Kenwood Academy English Department
Film As Literature
Instructor: Ms. Barbara A. Bennett
English Office: (773) 535-1379/80, Email: babennett@cps.edu
Credit: 1 Credit Hour
Course Description: Film As Literature is a Junior- and Senior-level elective English course designed to increase students'
awareness of their movie viewing habits and to expand their knowledge of movie history and technology as well as to develop
students' practical ability to recognize, reflect on, and communicate film's basic narrative and technical elements. Films are not
simply "watched"; they are critically viewed.
Course Objectives: Students learn to critically view and appreciate the technical and historical development of the world
cinema, different movie genres, and the director as "auteur." The course will focus on broadening the critical thinking skills
necessary to analyze film as an artistic and entertainment media.
Class Expectations: Students will come to class each day with IDs, on time with required materials--paper, pen, worksheets,
handouts, course folder--ready to work productively. Students will treat everyone with respect and courtesy. Students will follow
all school/CPS Board rules.
Course Outcomes: By the completion of First Quarter, students will gain a better understanding of film's narrative construction
through plot structure and screenwriting, the fundamentals of cinematography, the use of CGI and post-production editing
techniques, including the use of sound, and how a documentary differs from a narrative film. In addition, students will gain
practical experience in the planning, shooting, and editing of their own film as the quarter's primary performance task. Students
will further develop their literacy skills through the construction of weekly written film journals, focusing on the analysis and
evaluation of technical and literary devices found in films. By the completion of Second Quarter, students will gain a better
understanding of the historical and technical advances in filmmaking, through examination of the pre-sound era, the rise of the
Hollywood Studio System and its dissolution, the growth of independent filmmakers, and the influence of special effects. See first
quarter above for second quarter performance task and literacy skills outcomes. By the completion of Third Quarter, students
will gain a better understanding of film genre, focusing on the Gangster Film and its: history, characteristics, depiction of
violence, and effect on mainstream culture. See first 1uarter above for third quarter performance task and literacy skills
outcomes. By the completion of Fourth Quarter, students will gain a better understanding of the director as auteur through an indepth analysis of Spike Lee and his body of work. See first 1uarter above for fourth quarter performance task and literacy skills
outcomes.
Course Alignment: Each quarter's primary performance task and the course's formative assessments, including worksheets,
discussions, and notetaking, and summative assessments are underpinned by the scope and sequence of the skills inherent in
the ACT College Readiness Standards and the Common Core Standards for Reading and Writing.
See attached charts.
Materials: Film: An Introduction (1999, Bedford/St. Martin's), worksheets, handouts
Anticipated Film Viewings in Class: Vantage Point (2008), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Pulp Fiction (1994),
Full Metal Jacket (1987), Schindler's List (1994), Domino (2005), Run, Lola, Run (1999), Psycho (1960), Bully (2013), The Fall
(2006), The Great Train Robbery (1903), A Century of Black Cinema (2003), City Lights (1931), Casablanca (1942), Singin' in
the Rain (1952), The Matrix (1999), Murder on a Sunday Morning (2003), The Artist (2011), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Red
Tails (2012), The Searchers (1956), Dances with Wolves (1990), Scarface (1931), Scarface (1983), The Maltese Falcon (1941),
Bonnie & Clyde (1967), Godfather I & II (1972/1974), Goodfellas (1990), Menace II Society (1993), Tsotsi (2005), School Daze
(1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992), Crooklyn (1994), Get on the Bus (1996), 4 Little Girls (1997), Bamboozled
(2000), Inside Man (2006), Miracle at St. Anna's (2008), Red Hook Summer (2012).
Grading Criteria: Students earn points for every classroom and homework assignment, project, quiz, and test in addition to
points for classroom participation, punctuality, and attendance. Fifty percent (50%) of the grade is based on classroom
participation and assignments and fifty percent (50%) is based on homework assignments, ie: film journals, examinations, and
quarterly projects.
Film As Literature Grading Percentages Per Quarter
Classwork and Participation
50%
Film Journals
20%
Project
15%
Quarterly Examination
10%
Quizzes
5%
Late Work: Late work will be accepted up to the ninth (or second-to-the-last) week of each quarter. Please note that late work is
penalized with a loss of 25%.
Attendance: Students are expected to attend class every day. In the event of an excused absence, students must follow school
procedures and are responsible for making up missed assignments. Being absent does NOT excuse one from an assignment
even if the absence is excused. Arrangements must be made to make up missed examinations outside of class time. Unexcused
absences and chronic tardiness will negatively impact grades according to the CPS promotion policy. Please note that a large
percentage of class consists of film viewings. There is NO practical provision for making up film viewings at school. Students are
responsible for viewing "missed" films on their own. The teacher will not provide DVDs. (Most films are readily available at the
public library or rental outlets.) Film-viewing worksheets, vocabulary sheets, and journal/project requirements and rubrics are
available online at the school website.
Honor Code: This is a learning environment. Students must practice common courtesy in order to ensure the best experience
for everyone in the class. In addition, plagiarism is theft, and will NOT be tolerated in any form, resulting in an automatic 0% on
assignments.
Contact Information: Teacher Preparatory Periods: 2, 6, 8. Office hours are available by appointment. English Office Phone:
(773) 535-1379/80, Kenwood's Main Office Phone: (773) 535-1350; Email: babennett@cps.edu, Principal: gljones@cps.edu.
First Quarter: September 2 – November 6, 2014 (10 Weeks)
Due Dates*: Sept. 11: 1 Journal; Oct. 9 4 Journals; Oct. 23: 1 Project; Oct. 31: 4 Journals; Oct. 30/31: Final
Techniques of Filmmaking
Introduction to Story, Plot, Narrative; Intro to Screenwriting; Intro to Cinematography; Computer Generated Images (CGI) and
Editing; Editing II, Editing III; Editing and Sound (Including Post Production); Documentary.
Film Viewings in Class
Class: Vantage Point (2008), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Pulp Fiction (1994), Full Metal Jacket (1987),
Schindler's List (1994), Domino (2005), Run, Lola, Run (1999), Psycho (1960), Bully (2013), The Fall (2006).
Second Quarter: November 10, 2014 - January 29, 2015 (10 Weeks)
Due Dates*: Dec. 11: 4 Journals; Jan 8: 4 Journals; Jan. 15: Project; Jan. 22/23: Final
History of Filmmaking and the Mini-Genre Study
Pre-1920s/Silent; 1920s/1930s; 1940s; 1950s; 1960s; 1970s; 1980s; 1990s; 2000+.
Film Viewings in Class
The Great Train Robbery (1903), A Century of Black Cinema (2003), City Lights (1931), Casablanca (1942), Singin' in the Rain
(1952), The Matrix (1999), Murder on a Sunday Morning (2003), The Artist (2011), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Red Tails (2012),
The Searchers (1956), Dances with Wolves (1990).
Third Quarter: February 2 – April 2, 2015 (9 Weeks)
Due Dates*: Feb. 19: 6 Journals; March 12: 3 Journals; March 19: Project; March 26/27: Final
Genre Study: The Gangster Film
History of the Gangster Film; Characteristics of a Gangster Film; B/W v. Color; The Depiction of Violence; Film Noire; The
Gangster's Film Effect on Mainstream Culture; The International Gangster Film.
Film Viewings in Class
Scarface (1931), Scarface (1983), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Bonnie & Clyde (1967), Godfather I & II (1972/1974),
Goodfellas (1990), Menace II Society (1993), Tsotsi (2005).
Fourth Quarter: April 13 - June 16, 2015 (9 Weeks)
Due Dates*: April 23: 6 Journals; May 7: 2 Journals; May 14: Project; May 22/23: Final
The Film Director as Auteur: Spike Lee
Analysis of Lee and His Work; Lighting, Camera Distance, Camera Movement, Editing Style, Use of Dialogue, Use of Music,
Mise-en-Scene, Plot Structure, Plot Conflicts/Resolutions, Character Development, and Symbolism.
Film Viewings in Class
School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992), Crooklyn (1994), Get on the Bus (1996), 4 Little Girls (1997),
Bamboozled (2000), Inside Man (2006), Miracle at St. Anna's (2008), Red Hook Summer (2012).
*Due dates are tentatively scheduled and may change.
KENWOOD ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL
PARENTAL PERMISSION FORM FOR MOVIES 2014-2015
Teacher Name: Barbara A. Bennett
Class: Film As Literature
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Your student will view the following movies in Film As Literature class: Vantage Point (2008), The Curious Case of Benjamin
Button (2008), Pulp Fiction (1994), Full Metal Jacket (1987), Schindler's List (1994), Domino (2005), Run, Lola, Run (1999),
Psycho (1960), Bully (2013), The Fall (2006), The Great Train Robbery (1903), A Century of Black Cinema (2003), City Lights
(1931), Casablanca (1942), Singin' in the Rain (1952), The Matrix (1999), Murder on a Sunday Morning (2003), The Artist
(2011), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Red Tails (2012), The Searchers (1956), Dances with Wolves (1990), Scarface (1931),
Scarface (1983), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Bonnie & Clyde (1967), Godfather I & II (1972/1974), Goodfellas (1990), Menace II
Society (1993), Tsotsi (2005), School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992), Crooklyn (1994), Get on the
Bus (1996), 4 Little Girls (1997), Bamboozled (2000), Inside Man (2006), Miracle at St. Anna's (2008), Red Hook Summer
(2012), Lee Daniel’s The Butler beginning on August 26, 2013. I want to assure you that these films connect to the curriculum
and to the content that we have been learning about in class. However, some of these movies have been rated "R" by the Motion
Picture Association of America. For a more detailed description of movie ratings, you may visit: http://www.mpaa.org. A brief
description follows:
R - Restricted. Children Under 17 Require Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian, An R-rated motion picture, in the view of the
Rating Board, contains some adult material. An R0rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language,
intense or persistent violent, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse, or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this
rating very seriously. Children under 17 are not allowed to attend R-rated motion pictures unaccompanied by a parent or adult
guardian. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about R-rated motion pictures in determining their suitability for their
children. Generally, it is not appropriate for parents to bring their young children with them to R-rated motion pictures.
Please sign this slip for your student to have permission to view these films in class. In addition, to aid communication, please fill
out the rest of this form with your phone and/or email information in case I need to contact you. If you have any questions about
the content of these movies or the connection to the curriculum, you may call me at (773) 535-1579/80 or email me at
babennett@cps.edu.
I give permission for student, ______________________________________________________________________________,
to view the above movies in class. In addition, I have read the course syllabus and understand the course requirements and
grading criteria for my student.
Parent/Guardian Signature: ________________________________________________________ Date: __________________
Home Phone: ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Work Phone: ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Cell Phone: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Email: _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Course Alignment of CCR Reading and CCR Writing Per Quarter
Reading
Main Ideas and Author’s Approach
Identify a clear main idea or purpose of any paragraph or
paragraphs in uncomplicated passages.
Infer the main idea or purpose of straightforward paragraphs in
more challenging passages.
Summarize basic events and ideas in more challenging passages.
Understand the overall approach taken by an author or narrator
(e.g., point of view, kinds of evidence used) in more challenging
passages.
Supporting Details
Locate important details in more challenging passages.
Locate and interpret minor or subtly stated details in uncomplicated
passages.
Discern which details, though they may appear in different sections
throughout a passage, support important points in more challenging
passages.
Sequential, Comparative, and Cause-Effect Relationships
Order sequences of events in uncomplicated passages.
Understand relationships between people, ideas, and so on in
uncomplicated passages.
Identify clear relationships between characters, ideas, and so on in
more challenging literary narratives.
Understand implied or subtly stated cause-effect relationships in
uncomplicated passages.
Identify clear cause-effect relationships in more challenging
passages.
Meaning of Words
Use context to determine the appropriate meaning of virtually any
word, phrase, or statement in uncomplicated passages.
Use context to determine the appropriate meaning of some
figurative and nonfigurative words, phrases, and statements in
more challenging passages.
Generalizations and Conclusions
Draw subtle generalizations and conclusions about characters,
ideas, and so on in uncomplicated literary narratives.
Draw generalizations and conclusions about people, ideas, and so
on in more challenging passages.
Writing
Expressing Judgments
Show clear understanding of the persuasive purpose of the task by
taking a position on the specific issue in the prompt and offering a
critical context for discussion
Show understanding of the complexity of the issue in the prompt by
 examining different perspectives, and/or
 evaluating implications or complications of the issue,
and/or
 posing and fully discussing counter-arguments to the
writer's position
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Q1
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Focusing on the Topic
Maintain a clear focus on discussion of the specific topic and issue
in the prompt throughout the essay.
Present a critical thesis that clearly establishes the focus on the
writer's position on the issue.
Developing a Position
Develop several ideas fully, using specific and relevant reasons,
details, and examples.
Show effective movement between general and specific ideas and
examples.
Organizing Ideas
Provide unity and coherence throughout the essay, often with a
logical progression of ideas.
Use relevant transitional words, phrases, and sentences to convey
logical relationships between ideas.
Present a well-developed introduction and conclusion.
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Using Language
Show effective use of language to clearly communicate ideas by
 correctly employing most conventions of standard English
grammar, usage, and mechanics, with just a few, if any,
errors
 using precise and varied vocabulary

using a variety of kinds of sentence structures to vary
pace and to support meaning
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Course Alignment of CCSS Reading Per Quarter
1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of
what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the
text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
2. Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and
analyze their development over the course of the text, including
how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex
account; provide an objective summary of the text.
3. Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to
develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a
story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are
introduced and developed).
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used
in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze
the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including
words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh,
engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other
authors.)
5. Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure
specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a
story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution)
contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its
aesthetic impact.
6. Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires
distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really
meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement).
7. Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g.,
recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry),
evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at
least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American
dramatist.)
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a
text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is
relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is
introduced.
9. Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and earlytwentieth-century foundational works of American literature,
including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar
themes or topics.
10. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature,
including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades
11–CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
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Course Alignment of CCSS Writing Per Quarter
Q1
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive
topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient
evidence.
a. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the
significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate
or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically
sequences claim(s), counterclaims,
reasons, and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly,
supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the
strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the
audience’s knowledge
level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link
the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the
relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and
evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while
attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which
they are writing.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and
supports the argument presented.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey
complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately
through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of
content.
a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and
information so that each new element builds on that which
precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when
useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant
and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details,
quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the
audience’s knowledge of the topic.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the
major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the
relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and
techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the
complexity of the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while
attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which
they are writing.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and
supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating
implications or the significance of the topic).
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Q4
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3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or
events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and wellstructured event sequences.
a. Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation,
or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple
point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters;
create a smooth
progression of experiences or events.
b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description,
reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events,
and/or characters.
c. Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build
on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a
particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense,
growth, or resolution).
d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory
language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events,
setting, and/or characters.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is
experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined
in standards 1–3 above.)
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising,
editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing
what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
(Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language
standards 1–3 up to and including grades 11–12 on page 54.)
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and
update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing
feedback, including new arguments or information.
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to
answer a question(including a self-generated question) or solve a
problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate;
synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and
digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the
strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task,
purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text
selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and
over reliance on any one source and following a standard format for
citation.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.
a. Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literature (e.g.,
“Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and earlytwentieth-century foundational works of American literature,
including how two or more texts
from the same period treat similar themes or topics”).
b. Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction
(e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts,
including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal
reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court Case majority opinions and
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dissents] and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of
public advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]”).
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research,
reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or
a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
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Name _________________________________________________________________________ Period ________
My favorite movie is: _____________________________________________________________________because
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