Today is Bastille Day so I was feeling the need to do something French. I always keep my eyes open to La Maison Francaise to see what is going on at the French Embassy but it wasn't kid friendly this year and their upcoming programming did not scream "bring your students please." So I had to look elsewhere. Where should we go? How about the movies! That's right, the French love their cinema so we should indulge. I found the best place to do so
at the Avalon Theater on Connecticut Avenue. This theater has created what it is calling as the Wednesday Cultural Programs in which it highlights French, Czech and Greek films every Wednesday throughout the month. Now, I am adding this posting not because there is a movie to see there at this moment but to think about the power that foreign cinema could have in the classroom/field trip.
The first thing to remember is that these movies will be subtitled which means that students will be reading the entire time. This may pose a challenge to your slower readers so definitely prep them and show clips throughout the year of foreign language films so that they will become used to watching subtitles. You may want to give summaries and preview the film as much as possible before watching and also remind students that if they miss a word here and there that it is ok. The main idea is to get the gist of the movie.
Foreign films also show aspects of culture that you will not see in and around the area. It would be good to point out misunderstandings, idiosyncrasies and significant cultural cues as a preview/follow up so that students get as much out of the movie as possible.
Once your students are used to reading subtitles and you have adequately prepped them for the movie you are about to watch, imagine how cool it would be to see it on the big screen! In the end you will have a cultural experience that satisfies social studies and reading content.
Contact Info:
Avalon Theater
5612 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20015
202-966-6000
http://www.theavalon.org/
Another theater that regularly plays foreign language films is:
Landmark's E Street Cinema
555 11th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20004-1300
(202) 452-7672
website
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