While reading chapter one in Costanzo's text, Great Films and How to Teach Them, I instantly became interested in the text. I truly love movies, and I would love to incorporate them into my future teaching. So far, the book seems to really encompass an appreciation for both film and literature, and it seems like it will be a great tool to keep on my bookshelf. As I mentioned in class today, my biggest fear of teaching both a book and a film is that students will either skim a text or not read it at all because they know they will be watching a film afterward. One idea I had to guard against this would be to do the assessment(s), such as a paper or test before watching the film. I think by doing this, and maybe even not telling them they will get to watch the film, they won't skimp out on the reading and the film will be like a reward for them. You could also implement key terms that we study in English classes, such as motif, theme, mood, character, setting, etc. into studying the film. This is kind of like what we did in class today when we watched the beginning of Lost. Although I have seen the series before, and that opening sequence more than once, I was still excited to watch it. I think by choosing something up to date and interesting, we can help the students remain interested throughout the activity. I know this is not possible all of the time, but it wouldn't hurt.Something else I noticed from the text that I liked about using film was how the book mentioned that movies can show us something that we don't get to physically see when we read. Sure, we can see in our imagination, but the book mentions how in a film we can see someone falling in love, whereas in the text the author is telling us they are in love. I found that pretty interesting, and that might be something we don't notice as a difference between the two until it is pointed out to us. I think that both film and literature are crucial elements in understanding a story, even though they are very different. -Katie May
I definitely agree with your ideas. I liked the idea of testing students on the book before they see the film. I think it's also important for teachers to help students learn the importance of film as it's own art form, not just a way to represent a book. I think maybe after students read a book, they could watch the movie and then discuss the differences between the two as their own distinct ways of telling a story.
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