We had two wonderful days of professional learning at Southeast Polk around technology integration and collaborative data analysis. Check out our Storify below to see more about what we learned:
Learning and Growing with Technology at SEP
Close Reading
Many elementary teachers have registered for our Close Reading professional development in April. See link below for more information on close reading for all students, elementary and secondary.
Going Deeper with Close Reading
Watching the Oscars on Sunday?
Teaching History With Film: ‘Lincoln’, ‘Argo’ and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’
By ANNISSA HAMBOUZ and MICHAEL GONCHAR
Three of this year’s Oscar contenders — “Lincoln,”“Argo” and “Zero Dark Thirty” — invite viewers to look at history, either through the lens of the distant past (as in the case of “Lincoln”) or through recent events (like “Zero Dark Thirty”), and to question the degree of truth and fiction at work in the retelling of these events.
These same three movies have also prompted some serious debate and reflection on American politics, and the direction the nation should be headed.
Below, we offer ways you can approach each film in the classroom, with critical thinking questions and related Times resources. While they are intended as jumping-off points for further discussion and reflection, you can also have students address these themes by writing their own movie reviews or scene analyses.
LINCOLN
Overview | “Lincoln” is a historical drama and biopic, written by Tony Kushner, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, that covers the final four months of Abraham Lincoln’s life. The film focuses on the president’s efforts to get the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution passed by the United States House of Representatives. While “Lincoln” received widespread acclaim from film critics, some scholars have taken issue with the way the film presents the 13th Amendment and theexclusion of black leaders and voices.
Ways to Approach:
• Explore the cult of personality. Admiration for Lincoln goes well beyond academic and historian circles. How does “Lincoln” support or refute our modern public perception of the president as a hero? (Consider the nicknames “Honest Abe,” “The Ancient One,” “Emancipator” or “Great Liberator.”)
Why are some leaders more likely than others to attract public sympathy and support, or to go down in history as heroes? How does the on-screen portrayal of historical figures, like Mr. Day-Lewis’s Lincoln, influence our understanding of history?
• Investigate “Lincoln” and the 13th Amendment. The film is focused on Lincoln’s efforts to get the 13th Amendment to the Constitution passed by the House of Representatives to formally end slavery in the United States. Why do some critics take issue with the way these events (and Lincoln’s perspective on slavery) are depicted? For example, why do you think the filmmakers chose to omit Lincoln’s association with the abolitionist Frederick Douglass?
Related Times and Learning Network Resources:
- Teaching Resources Collection: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War
- Historic Headline: “House Passes 13th Amendment, Abolishing Slavery”
- 150th Anniversary of Emancipation Proclamation and “Lincoln”-Inspired Op-Eds: “The Emancipation of Lincoln” and “How Many Slaves Work for You?”
- The Limitations of Historical Films: “Learning History at the Movies”
ARGO
Overview | “Argo,” described as a “political-action-thriller-comedy,” was directed by the actor Ben Affleck. It is a dramatization of the covert mission executed by the Canadian government and the C.I.A. to rescue six American diplomats who had evaded capture during the 1979 seizure of the United States Embassy in Tehran.
The film focuses on Tony Mendez (played by Mr. Affleck), a C.I.A. operative who was assigned to work on the mission and later wrote about his experiences in a book called “Master of Disguise.” The New York Times reviewer Manohla Dargis praises the film, saying it “embellishes the official story without eviscerating it,” but the movie has been criticized by some for offering only entertaining suspense without saying much about the “vexed subject” of American-Iranian relations.
Way to Approach:
• Discuss the role of comedy in the reporting of historical events.“Argo” has been described as both a “political-action-thriller-comedy” and a “farce.” The New York Times review of the film notes: “At one point in ‘Argo,’ a smart, jittery thriller about a freakish and little-known chapter of the Iranian hostage crisis, a Hollywood producer says that history starts as farce and ends up as tragedy. He seems, as someone rightly points out, to have it backward.” What do you think this means?
In general, what do you think about the use of comedy in historical films? How can a filmmaker use humor and absurdity to embellish the official story without eviscerating it? Are you usually drawn to learn more about a topic or event if it is presented in a humorous manner (lesson plan)? Why or why not? What other historical events would you like to see told through a comedic lens?
• Examine the claims of one-sidedness and bias in the storytelling of “Argo.”How closely based on true events is this film? What creative license did the filmmakers take? How might the need for a compressed narrative arc that fits neatly into a two-hour feature-length film challenge the filmmaker’s ability to tell the “whole story”? In “Argo,” whose stories are left out? What biases are revealed?
Read what the Iran hostage crisis survivorshave to say about “Argo.” And consider Iranian government officials who condemn the film as anti-Iranian. Or consider the Canadian diplomat Ken Taylor, acknowledged as an international hero for his role in the Iran hostage crisis, who criticized the portrayal of events in “Argo” as one-sided and prompted Mr. Affleck to change the film’s postscript.
Related Times Resources:
- Historic Headline: “Iran Releases American Hostages as Reagan Takes Office”
- The Other Canadian Diplomat-Hero: “John Sheardown, Canadian Who Sheltered Americans in Tehran, Dies at 88″
- Tony Mendez Interview: “The Spy Behind ‘Argo’ Out-Hollywoods Hollywood”
- Argo Set Design: “Below the Line: The Sets of ‘Argo’”
- Lunch With Ben Affleck and Tony Mendez: “‘Argo’ and the Workaday C.I.A. Officer”
ZERO DARK THIRTY
Overview | “Zero Dark Thirty” is a historical drama written by Mark Boal and directed and co-produced by Kathryn Bigelow. The film is a dramatization of the American operation that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011, and focuses on a fictionalized C.I.A. agent named Maya, played by Jessica Chastain. Though critically acclaimed as “a seamless weave of truth and drama,” the film has sparked intense controversy and strong criticism for allegedly obtaining improper access to classified materials and portraying “enhanced interrogation techniques” (torture) as a necessary component of American intelligence in the search for bin Laden.
Ways to Approach:
• Discuss the use of classified information and firsthand accounts.The film opens by announcing itself as “based on firsthand accounts of actual events.” To what extent is “Zero Dark Thirty” based on fact? How did the filmmakers obtain their information? What are your thoughts on the use of classified information and eyewitness accounts in filmmaking? Based on existing reports, do you think this story depicts events as they actually occurred? Why or why not?
• Discuss the ambiguous genre of “Zero Dark Thirty.” As a film about the very recent past, as well as one that claims to merge classified information and eyewitness accounts with movie storytelling, “Zero Dark Thirty” has been described as “part narrative feature and part documentary” that “occupies … a strange new space in the cultural sphere.” While Mr. Boal called it a “docudrama,” Ms. Bigelow referred to it as “reported film.” What does “reported film” mean? Why are some critics taking issue with Ms. Bigelow’s merging of (nondocumentary) moviemaking and journalism? Do you think we’ll see more films with “hybrid” genres in the future? Why or why not?
• Discuss the controversial portrayal of torture. Most of the debate over “Zero Dark Thirty” has centered on its depiction of torture and how it was either effective or ineffective in the war on terror. As Manohla Dargis of The Times puts it: “However unprovable the effectiveness of these interrogations, they did take place. To omit them from ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ would have been a reprehensible act of moral cowardice.”
While another critic counters: “If it would have been dishonest to leave torture out of the film entirely, how is it not dishonest to leave out how generally ineffective it was, how morally corrupting, how totally it enraged the entire Arab world, how often we used it on people we knew little to nothing about, how often it resulted in deaths, or a hundred other facts?”
How is the use of torture by United States intelligence depicted in “Zero Dark Thirty,” in your opinion? What does Ms. Bigelow mean when she states that“depiction is not endorsement”? In your opinion, does the film justify the use of torture? Personally, do you think torture can ever be morally justified? Why or why not?
Related Times Resources
- Historic Headlines: “Bin Laden Is Dead, Obama Says”
- “Zero Dark Thirty”-Inspired Op-Eds: “Bin Laden, Torture and Hollywood”and “Secret Double Standard”
- 2010 Lesson Plans: “Teaching Ideas: The Death of Osama bin Laden” and“A ‘Stop the Presses’ Moment: More on the Death of bin Laden”
- 2009 Lesson Plan: “The Torture Question”
IDEAS FOR GOING FURTHER
1. In what ways do our interest in the past relate to the present?How might the topics of these films reflect the current sociopolitical climate? Check out The Times’s viewer reviews for “Lincoln,” “Argo” or “Zero Dark Thirty” and see what conclusions, if any, you can draw about the cultural climate right now. Then, consider reviewing nominees from past years’ Oscarsto chart the country’s changing climate and mood over time (lesson plan).
2. To what extent is accuracy important when a film portrays real-life events? Are fact and fiction two sides of the same coin when it comes to depicting history? Should filmmakers (and viewers) be expected to draw the line between entertainment and education? Why or why not? Choose a movie, like one of the three above or any other that deals with a historical subject, and research how Hollywood’s version of history can diverge from the historical record.
3. To what extent does Hollywood have the power to influence voters? For example, why did the director Steven Spielberg wait to release “Lincoln” until after the 2012 presidential election? And why was “Zero Dark Thirty” touted as an endorsement of the Obama presidency before its release, but is now seen by some as a vehicle for the right wing? Read “Beltway Stop in the Oscar Race” and then write a short opinion piece offering your thoughts on the relationship between entertainment and politics.
Additional Learning Network Resources:
- For some ideas on how to bring the Academy Awards season and the Oscars into your classroom, see our “Ten Ways to Teach the Oscars.”
- You might also check out our detailed “Film in the Classroom” page of lessons, crosswords, fill-ins and Times archival materials to use across the curriculum.
- What were your favorite films of 2012? Respond to our Student Opinionfeature.
Reading
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
Writing
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
Speaking and Listening
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively and orally.
4. Present information, findings and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively and orally.
4. Present information, findings and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.
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