How to Use ChatGPT to Turn a Film Analysis Model into Scaffolded Writing Instruction (with Into the Spider-Verse)

Teach film analysis, visual literacy, and analytical writing all at once with this scaffolded activity built from a single model response.

I recently wrapped up a lesson I’ve been developing for a while—a scaffolded film analysis and writing activity using Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Students are asked to select a pair of parallel still frames from the movie and analyze how the filmmakers use visual storytelling to show character growth, reinforce themes, or build emotional impact.

The concept itself is rich and engaging: students compare two still frames from different scenes, craft a thesis about what those scenes reveal, and then either write an essay or create a slide presentation breaking down the visual evidence. But when I sat down to prep it, I realized something: I had a great model, but no structured way to help students get from "annotating a frame" to "writing a thesis" to "building a fully organized analysis."

That’s where ChatGPT came in.

Step 1: Start with a Mentor Text or Model Response

I shared my assignment prompt and two sample thesis statements with ChatGPT. For example, here’s one I use for the scene where Miles has Peter B. Parker tied up, and later, Peter B. webs Miles to a chair:

"By comparing the scene where Miles has Peter B. Parker tied up with the scene where Peter webs Miles to his desk chair, we can see how a superhero’s greatest enemy is their own self-esteem."

It was clear what I wanted students to do, but looking at my brainstorm thesis statement, I wasn't positive that I could quickly come up with a sentence frame that would readily support students while also not boxing them in to one idea. While I know if I sat with this rough thesis statement that I could refine it, students often don't have the time or the patience, which is why they turn to sentence starters and frames. I'll sometimes lose them if those frames and starters are ineffective. I wanted a scaffold that would help them develop original thinking and confidence in crafting their own thesis, no matter what scene pair they chose.

Step 2: Use ChatGPT to Build a Scaffolded Writing Sequence

I asked ChatGPT to help me design a prewriting activity that would guide students from scene observation and annotation to thesis development.

We collaboratively created a three-part printable:

1. Sentence stems to help students describe what’s happening in each frame
2. A guided section to compare visuals and extract thematic insights
3. Thesis-writing templates with examples and room to draft their own arguments

This became the first student resource:

• From Frame Annotation to Thesis Statement Prewriting Activity

It works beautifully as a guide for students to refine their deeper analytical insights that they gathered through their frame annotations, and helps students connect visual details to literary themes like identity, self-esteem, and transformation.

Step 3: Add an Outline Organizer for Flexible Structure

Once students had their thesis, they needed a clear structure to organize their thoughts. Since this is a film analysis activity that could take the form of an essay or a visual slide deck, I wanted flexibility while guaranteeing students knew how to include the vital parts of a film analysis assignment (thesis statements, visual and cinematic evidence, and analysis that connects those two). While a five paragraph essay structure may work for some, it could be limiting or unproductive for others.

So I asked ChatGPT to help build a graphic organizer that would:

• Anchor their thesis
• Break down each frame for emotional and visual analysis
• Help students compare and synthesize
• Guide them in writing or presenting a conclusion about theme and character growth

While ChatGPT did give me a five paragraph essay outline, the structural components it called for helped me to separate my "expert point of view" from my mentor text, and to understand how to explain the components in a way that would be usable for students. I knew I wanted to give students more than a graphic organizer that called for:

• Topic sentence
• Context for evidence
• Scene description that includes cinematic devices
• Analysis that explains HOW the evidence connects to claim/topic sentence

But knowing that this lesson and activity is designed for an ELA class and not a film studies class, I knew that "cinematic devices" wasn't going to cut it to tell students what to look for and do. Chat GPT gave me this:

Oftentimes, what happens with Film and Media Studies is what happens when we're teaching grammar or writing – we are the experts, but because we've worked hard to be clear and develop our thoughts in the subject matter, we've lost the accessible vocabulary for students. While "cinematic devices" would be lost on any student or teacher that isn't familiar with film studies, "camera, lighting, and color" are accessible terms, and seeing ChatGPT gathered my thesis statements and evidence asked for what the scene revealed "emotionally" and "visually" helped me more quickly understand the additional step I needed to design myself to bridge the gap between thesis brainstorms and refined articulation of film-y terms for non-film students in written or presentation film analysis compositions.

Final Product: Scaffolded Film Analysis with Student Choice

The result is a set of differentiated, student-centered analytical writing activities that:

• Lets students choose which frame pair to analyze
• Gives them options for output: essay or Canva slide deck
• Builds skills in visual literacy, analytical writing, and theme development
• Uses Into the Spider-Verse to connect pop culture to academic thinking

Everything is scaffolded—and while the thesis frames and outline graphic organizer may appear formulaic, students are not married to these formulas. The point is, if they can complete these steps well, they're welcome to leap off of a strong foundation. For your developing writers and analyzers, they will be working to fully complete these steps. This is ELA differentiation in action.

Why It Worked: ChatGPT as a Thinking Partner

Using ChatGPT didn’t just save time—it helped me clarify my instructional goals and build materials that aligned with how I wanted students to think critically. If you already have a strong model response, you can ask ChatGPT to help you create:

• Prewriting activities
• Thesis generators
• Outline templates
• Visual scaffolds for presentation-based tasks

Let your teaching brain lead. Let AI help build the bridge.

Grab the Full Resource

You can download the full Into the Spider-Verse Parallel Frame Analysis activity here:

Includes:

• Assignment prompt + rubric
• Frame analysis questions
• 6 Frame Pairings with Scaffolded Frame Annotation Worksheets
• Canva deck of parallel frame groupings that students may choose their own pairs from
• Thesis scaffold worksheet
• Outline graphic organizer
• Editable Canva slide deck template

Perfect for film analysis lesson plans in middle or high school ELA classrooms, media literacy units, or any teacher integrating visual texts and writing.

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