Cathy Flynn and Tanya Treavett take a look at some of the British Film Institute resources at Foundation, KS1 and KS2 and consider how they might be used in the classroom.

Using Bfi Film Clips in Literacy

From an early age children are exposed to moving image media.  Many children are already familiar with film, television and video when they begin their school education, as teaching in the Foundation Stage should build on children’s own experiences, the film resources clearly support that principle.  The resources come in the form of DVD or VHS Video with a supporting booklet of lesson plans and ideas about using film in teaching.

The films on Starting Stories, the resource for Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, are all animations, but quite different in style.  Each film lasts no longer than 7 minutes, making them very accessible to young children.  Every film creates a brilliant visual stimulus for children’s.

Teaching ideas in the booklets directly address Early Learning Goals for the Foundation Stage and National Literacy Strategy word, sentence and text level objectives for Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1.  The booklets also contain ideas for cross-curricular extension activities, particularly for Music and PE.

The supporting booklet contains background information on using films in the curriculum, information about each of the films (all of which were created by independent film makers), suggested questions to use in working with the films and a detailed lesson plan for each term for each year group.  None of the films have any narration and are ideal to be used for caption, speech and sentence writing.  They can also support sequencing activities and help children to develop their story writing skills.

For example Little Wolf, a drawn animated film, is about a young wolf who sees the moon rising, tries to catch it and does, but the problem is he gets stuck on the moon.  His friends try with no avail to help him get down.  So how does he get down from the moon?  You’ll have to buy the DVD or Video to find out!  The film has a traditional fairy tale feel about it and is enhanced by the music and sound. 

Some lesson planning ideas for using this film include:

·         Writing speech and thought bubbles for the characters in the films

·         Creating news reports about what has happened to Little Wolf

·         Writing stories about other problems and how to solve them

·         Developing the use of linking phrases with two scenes from the film

Children from Year 1 in Bampton Primary School used the film to make their own suggestions about how Little Wolf could get down.  They had some very creative ideas, including building a pile of stones and climbing a tree.  Below are just some of their ideas:

Examples of work form Bampton School

The Lucky Dip is a combination of cut out and 3D model animation about a little girl’s adventures when she visits the seaside for a day out with her parents.  There are several twists in the story, making it a great character study resource, thinking about the appearance and personality of characters.  The soundtrack gives the film a slightly scary and mysterious feel.

Planning suggestions for using the film include:

• What happens next activities, with children drawing or writing the next three scenes in the story

• Writing character descriptions for each of the characters in the story
  Writing about other events that could take place in the different settings in the film, for example the arcade

·         Writing a sequel for the film, describing what happened to the rabbit or the pin man

• Explore writing sentences that build
  suspense in stories
• Write a review of the film and use Digital Blue cameras to interview
  other children about their thoughts on the film

• The three other films in the pack are, ‘Baboon on the Moon’, a 3D model animation about the daily life of a baboon living on the moon, ‘Anders Artig’ (Otherwise), a colourful 2D animation about a chameleon who is different, great for looking at issues in PHSE, and ‘Laughing Moon’ an animation where characters are created from shapes, also really good for exploring shape in Maths.  The use of music in this film is particularly key to the way in which it is presented.