Smilanich’s Picks for Movies by Grade Level

When studying complex print texts in the English Language Arts classroom, there is a decided progression in the complexity of plot, character, and authorial style as the students progress from one grade level to the next; for example, Romeo & Juliet, often studied at the 10-1 or 10-2 level, is unquestionably less difficult in terms of plot, character motivation, and use of imagery and metaphor than Hamlet, often studied at the 30-1 level. Similarly, a novel such as To Kill A Mockingbird, regularly studied in English 10-1, affords the student a moderate introduction to the study of character and symbol before moving to the increasingly more challenging structures of the novels in 20-1 or 30-1. Students are afforded the opportunity to scaffold on prior understanding of text and acquired comprehension of the terminology associated with this understanding.

The same must progression, the same opportunities for scaffolding, must be considered for the study of film as a complex text in the English Language Arts classroom; a basic understanding of the analysis of mise-en-scene, proxemics and cinematic transition techniques should be garnered by students before progressing to a more advanced understanding of the techniques of editing and the filmmaker’s use of sound. As such, films chosen for the English Language Arts 10 level should be rich in opportunity to teach the concepts of mise-en-scene, proxemics, and transition; while the use of non-diegetic sound, or multi-takes, could be discussed in the context of the film chosen for the 10 level, these concepts would more fruitfully be discussed at the 20 or 30 level as students become increasingly comfortable with their comprehension of the vernacular of film.

Films at the 10-1 and 10-2 level should:

• Be immediately engaging for, and relevant to, the students
• Offer relatively simplistic narratives, one “main” plot
• Offer examples of clear and distinct character development and transformation, facilitating organization of formal writing; generally, these films deal primarily with one character’s “arc”
• Offer clear examples of literary technique, such as symbol and visual metaphor
• Provide ample opportunity to discuss the film-maker’s style through analysis of mise-en-scene and transition techniques

Films at the 20-1 and 20-2 level should:

• Be immediately engaging for, and relevant to, the students
• Offer more complex narratives
• Afford the opportunity for students to monitor the transformative or additive change of several characters; any one of these characters is multifaceted enough that he or she could be examined in a student’s formal writing
• Provide ample opportunity to discuss the film-maker’s style through analysis of mise-en-scene and transition techniques

Films at the 30-1 and 30-2 level should:

• Be immediately engaging for, and relevant to, the students
• Offer complex, intricate plots that demand students’ attention to detail
• Afford the opportunity for students to monitor the transformative or additive change of several characters; any one of these characters is multifaceted enough that he or she could be examined in a student’s formal writing
• Provide ample opportunity to discuss the film-maker’s style through analysis of mise-en-scene, transition techniques, use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound, and editing techniques