Film Studies and ELA educator.
Books
Analyze Adaptation Choices with this Literary and Media Comparison Activity for Middle and High School ELA Looking for a high-interest way to teach literary analysis and media literacy? This Bridgerton & The Duke and I compare and contrast lesson is the perfect way to help students explore the differences between
Analysis
When it comes to film studies or analysis practice, learning how to do a SxS ("shot by shot") breakdown is a challenging yet fun way to look closely at the cinematic details of a film and develop an understanding of how these details inform character, theme, plot, and
Film
The Answer Key for this shot by shot analysis activity of the opening sequence of the film Ex Machina is essentially the practice activity, the shot by shot (SxS) breakdown, completely filled in. The “Analysis Practice” PDF is print ready and removes most of the notes from the answer key,
Film
I love fall, and enjoying Halloween (although I haven't made the effort to get in costume for years) is a big part of it. For me, scary movies and horror films help me embrace the cool chill and increasing amount of darkness thrust upon us in October. There&
Books
It Follows has brought to mind, “what makes a movie work?” to me since I first watched it a few years ago. When some of my favorite horror films include Us and The Babadook, which get at themes of class, grief, and motherhood, I find myself really stopping to appreciate movies, books, and stories th
Books
It’s been a long time since the primary genre I spent my time reading in was romance. Now I read and listen to books as I would watch Netflix series: entirely based on my mood, and I consume multiple different works at the same time. Kind of the way
Film
I've been exploring the opening sequences of horror films, originally because I had ambitions to put together a series of activities for the month of October - but, we'll see how that comes together. But this week, it's led me down a rabbit hole
Books
Verity by Colleen Hoover -- and I should warn you, there are spoilers ahead. Last summer, this book was all over my Instagram feed as a gripping, page-turning, thriller. When my sister and I were discussing books we read in 2022, I asked her what she had thought of it
Analysis
An image focused model film analysis for the b characters of Coraline
Coraline
The first year I was tasked with teaching Film Studies as a general education English course (4 credits) with seniors, I was unsure where to begin. I had the guidance of a colleague, but our backgrounds and expertise with regards to film were so vastly different that I couldn'
Coraline
When I first started teaching Film Studies to high school seniors, I initially fretted over students taking the class because they didn't think it was "a real English class". (It was -- students received 4 credits, as they would any other gen-ed English class, and I
Analysis
A deep focus shot has a long depth of field, which essentially means there is a long distance that is seen clearly, in focus. This shot from Citizen Kane is an example of a deep focus shot (although the entire film is pretty much famous for being shot in deep focus).