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Coraline Creative Writing Mini Workbook: Exploring Mood
Three Coraline writing practices that teach students to build mood through sentence structure, tone and perspective. Print + Google Docs, about 90 minutes.
The Babadook — Complete Film Analysis Unit
Introduce film analysis with this complete film unit and pacing guide.
Poe Gothic Story Writing Workbook
Complete workbook that pairs figurative language and craft [of writing] analysis with parallel creative writing practices to guide students through creating their own gothic short stories. Rigorous and relatable.
Frankenweenie: Full ELA Film Unit & Pacing Guide
3 week pacing guide for teaching and analyzing Frankenweenie, includes links to all lessons (essentially a unit bundle).
Frankenweenie Socratic Seminar
Socratic Seminar Questions, Rubric, and Supplementary articles that pair with Frankenweenie
Frankenweenie & Frankenstein: Characterization Comparisons
Comparative Analysis of Victor, his father, and his mentor/teachers in Frankenweenie and Frankenstein. Scaffolded and ready to differentiate.
Frankenweenie Monster Mash Up Scene Study
Scene Study Questions, Monster Comparison/Allusion Table for the Carnival/Monster Mash Up Scene in Frankenweenie.
Coraline Film Analysis Practice Pack
Five scaffolded practice activities build film vocabulary, character analysis, and theme development.
Coraline Pre-Viewing & Intro to Film Form Vocabulary Lesson Pack
Introduce film vocabulary with Coraline. Includes guided notes, vocab decks, and answer key.
Frankenweenie — “It’s Alive!” Scene Comparisons
Compare the “It’s Alive!” scenes from Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein, and Frankenweenie.
Frankenweenie — Subtext Activities (Lightning & Town Hall Scenes)
Unpack the hidden meanings in Frankenweenie with subtext activities for the Lightning and Town Hall scenes.
Frankenweenie — Science, Symbolism & Fear Activities
Explore the role of science in Frankenweenie through three lessons: “What is Science?,” a Scientist Character Sort, and the Fear of Science town hall.
Frankenweenie — Caricature & Body Representation Activities
Analyze Burton’s gothic style through caricature and body representation in Frankenweenie. Includes student chart, answer key, and creative extension.
Frankenweenie — Characterization, Archetypes & Caricature Activities
Explore how Tim Burton’s quirky characters mix archetype, parody, and stereotype. This lesson pack includes notes, student packet, and slides to teach characterization through Frankenweenie.
Frankenweenie — Viewing Questions & Motif Tracking
Engage students with 50 guided viewing questions and motif-tracking prompts for Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie. Perfect for grades 7–10 as a Halloween lesson, film study activity, or active viewing guide.
Frankenweenie — Pre-Viewing & Activation Questions
Activate prior knowledge before watching Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie with 8 open-ended prompts on monsters, symbolism, parody, and fear. Perfect Halloween warm-up or film study intro for grades 7–10.
Opening Sequence Film Analysis Practice Activity with It Follows
Conduct a shot by shot breakdown of the first 4 minutes of It Follows to explore suspense, POV, and more.
Us Opening Sequence Viewing Questions
Viewing Questions for the first 15 minutes of Us. Explore character, notice suspense creation, and practice with symbols and allusion.
Coraline Film Sequence Analysis Practice: First Night in the Other World
COMING SOON: Shot by Shot Sequence Analysis Practice for Coraline's first night in the Other World.
Film Analysis Assignment Sheet & Rubric for Coraline
A Thematic + Visual Analysis Project for Middle & High School Students
Coraline Viewing Questions
2 different question sets (one geared towards learning the basics of film studies vocabulary, one that doesn't require film experience) and a master list of viewing questions.
From the blog
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My Favorite Lessons to Teach in October
The Frankenweenie, Coraline, Poe and horror-film lessons I come back to every fall, plus a quick note about TpT.
How to Make Edgar Allan Poe Relevant: Scaffolded Creative Writing for Secondary ELA
I love Gothic literature. Something about it.
The monsters as metaphor. The rich, dense language that forces me to slow down. The layers of figurative language that overlap
Coraline, Eccentric Adults, and the Line Between Weird and Unsafe
Lesson for members
Poe, Coraline, and Autumn Atmosphere
Lesson for members
Woman of the Hour Teacher Tips
Lesson for members
The Horror of Patriarchy in Woman of the Hour
Insights and explorations, related events, texts, and themes, for Woman of the Hour.
Best Films for Spooky Season 2023: Thrillers, Classics, and More
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,
The Newer Scream Films and Horror Movie Explorations
Thoughts on the newer Scream movies.
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