Inspired by the Providence Film Festival...
Next week begins the 2016 Providence Children's Film Festival (PCFF). In light of this and inspired by a PCFF Film Jury Night I attended that was sponsored by Media Smart Libraries, I decided to introduce our first graders to the world of independent film. I chose four short films that were shown during previous PCFF years that I thought would appeal to first graders and that were short enough to show during library class time. Before watching the shorts, we talked about the difference between the films they usually watch and these short independent films. I billed the day as the First Grade Francis Film Festival and had students choose their favorite film and write a short sentence about it. They also drew a picture of their favorite part. At the end of class, I announced the winner based on student votes. Our lineup was:
What Fun a Book Can Be (2 min)
Play With Your Food (1 min)
Love Bugs (3 min)
Rainy Day Ducks (3 min)
After adding up the favorites, Love Bugs received the most votes in all three classes. Play With Your Food came in a close second. Only one of the 60 students had attended a film festival before. And most students were only familiar with independent films because they had watched Sesame Street which is where two of the films in our lineup eventually landed. Students enjoyed the films and were excited to talk about them. Many students wanted an encore showing. It was a fun and engaging lesson for all. I will definitely do more Francis Film Festivals with other grade levels in the future.
Here are some examples of student work. See below for the full lesson plan or view the pdf version.
What Fun a Book Can Be (2 min)
Play With Your Food (1 min)
Love Bugs (3 min)
Rainy Day Ducks (3 min)
After adding up the favorites, Love Bugs received the most votes in all three classes. Play With Your Food came in a close second. Only one of the 60 students had attended a film festival before. And most students were only familiar with independent films because they had watched Sesame Street which is where two of the films in our lineup eventually landed. Students enjoyed the films and were excited to talk about them. Many students wanted an encore showing. It was a fun and engaging lesson for all. I will definitely do more Francis Film Festivals with other grade levels in the future.
Here are some examples of student work. See below for the full lesson plan or view the pdf version.