that film, like novels, plays, poetry etc, are texts which can be read and out of which we can make meaning.

An 18 slide presentation. We need to approach film as a medium in itself with its own language, signifiers and methods. The most important signifiers are the types of shots the filmmaker chooses to employ. Shot types are to filmmakers what rhyming patterns are to poets. The building blocks which give the structure shape. Learning to recognise shot type and function will assist students in applying critical thinking to the study of film and make them more visually literate.

A 14 slide presentation. Mise-en-scene deals with the choices that the filmmaker has made in constructing what the viewer sees. It includes all the little things that make up a scene. By close reading of mise-en-scene the viewer begins to comprehend how small, unremarkable aspects of a film can affect our understanding. Aspects include lighting, acting, colour, make-up and costumes.

Film has its very own meta language and it is critical that our students understand that. This simple poster gives the most popular words needed when discussing film in the English classroom.

According to most sources there are only 7 story archetypes upon which all stories are built. Aaron Spelling believes there are only 5 in film. This poster presents those 5 colourfully. A valuable addition to the English classroom. Suits any English class.

As books were to us, films are to our students. Like any text, a film can be read if you know the language and the signifiers that are used to make meaning. It is not enough to use film as an entertaining addition to our other texts. We need to approach it as a medium in itself with its own language, signifiers and methods. This way our students can still learn the important critical skills that they need while getting a solid understanding of visual literacy. This presentation takes us back to basics in preparation for a deeper study of film.

It is often wrongly assumed that all Shakespeare’s work was Elizabethan. We English teachers know that that is not right. Indeed some of the most commonly taught works, including MacBeth are firmly in the Jacobean canon. This handy poster gives the accepted dates of the works and places them in the historically accurate monarchic period.

The art of persuasion is required by everyone at some point in time. Whether students are writing speeches or simply trying to convince a friend to go along with their latest nefarious plan, the need to persuade is evident. More than any other type of writing, other than poetry, persuasive speech uses a variety of rhetorical devices. This infographic gives examples of a few of them.

Even though we know that reading is a valuable pastime we sometimes forget just how much is going on in our brain when we pick up a book. For most English teachers, who are avid readers, it is easy to forget just how intense the activity can be. This infographic reminds us of the myriad ways that reading exercises the mind. What it also does is remind us of the pre-knowledge that needs to be in place before students can really get engaged with the material.