Background
I thought my eyes and ears were deceiving me. The scene before me was a rare sight at best and certainly not one I expected so late in the year. Here it was two weeks after the AP English exam and my students were carrying on an in-depth analytical discussion amongst themselves of a chapter from Tim O'Brien's novel The Things They Carried. Please don't misunderstand me; I was not leading the discussion, nor was it based on questions or worksheets that I had handed out. Rather it was the result of their own findings in the text, their own decisions about what mattered. Animated, passionate, and full of constant references to the text, how had they come to this? What had I done to achieve this moment of classroom nirvana? As I pondered this scene I realized that much of the credit could be laid at Hollywood's feet.
In true Hollywood fashion then, let me establish the scene before advancing the narrative. I am the English Department Chair, the AP English teacher (both Language and Literature), and the Film & Video teacher at a visual and performing arts magnet public school in Charlotte, North Carolina. The student population is approximately forty-percent free and reduced lunch. Our physical location is in an urban setting from which we draw a portion of our population. We are a relatively small school (approximately 600 high school students) and while we have auditions they do not determine entrance; they are only for placement. We do not draw only the artistically inclined. About one third of our students are dedicated to their art, one third are art enthusiasts, and one third are just enthusiastic, though rarely about art or academics.
Our district is keenly aware of test scores and attempts to structure curriculum so that high test scores will result. The district is more concerned with tests that are counted in No Child Left Behind; it has begun to offer suggestions as to how to teach AP English classes. Alongside of this our district has made the decision that if a student is interested in an AP class, regardless of their previous English grades/abilities, then they can enroll in the course. While fears of the workload may keep a few intrepid souls at bay, my classes are usually comprised of students with a variety of backgrounds and abilities. However what they almost all do not bring to the class is a developed ability to skillfully use textual evidence to construct meaning in their discussion and their writing. In order for them to be successful on the AP exams, this is an absolute necessity. It is one of the goals of this unit to bridge that gap and in order to do so I find myself turning to cinema.
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