[Tea] Can you count movies and television as part of homeschool?

Welcome to "Tea with Julie," a weekly missive by me, Julie Bogart. My wish is to give you food for thought over a cup of tea to enhance your life as an educator, parent, and awesome adult. Glad you're here. Pinkies up!
P.S. Was this email forwarded to you? Add yourself to the list and get your own!

Cincinnati, October 26, 2024

Hi Friend,

Can you count movies and television as part of your homeschool? YES!

There's nothing like listening to language used in the right context by different people (especially film and TV actors) for vocabulary training as well as growing in familiarity with proper syntax.

Additionally, plot and characterization are both easily identified and understood in movies. Quickly kids learn about what makes a good versus poorly drawn villain, they discover what a climax is without even knowing that that is what it’s called, and they can make predictions based on past story experiences.

Film and television teach kids:

comic timing,
irony,
key cultural assumptions
and makes use of a host of well-known story archetypes.

Cartoons (the old Looney Tunes, for example) even expose kids to classical music!

Comparing multiple versions of the same story (different film versions and comparisons with the original novel) is an excellent way to point out characterization choices, to focus on setting and costuming etc.

The key to good movie viewing at home is watching with your kids and talking about what you see.

Ask questions.
Stop the film at a crucial juncture and ask everyone to predict what will happen next.
Replay a scene after the movie is over to see if you understand it differently now that you know the whole story.
Watch the same movie once, twice, three times.

Watching films together is a far better way to develop language arts skills than all the typical workbooks that talk about plot and/or vocabulary. Movies put the plot on display in about two hours. Can’t beat that!

Resources

The above came from an earlier, multi-part Tea with Julie series on Movies and TV. If you missed it, here are a few more past emails on the topic that you might find helpful:

Make films more relevant and valuable to your children! Brave Writer's free 11 page digital guide helps you to comment meaningfully on plot, characterization, make-up and costumes, acting, setting, and even film editing. As your children learn to talk well about movies, these skills naturally help them to discuss literature.

Warmly,

P.S. Catch up on all the “Tea with Julie” emails here!