Film Clips for Character Education

FILMclips
Character Education
for
EPISODE 3
COURAGE ・ PERSEVERANCE ・ LOYALTY
Study Guide by
C. K. Robertson, Ph.D. and Peter Samuelson, Ph.D.
v2.11.0801
Table of Contents
(CLICK A THEME OR CLIP BELOW TO JUMP TO PAGE)
(FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES CLICK HERE)
COURAGE
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The Wizard of Oz
Monsters, Inc.
LOYALTY
The Secret Life of Zoey
Shrek
School of Rock
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
PERSEVERANCE
The Addams Family
Chariots of Fire
Parenthood
School of Rock
All clips are under copyright and are used with permission from copyright
holders.
None of the movies represented in the Film Clips Series is rated higher than
PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America, except for three of the
movies in Episode Eight (“Glory”, “Born on the Fourth of July”, and “Saving
Private Ryan”). No inappropriate material is included in any of the individual
film clips.
Educational Standards
Pages 36-40
The film clips in this series meet the performance standards.
Spanish/English Options
Options for audio and subtitles in English or Spanish are available in “Settings” on the main menu of the DVD. Spanish audio is available for most, but
not all film clips.
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Welcome to
Film Clips for Character Education.
© Film Clips Spirit of America
The following pages contain an exciting new approach to
character education which reaches students through a medium
for which they have a natural affinity: Hollywood movies. In
this nine-part series, clips from the movies are used to assist
teachers and students engage in reflection and discussion
about character and moral action.
At its core are clips from popular Hollywood movies that
exemplify key character traits and issues surrounding moral
development. The clips provide students with situations
that relate to ‘real life’ experiences and draw them into a
natural engagement with the subject. This approach not only
stimulates students’ thinking on moral action and character,
but enhances their engagement with the regular curriculum in
the areas of Language Arts, Social Studies, and Fine Arts.
In this guide you will find resources to help you create the
greatest impact with Film Clips. Four clips are listed under
each key character trait, for the purpose of illustrating some
positive or negative aspect of the given trait and stimulating
creative reflection and discussion. This study guide provides
a great deal of flexibility for the teacher to use Film Clips most
effectively. You will want to use your discretion regarding the
appropriateness of both the clips and the suggested activities
to the age as well as the intellectual and emotional skill levels
of your students.
With this in mind, this study guide can help you take a fresh
approach to character education, using the letters F-I-L-M to
summarize the appropriate steps:
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 Fitting clips to lesson plans and standards.
Pages 36-40
A list of key education standards covered by the clips and
activities suggested in this guide is also available at www.
FilmClipsOnline.com.
Creating a Lesson Plan:
The teacher can choose to create one 45–50 minute class
session, by showing all four clips under a key theme, pausing
after each for reaction and discussion (25–30 minutes), and
then doing one of the following exercises (15–20 minutes).
Alternatively, the teacher can create four 30 minute class
sessions by showing one clip, pausing for reaction and
discussion (10–15 minutes), and doing one of the following
exercises (15–20 minutes).
 Introducing clips to students.
Pages 6-20
As you prepare to show a film clip, you can introduce it with
a plot synopsis. This gives students who have not previously
seen the movie from which the clip is taken some context for
understanding the clip.
Pause the DVD after the on-screen teaser question following
the clip.
 Listening to students discuss the clips.
Pages 6-20
The on-screen teaser question following a film clip is designed
to initiate thoughtful discussion. The follow-up “Going Deeper”
questions should encourage further personal exploration.
These questions can be addressed in the context of the
whole class, or by splitting the class into small groups and
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then having the groups report back to the larger class after
they have explored their thoughts and opinions, or through
a written exercise to be handed in later. The quotations help
students build higher order thinking skills, foster analysis of
the quotation and relate the film clip to their own lives and the
topics they are discovering in class.
Character “Word Wall”
A “word wall” can help your students develop/build their
vocabulary in terms of meaning, context, and relevance. The
words below come directly from the video clips themselves
or the question prompt at the end of each clip. Developing a
word wall is a great way to introduce key vocabulary terms at
the beginning of a unit or develop piece by piece as your class
explores a unit of study.
Courage
Loyalty
Perseverance
Fear
Leader
Determination
Overcome
Commitment
Will
 Moving students to reflection and action.
Pages 20-35
The film clips offered in this curriculum are designed to
be tools for leading students into thoughtful reflection and
discussion. To enhance this process, several different
pedagogical exercises are presented here. As with the clips
themselves, a variety of approaches/exercises is presented so
that you can select the one that works best with your students
on a particular day to accomplish a particular goal.
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Courage
Theme: The Power of Fear
Film: Star Wars: The Phantom
Menace
(PG) 0:51
A long time ago in a galaxy far,
far away... Years before the
adventures of Luke Skywalker,
young Anakin Skywalker, Luke’s
father, seeks to join the ranks of the legendary Jedi knights,
keepers of the peace and protectors of the galaxy. In the
midst of an interview with Yoda and Mace Windu, key
members of the Jedi Council, Anakin is taught an important
lesson about the dark power of fear. Knowing that this young
boy one day will grow up to become the dreaded Darth Vader,
Yoda’s warning to him sounds even more threatening.
This 1999 film from Twentieth-Century Fox and Lucasfilm Ltd.
is written and directed by George Lucas and produced by Rick
McCallum. It stars Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie
Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny
Baker, Prenilla August, and Frank Oz.
Teaser Question: Describe a time when your fear kept you
from doing something.
Going Deeper:
Do you think most people who are angry are also afraid?
Why? Why not? Has fear ever caused you to do the wrong
thing? On the other hand, has fear ever caused you to do the
right thing? Can fear be a good thing?
Making Choices: You are invited to a party by a person you
do not know well, but with whom you would like to become
better friends. You know that there will be drinking and no
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parental supervision at the party. You are afraid to go to an
unsupervised party but also anxious about what this person
will think of you if you do not go. Even if you go, you are afraid
to drink but also afraid of what others will say if you don’t drink.
In the face of so many different fears, what would you do?
Yoda:
“Fear is the path to the dark side.
Fear leads to anger.
Anger leads to hate.
Hate leads to suffering.
I sense much fear in you.”
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.”
—Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Theme: Taking the First Step
Film: Indiana Jones
& the Last Crusade
(PG-13) 1:34
He has fought Nazis, thieves,
and killers. He has faced
countless death traps,
supernatural forces, sewer rats
and snakes. But now Indiana
Jones faces his most fearsome
challenge: to take a step of faith against all odds. The
situation is desperate; his father, with whom he has recently
been reunited, is dying from wounds that cannot be healed by
normal means. Indy’s only hope to save his father lies in the
miraculous healing powers of the mysterious Holy Grail.
In order to retrieve the Grail, Indiana Jones must reach a cave
from which he is separated by a huge chasm. Indy looks down
and cannot see the bottom. One step and, surely, he is a dead
man. Yet, it is precisely a step that he is asked to take. His
father urges him on, knowing that one must step out in faith to
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make it to safety. Indiana has lived his whole life by common
sense and reason; this makes no sense. There is, however,
no other way. Either he watches his father die, or he trusts his
father’s advice and takes that dreaded first step...
This 1989 film from Paramount Pictures and Lucasfilm, Ltd. is
directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Jeffrey Boam from a
story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes and produced by
Robert Watt. It stars Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm
Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, and Julian Glover.
Teaser Question: What enables you to take the first step?
Going Deeper: How is the future like the invisible bridge
that Indiana Jones had to step out on? What is the difference
between a leap of faith and a leap of foolishness?
Making Choices: You’ve moved to a new school. For the first
few weeks no one talks to you. You want desperately to make
friends, but you are afraid to do so. What will give you the
courage to talk to other students? How could others help you
gain the courage to take that first step?
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every
experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.”
—Eleanor Roosevelt
“One man with courage makes a majority.”
—Andrew Jackson
Theme: Pretending to be Brave
Film: The Wizard of Oz
(G) 1:23
She’s not in Kansas anymore!
A tornado sweeps Dorothy and
her dog Toto out of Kansas and
into the land of Oz. As
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they search for the way home Dorothy and Toto encounter
a Scarecrow who wants a brain, a Tin Man who yearns for
a heart and a Cowardly Lion who desires above all else ...
courage! It will not be that easy, however. The lion pretends
to be fierce, but breaks down in tears when Dorothy slaps him.
This 1939 film from MGM is directed by Victor Fleming, written
by Moel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf
and produced by Mervyn LeRoy. It stars Judy Garland,
Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Borke,
Margaret Hamilton, and Charley Grapewin.
Teaser Question: Describe a time when you pretended to be
brave but you were actually scared.
Going Deeper: In a scary situation, what helps more: to
pretend that you are brave while inside you are truly scared, or
to admit that you are afraid, yet go on? What do others think of
us when we say that we are afraid? How do you think Dorothy
summoned the courage to stand up to the lion? Would she
have done so if her beloved dog Toto were not in danger?
Some people say that love casts out fear. Do you agree?
Disagree? Why?
Making Choices: You and a group of friends are about to
take the biggest test you have ever taken. You get together to
study, but no one is able to concentrate because everyone is
distracted by fear of failing the test. Should you:
A: Try to take their minds off their fear by telling them that they
really do know the material?
B: Encourage your friends to talk about their fears?
C: Leave the group and study by yourself?
“Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no
courage unless you’re scared.
—Eddie Rickenbacker
“You don’t have to be great to start. But you have to get
started to be great.”
—Keith Davis
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Theme: Overcoming Fear
Film: Monsters, Inc.
(G) 1:24
Behind the closet door lies your
greatest fear, a nightmarish
monster created especially for
you. At least that is the way
that Monsters, Inc. has set up
the system. The creatures, who work for Monsters, Inc., steal
the screams of children and convert them into energy for the
monster city in the otherworld beyond the closet.
The problems start when Sully, a big, blue shaggy monster
goes through the wrong door and encounters a little girl he
names “Boo.” Sully is not the monster created especially for
Boo by Monsters, Inc. Far from fearing him, Boo comes to
love the big guy. But this does not mean that Boo is free from
fear. Her custom-made monster, the one who can terrify her,
is coming for Boo. Her only hope is to find a way to overcome
her fear.
This 2001 computer animated film from Walt Disney Pictures
and Pixar Animation Studios is directed by Pete Docter
and co-directed by Lee Unkrich and David Silverman. The
screenplay is written by Andrew Stanton and Daniel Gerson
from an original story by Pete Docter, Jill Culton, Jeff Pidgeon,
and Ralph Eggleston. It is produced by Darla K. Anderson
and stars the voice talents of Billy Crystal and John Goodman.
Teaser Question: What helps you overcome your fears?
Going Deeper: How does Sully help Boo deal with her fears?
Have you ever been afraid of someone because of how they
look, the color of their skin or the clothes they wear? Have
you ever changed your mind about someone who made you
nervous? How did you lose your fear of that person?
Making Choices: There is a student in school whose clothes
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and hair make that student look tough and angry. You and your
friends are intimidated by this person. On Saturday you see
this student in a park, sitting alone on a bench. Should you go
up and start a conversation, or avoid the person? What would
help you overcome your nervousness?
“Courage is being scared to death—but saddling up anyway.”
—John Wayne
“Never fear shadows. They simply mean that there is light
shining somewhere nearby.”
—Unknown
Loyalty
Theme: Helping Your Friends
Film: The Secret Life of Zoey
(PG-13) 0:53
Zoey’s best friend discovers
drugs and money in Zoey’s
locker. What does she do with
what she knows? Loyalty means
choosing not to tell on a friend,
doesn’t it? Or does it mean talking
to someone who can help your
friend? The choice is big, and it is up to each friend, each true
friend, to decide what loyalty really means.
This 2002 TV movie from Lifetime and Viacom is directed by
Robert Mandel and written by Betty Goldberg. The executive
producer is Patricia Clifford. It stars Mia Farrow, Julia
Whelan, and Cliff De Young.
Teaser Question: Is it ever okay to be a snitch?
Why? Why not?
Going Deeper: Is keeping a secret the only way, or even the
best way to be a loyal friend?
Making Choices: Are there situations where you would keep
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a secret for a friend and others where telling the secret would
be the best thing a friend could do? Describe these situations.
“Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to
see who cares enough to break them down.” —Unknown
“Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.”
—Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Theme: Friendship
Film: Shrek
(PG) 1:26
The main thing about being an
ogre is that no one wants to
be around one ... and that is
perfectly fine with Shrek, an ogre
who repeatedly says that all he
wants is to be left alone. When his swamp is suddenly overrun
with fairy tale characters, Shrek is willing to go to any length to
get rid of them, even when that means embarking on a quest
to find a princess and deliver her to a power-hungry lord.
Along the way, something happens to Shrek: he begins to
care. He begins to care about the princess and he begins to
care about his companion on this quest, an often-annoying
talkative donkey. Just when Shrek decides that the cost of
caring is too high and prepares to retreat to a life of isolation,
Donkey teaches him an important lesson.
This animated film from DreamWorks is directed by Andrew
Adamson and Vicky Jenson and written by Ted Elliott, Terry
Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman. It is
produced by Aron Warner, John H. Williams, and Jeffrey
Katzenberg and stars the voice talents of Mike Myers, Eddie
Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow.
Teaser Question: Is it okay to hold a grudge?
Why? Why not?
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Going Deeper: Are friends always honest about the way they
feel? Are there times when making a friend face the truth might
be too much to ask?
Making Choices: You know that there is a lot of tension
and trouble at your friend’s home. You also know that your
friend has not been getting very good grades. You ask how
things are going and your friend simply replies, “Things are
fine.” Do you leave your friend alone, or do you press your
friend to open up? Do you go to others and tell them about
your concerns for your friend? How can you best support your
friend? Who could you go to for help and advice?
“To the world you may be just one person, but to one person
you may be the world.”
—Brandi Snyder
“If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together.. there is
something you must always remember. You are braver than
you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you
think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart.. i’ll
always be with you.”
—Winnie the Pooh
Theme:
Leaving Someone Behind
Film: School of Rock
(PG-13) 0:58
He is loud. He is selfish. He is
obnoxious. He started a band.
This is one rocker who is about
to get a rude awakening from his
fellow band members.
This 2003 film from Paramount Pictures is directed by Richard
Linklater, written by Mike White and produced by Scott Rudin.
It stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, and Sarah
Silverman.
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Teaser Question: Do you think what happened here was
okay? Why? Why not?
Going Deeper: When is it wrong to leave someone out of
a group? When is it right? If someone wants in, should you
automatically include them?
Making Choices: The coach asks you and a few other players
who made the team last year to give input on who should
make the team this year. Your best friend wants to be on the
team but is not as good as some of the others who are trying
out. Should you lie, abstain or be honest with the coach about
your friend’s abilities? What will you say to your friend?
“Betrayal is the only truth that sticks.”
—Aurther Miller
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent
people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation
of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to
appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world
a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a
redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Theme: Commitment
Film: The Lord of the Rings:
The Return of the King
(PG-13) 0:46
At the foot of Mt. Doom,
Frodo, the Hobbit charged with
destroying a ring full of evil power,
collapses in exhaustion. Sam
doesn’t want to lose his friend to
the power of the ring and does
everything he can to insure its
destruction.
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Frodo: I can’t recall the taste of food... nor the sound of
water... nor the touch of grass. I’m... naked in the dark.
There’s... nothing. No veil between me and the wheel
of fire. I can see him... with my waking eyes.
Sam: Then let us be rid of it (the ring) ... once and for all.
Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can’t carry it for you... but I can
carry you.
This 2001 film from New Line Cinema and WingNut Films is
directed by Peter Jackson and produced by Peter Jackson,
Michael Lynne, Mark Ordesky, and Fran Walsh. It is written
by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson, based on
the novel by J.R.R. Tolkein. It stars Elijah Wood, Sean Astin,
Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, and Ian McKellen.
Teaser Question: How do you earn the support of others?
Going Deeper: How do promises and pledges express loyalty
(for example, marriage vows or the Pledge of Allegiance)?
What do you do if you or a friend breaks a promise or pledge?
What does it mean to be loyal? When is loyalty a good thing?
When might it be a bad thing?
Making Choices: You have signed up to participate in a
neighborhood cleanup day this weekend. Later, a friend
calls and asks you to go to a family picnic where there is no
one your friend’s age. Your friend doesn’t want to be bored
and lonely. The picnic is the same day as the cleanup.
Does loyalty help you decide which event you should go to?
Which is more important: helping your friend or keeping your
promise?
“To lead people, walk beside them. ”
—Lao Tszu
“Loyalty means nothing unless it has at its heart the absolute
principle of self-sacrifice.
—Woodrow Wilson
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Perseverance
Theme: Positive Thinking
Film: The Addams Family
(PG-13) 0:49
It can be frustrating to be different.
It can be discouraging when
others see you or your family as
different. However, when the
hard times come and you simply want to give up, it can be
an incredible gift to be reminded that all is not lost. Perhaps
that is what true families are all about: standing together and
surviving together no matter what.
This 1991 film from Paramount Pictures is directed by Barry
Sonnenfeld, written by Caroline Thompson and Larry Wilson
and produced by Scott Rudin. It stars Anjelica Huston, Raul
Julia, and Christopher Lloyd.
Teaser Question: What helps you persevere? Why?
Going Deeper: A teacher tells you that you have to keep on
working hard in your class because “that is what students do.”
Do you think that is a good reason? Is there a better reaon the
teacher could give you?
Making Choices: You and your best friend are working on
a project which is more difficult and time consuming than you
expected. The night before the project is due, your friend
leaves after working on it with you for several hours. Your
friend explains that your ability to persevere is greater than
hers. Now that you are alone, will you keep working? Are you
familiar with the saying, “A winner never quits and a quitter
never wins?” How about the country song which warns, “You
got to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.”
How will you make your decision?
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“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have
perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must
believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at
whatever cost, must be attained.”
—Marie Curie
“If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get
yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by
an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity
stays down for good.”
—Thomas J. Watson
Theme: Getting Back Up
Film: Chariots of Fire
(PG) 1:58
In a preparation race for the 1924
Olympic trials, Eric Liddell falls,
but picks himself up and wins the
race.
This 1981 film from Warner Bros., in association with
Goldcrest Films, International Film, Allied Stars Ltd., and
Enigma Productions is directed by Hugh Hudson. It is written
by Colin Welland and stars Nicholas Farrell, Ben Cross, Nigel
Havers, Ian Charleson, and Ian Holm.
Teaser Question: “Winners never quit and quitters never
win.” -Vince Lombardi. What does this mean?
Going Deeper: Can think of a time that hard work and
perseverance enabled you to come from behind and
succeed? What is the difference between perseverance and
stubbornness? What is meant when an athlete is described as
having “a lot of heart?” Does perseverance require sacrifice?
Why? Why not?
Making Choices: Your friend (who is a strong leader) seems
to be comfortable with both success and failure. Is this an
admirable quality? Why? Why not?
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“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure
are two of the surest stepping stones to success.”
—Dale Carnegie
“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies
in a man’s determination.”
—Tommy Lasorda
Theme: The Way We See
Things
Film: Parenthood
(PG) 1:00
Determined to be a good father
and frustrated by his inability to
control all the outcomes for his
children, Gil Buckman (Steve
Martin) detests the “messiness” of life. His wife, Karen, (Mary
Steenburgen) insists that life is naturally messy. Grandma
(Helen Shaw) prefers life as a thrilling yet frightening roller
coaster ride, acknowledging that others might prefer life to be
more like a sedate ride on the merry go round. Three people
in the same family have different attitudes toward the same
events. Is it possible that the way we see things can help us
persevere?
This 1989 film from Universal Pictures and Imagine
Entertainment is directed by Ron Howard and written by Lowell
Ganz and Babaloo Mandel from a story by Lowell Ganz,
Babaloo Mandel, and Ron Howard. It is produced by Brian
Grazer and stars Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Helen
Shaw, Tom Hulce, Rick Moranis, Martha Plimpton, Keanu
Reeves, Jason Robards, and Dianne Wiest.
Teaser Question: How does attitude affect your ability to
persevere?
Going Deeper: A Roman philosopher, Epictetus, once said,
“Men are not so much affected by events as by the view they
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take of them”. Do you agree? Disagree? Why? Defend your
opinion with examples from your own life.
Making Choices: You and our best friend organize and lead
a camping trip for some very important people. From the
beginning the trip is a disaster. Your friend seems unfazed.
You are furious. You think your friend is not realistic. Your
friend thinks you are too intense. Should you present the
situation to your guests as a problem or an opportunity? What
can you do to “adjust” your attitude in difficult situations?
Is your attitude likely to have any affect on the outcome of
events?
“Ability determines what you do. Motivation determines why
you do it. Attitude determines how well you do it.”
—Lou Holtz
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I . . . I took the one less
traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
—Robert Frost
Theme: Believing In Dreams
Film: School of Rock
(PG-13) 1:51
Dewey has been thrown out
of his band and told that he is
an utter failure in life. Standing
before his students, Dewey tells
them the depressing news that failure is all they should ever
expect. “The Man,” he claims, will never let them succeed, so
they might as well not try at all. His students don’t know what
to make of him.
This 2003 film from Paramount Pictures is directed by Richard
Linklater, written by Mike White, and produced by Scott Rudin.
It stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, and Sarah
Silverman.
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Teaser Question: Do you agree with him? Why? Why not?
Going Deeper: How do friends help you persevere? How
are they at times not so very helpful? How do you know when
working harder will help you succeed or when, no matter how
hard you work, you will still not be able to reach your goal?
Making Choices: You have a friend who is good in a
sport, but not extraordinary. Your friend dreams of one day
becoming a professional athlete. You know that only a small
percentage of people ever make it to the professional level.
What would you advise your friend to do:
A: Press on towards the dream?
B: Make an alternate plan as a backup?
C: Give up on the dream?
“Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small
people always do that, but the really great make you feel that
you, too, can become great.”
—Mark Twain
“You can be anything you want to be, if only you believe with
sufficient conviction and act in accordance with your faith; for
whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can
achieve.”
—Napoleon Hill
 Moving students to Reflection & Action
Many of these activities are created as original exercises
for this Film Clips curriculum. Others have been adapted
from existing resources, including the superb National
Middle School Association guide, Treasure Chest: A Teacher
Advisory Source Book, edited by Cheryl Hoversten, Nancy
Doda and John Lounsbury. We heartily commend this and
similar resources from the NMSA and related education
organizations.
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Food for Thought!
13 Ways to utilize quotes and maxims taken from
or related to the film clips:
1. Build higher order thinking skills by encouraging
students to analyze quotes and how they may relate to the
associated film clips, their own lives, or a topic they are
discovering in class.
2. Use quotes as journal starters and essay prompts.
3. Use quotes as tools to strengthen student writing.
Quotes are especially effective in supporting a line of thought
expressed by the writer.
4. Improve students test skills. Quotes found in Film
Clips are character-based and comparative in nature which
is common among state writing tests, the SAT, and many
analytical writing prompts.
5. Use quotes to connect concepts across multiple
curricula.
6. Students often like to use Film Clips quotes as homework
discussion starters with their parents or guardians.
7. Encourage students to share with the class their own
quote (one they have heard or read before, or have heard
passed down as family favorite sayings) and reflect upon its
meaning and context.
8. Students, teams, or collaborative pairs can develop their
own personal “Code of Character” or “team motto” based
on one of the quotes.
9. Language arts teachers may wish to have students
share their own maxims for life or a favorite quote they
have heard or read. Scribe that saying on the board just as
the students wrote it in the assignment, and have the class
interpret the quote for what it means to them.
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10. This can then lead to a grammatical analysis of the
quote where the students can edit the student’s rendition of
the quote for spelling, punctuation, tense and part of speech.
11. History and social studies teachers often like to have
the students research or discover who the author of the quote
is, where they came from, when the quote may have been
said, and look for any special context or history behind the
quote.
12. Use a classroom “Quote of the Week” that provides a
theme and a daily assignment, possibly taken from one of the
suggestions above, each day of the week.
13. As students learn and analyze more quotes, they provide
great material to use for extra credit questions and
assignments. This is an excellent way to keep the quotes
fresh and in the mind of the students.
Idea Starters!
1. Have students tally all their challenges within a two day
span. Chart and discuss as a class the impact these had in
the past or could have in he future.
2. Create a 1 week long “Help Journal” of times you have
helped others.
3. Write a note of appreciation to someone who helped you
achieve success or overcome a fear.
4. Celebrate a Classmate activity: Have your students write
one nice thing about someone in class who is not necessarily
their best friend. Do this three days in a row (or once weekly
for three weeks), each time having them write about someone
different. Each time read out what was written.
5. Have students identify areas in which they have failed
once or numerous times and still worked to come back.
6. Role play different scenarios from each movie, where
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applicable. Students can demonstrate the right way and
wrong way to handle various situations dealing with courage,
loyalty, perseverance or any other character challenge.
7. Have your students list 30 ways that they may be loyal
to themselves or others. Compare lists.
8. Have students compare & contrast two of the different
film clips in this episode.
9. Have each student identify a time they showed courage
and what led them to this act. Ask them to describe how
that made them feel?
10. Encourage your students to ask their parents what fears
they had as a child or young adult that they have since
overcome.
Courage
Keeping a Journal
As a homework assignment or an in-class activity, have your
students write two entries in their journal under the heading of
“Courage” answering the following question:
Of all the examples of courage demonstrated in the clips,
which was your favorite? Why?
Write about a time in your life when you demonstrated
courage. Tell of a time when you wished you had courage.
Activity 1: Fear Charades
Performance Objective:
To build a sense of camaraderie by sharing fears and
discovering ways to overcome them.
Materials Needed:
Paper and pens/pencils.
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Teachers Instructions:
Ask students to write down on a sheet of paper the thing of
which they are most afraid (for example, “spiders” or “dark
rooms”). They should then fold the paper and put it in their
pocket.
When all are finished writing, ask them to go around the room
and find someone who shares their fear, BUT WITHOUT
SPEAKING OR SHOWING THEIR PAPER. They must act out
their fear and see if they can guess one another’s answer, as
in the game of Charades. When they have guessed correctly,
they can confirm this by showing their folded papers to each
other.
Organize groups of people who share similar fears. Encourage
them to talk amongst themselves and share ideas on how best
to overcome their fear.
Ask the members of each group to act out for the other
groups BOTH their common fear AND their proposed way of
overcoming that fear. Members of the other groups have to try
to guess the charade.
Write on the board the various fears and the proposed
solutions, so that the entire class can discuss them.
Activity 2: Profiles of Courage
Divide the class into six or seven groups of students.
Supply each group with a newspaper (with all the sections, not
simply the front page).
Each group divides the newspaper among themselves.
Ask them to search for as many examples of courage as they
can find in either stories or photographs and then cut out these
stories and photos. Encourage your students to look beyond
the front page and think about other, less obvious examples of
courage.
After a specified amount of time, have the various groups
share their findings with one another and discuss the different
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ways in which people display courage.
For added enjoyment; you can make a contest out of the
exercise, seeing which group can find the greatest number of
examples in stories and photos.
Activity 3: Courageous Critters
Performance Objective:
To explore the meaning of courage by thinking about animals
that can symbolize it.
Materials Needed:
Sheets of paper, markers or crayons.
Teachers Instructions:
Each student should take a sheet of paper and draw a picture
of an animal that symbolizes courage. Encourage free
expression of drawing/coloring. Artistic ability is not what is
important here, but rather the power of imagination.
When everyone is finished with their pictures, invite them to
show their pictures to the rest of the class and tell why they
chose that particular animal.
Ask the whole class to debate and finally agree on which
one animal they would like to have as their “courage class
mascot.” Is it one of the animals already pictured, or did the
conversations lead them to come up with a new animal?
The students’ pictures can be put on the wall in the hallways to
create a “gallery of courage” for other classes to see.
Activity 4: Role Play
Performance Objective:
To express opinions on a topic through written, oral or dramatic
expression.
Materials Needed:
Paper, pencil, props for skits.
25
Teachers Instructions:
Divide the class into groups of five students.
Instruct the groups to come up with a situation contrasting
cowardice and courage and develop a short role play or “skit”
to present this situation.
Each group presents their skit to the class.
After all the role plays have been performed, lead the class in
a discussion of the ideas contained in the skits.
Assessment of the Activities
Evaluate all group presentations using a rubric. Suggested
points include:
Cooperation/teamwork – 20
Quality of ideas – 40
Organization/accuracy – 20
Oral presentation – 20
Optional Teaching Strategies
Have students write a short reflection paper telling about a
time when they had to face their fears and overcome them.
Give a random number to each student in the class (for
example, 1 to 20 if there are twenty students in the class).
Then call out each number in turn and ask that student to go
to the board and write down one phobia/one thing that people
might be afraid of. They cannot repeat something already written down.
When everyone is done, students talk about which of the
phobias/fears are the most scary. For younger students, ask
them to bring in a favorite stuffed animal from home and talk
about how and why it helps make them feel more brave.
Multiple Intelligences Addressed:
Verbal-Linguistic Visual-Spatial
Bodily-Kinesthetic Logical-Mathematical
Intrapersonal Interpersonal
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Loyalty
Keeping a Journal
As a homework assignment or in a class activity, the students
will write three entries in their journal under the heading of
Loyalty answering the following questions:
Of all the examples of loyalty demonstrated in the clips, which
were your favorites? Why?
Tell of a time when you showed loyalty in your life.
Tell of a time when you were not loyal. What were the
consequences?
Activity 1: Telling Secrets
Performance Objective:
To consider how different situations influence our
understanding of what it means to be loyal.
Materials Needed:
None.
Teachers Instructions:
Divide the class into small groups of three or four, and ask
them to discuss the following situations.
In which situations would you keep a friend’s secret?
In which situations would you feel the need to tell the secret in
order to help your friend?
Situation 1: A friend shoplifts/steals from a store.
Situation 2: A friend cheats on a test.
Situation 3: A friend has found some money in school that
does not belong to her/him and wants keep it.
Situation 4: A friend has thought about committing suicide and
tells you.
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Situation 5: A friend is pregnant and is thinking about having
an abortion.
After the groups have taken several minutes to discuss their
thoughts with one another, ask them to report their thoughts to
the rest of the class. Where there are differences of thought
about whether to tell or keep a friend’s secret encourage
students to talk about why they made their choices.
Activity 2: What is a Friend?
Performance Objective:
To define what a friend is or does, and to consider the ways in
which we do or do not fulfill that definition.
Materials Needed:
Paper and pens/pencils.
Teachers Instructions:
Ask each student to take a sheet of paper and draw two
lines from top to bottom, creating three separate and equal
columns.
In column 1, have students write down as many words as they
can think of, one below the other, that complete this sentence,
“A friend is/does...”
Ask your students to look at each word listed in column one
and answer the question, “Does this word describe me?” In
response, they should write either “Yes,” “No,” or “Sometimes,”
in column 2.
In column 3, ask students to look at each word in column 1
and think of one person they know who does display that
characteristic of friendship.
Ask students to pair up with one another and share what they
wrote down. Are their answers similar or different?
After a period of time, ask students to come together and read
out their words in column 1, while you write them down on
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the board. Are there many words that were found on several
students’ sheets? Ask them how hard or easy it is to be or
friend.
Activity 3: Loyalty Mural
Performance Objective:
To encourage students to think about all the various aspects of
loyalty.
Materials Needed:
A large sheet of poster board or newsprint, colored markers.
Teachers Instructions:
Write on the top of the sheet of poster board or newsprint the
words, “Loyalty is...”
Invite each student to take some colored chalk and express
their idea of what loyalty is. They can write anywhere on the
sheet, graffiti-style.
Students can return to the sheet and write down another
answer, but everyone must contribute at least once.
Lead a class discussion on the things that were written down
and then post the mural somewhere in the halls where other
classes can see it.
Activity 4: Role Play
Performance Objective:
To express opinions on a topic through written, oral or dramatic
expression.
Materials Needed:
Paper, pencil, props for skits.
Teachers Instructions:
Divide the class into groups of five students.
29
Instruct the groups to come up with a situation where someone
displays loyalty to another person or to a group, and then
develop a short role play or “skit” to explore this example of
loyalty.
Have each group present their skit to the whole class.
After all the role plays have been performed, the teacher leads
the whole class in a discussion on the ideas contained in the
skits regarding loyalty.
Assessment of the Activities:
The teacher will evaluate all group presentations using a
rubric. Suggested points include:
Cooperation/teamwork – 20
Quality of ideas – 40
Organization/accuracy – 20
Oral presentation – 20
Optional Teaching Strategies
Have students write individual papers about a time when
someone proved to be a loyal friend by displaying “tough love.”
In other words, when someone said or did something that was
hard to hear or receive, but was really necessary.
Have students work together to create an audio/visual
presentation showing examples of loyalty.
Have students re-enact the scene of one of the clips, but with
a different ending.
Multiple Intelligences Addressed:
Verbal-Linguistic Visual-Spatial
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intrapersonal
Interpersonal
30
Perseverance
Keeping a Journal
As a homework assignment or class activity, ask your students
to write three entries in their journal under the heading of
“Perseverance” answering the following statements:
Of all the examples of perseverance demonstrated in the clips,
which was your favorite? Why?
Write about a time when you had to persevere against the
odds.
Write about a time when you knew it was time to give up and
what you did afterward.
Activity 1: Steps to Take
Performance Objective:
To consider the things we need to do in order to reach our
goals in life.
Materials Needed:
Sheets of paper with steps drawn on them, separate sheets of
paper, pens or pencils.
Teachers Instructions:
Give each student a sheet of paper with steps drawn on it.
Have students write on the top step a big goal or dream (for
example, “be an astronaut,” “be in a band,” “write a book,”
“play professional baseball”).
Ask your students to think about what it would take to achieve
that particular goal. On a SEPARATE sheet of paper, students
can write down the various things that would need to be done.
Have your students should read through the things they wrote
and write them down as steps to be taken on the “steps sheet,”
reaching up to the top step, which is the goal.
31
Split students into pairs to share with one another their “steps
sheet,” talking about the goal and the various steps that would
need to be taken to get there.
Ask the students (still in pairs) to write on the bottom of the
“steps sheet” which classes or extracurricular activities they
are doing now that are helpful in working toward the final
goal (for example Math and Science for “be an astronaut,”
or English for “write a book”). Students then talk with their
partners about what they wrote.
Upon finishing, the “steps sheets” can be put on the wall in the
classroom or hall.
Activity 2: Batting .300
Performance Objective:
To re-examine our definitions of success.
Materials Needed:
Sheets of paper with a large “Home Plate” drawn on each one,
separate sheets, pens/pencils.
Teachers Instructions:
Have your students write on a blank sheet of paper their
definition of success.
Organize the students in groups of four or five and ask them
to share their definitions with one another. What are common
elements to their definitions?
While they are in groups, ask them how failure fits into their
definitions of success. To be successful, does one need to
never fail?
After they have had some time for discussion, ask the class
as a whole to identify one of the greatest baseball players of
all time. The names they say can be written on the board up
front. Then, tell them the reality that the greatest players, the
greatest hitters in the game, are those who reach .300 or a
32
little higher. This means, on the average, they made a base
hit 300 times out of a thousand, or 3 times out of 10. More to
the point, this means that the greatest professional baseball
players FAIL TO GET A BASE HIT 7 TIMES OUT OF 10!
Hand out the sheets with “Home Plate” on them and ask the
students to rewrite their definition of success, accounting
for the reality that we fail at something far more often than
we succeed. Then, ask your students to share their new
definitions.
Activity 3: Interviewing the Persistent
Performance Objective:
To learn from others what it means in real life to persevere in
the face of obstacles.
Materials Needed:
Preparation time, pen and paper, video or audio recorder
(optional).
Teachers Instructions:
This project should be introduced about one week before it is
due.
Ask each student to consider someone that they admire and
conduct a brief interview in which they ask the person to talk
about the most difficult thing he or she ever had to do and
what it took to accomplish it. The person interviewed can be a
parent, relative, or anyone the student knows. The interview
can be taped, if desired, or simply take the form of a personal
conversation. Students need to write down the highlights of
what was shared in that interview.
The following week, devote a class session to having students
share with the rest of the class what they learned in their
interview. Are there common elements to all the different
stories? If so, what are they?
33
Activity 4: Role Play
Performance Objective:
To express opinions on a topic through written, oral, or
dramatic expression.
Materials Needed:
Paper, pencil, props for skits.
Teachers Instructions:
The teacher divides the class into groups of 5 students.
Instruct the groups to come up with a situation where someone
displays perseverance, and then develop a short role-play or
“skit” to present the situation. Have each group present its skit
to the whole class.
Assessment of the Activities:
The teacher will evaluate all group presentations using a
rubric. Suggested points include:
Cooperation/teamwork – 20
Quality of ideas – 40
Organization/accuracy – 20
Oral presentation – 20
Optional Teaching Strategies:
Have your students conduct research, then write an essay
on a famous individual who had to persevere in order to
accomplish something great. Examples include President
Abraham Lincoln, inventor Thomas Edison, astronaut John
Glenn etc.
Have your students write an essay describing situations where
it is good to know when to quit, when not to persist in doing
something.
34
Ask your students draw nine dots on a page, as seen here.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Ask your students to find a way to connect all nine dots using
four straight lines without lifting their pens from the paper. The
exercise is very difficult, but possible.
After some time has passed, ask the students to try thinking in
nontraditional ways to achieve their goal.
In the end, the only way to accomplish the deed is to work
outside the box. Starting at the top right dot, draw a straight
line diagonally down to the bottom left dot.
Then, the second line moves right across the box and through
and past the bottom right dot.
The third line starts where the second line ended outside the
box and goes diagonally across the box through and past the
middle right dot and the middle top dot.
The fourth line begins where the third line ended outside the
box and goes straight down attaching the left hand column of
dots. Thus, an arrow-like set of lines has been created.
Ask your students why it is necessary at times not just to
persist, but also to think “outside the box” in order to succeed?
Multiple Intelligences Addressed:
Verbal-Linguistic Visual-Spatial
Intrapersonal
Interpersonal
Logical-Mathematical
35
 Fitting Clips to Educational Standards:
In recent years, assessment of the academic progress of
students has been standardized through the creation of a set
of measurable and obtainable goals or standards. Listed here
are sample standards that we believe are fulfilled by utilizing
the film clips, teaser questions, and various exercises listed in
this guide.
Language Arts Standards (Elementary)
Topic: Listening/Speaking
Standard: Recalls, interprets, and summarizes
information presented orally.
Standard: Uses oral language for different purposes:
to inform, to persuade, and to entertain.
Standard: Responds to literal, inferential, and
evaluative questions on orally presented material.
Standard: Acquires new vocabulary in each content
area and uses it correctly.
Standard: Participates in discussions related to
curricular learning in all subject areas.
Standard: Determines the meaning of a word based
on how it is used in an orally presented sentence.
Topic: Writing
Standard: Uses a writing process that involves prewriting, drafting, revising, editing (can involve peer
editing), proofreading, and publishing.
Topic: Literature
Standard: Experiences traditional and contemporary
literature through a variety of media.
Social Studies Standards (Elementary)
Topic: Information Processing
Standard: Gathers information through reading,
listening, observing and surveying.
Standard: Locates and utilizes information from a
36
variety of sources, e.g., books, newspapers, atlases,
glossaries, photographs, videos, computer software,
others.
Standard: Selects and discusses the main idea from a
reading passage or listening activity.
Standard: Distinguishes between fiction and non fiction
stories.
Standard: Analyzes information from two or more
sources for agreements, contradictions, facts, and
opinions.
Topic: Problem Solving
Standard: Identifies and states a problem related to
topic under study.
Standard: Chooses a solution to a problem after
supplying the evidence.
Standard: Shows respect toward others.
Fine Arts Standards (Elementary)
Topic: Artistic Skills and Knowledge: Creating,
Performing, Producing
Standard: Identifies and applies dramatic elements of
plot, setting, character, and dialogue.
Standard: Identifies implicit and explicit main ideas,
details, sequences of events, and cause-effect
relationships in dramatic presentations.
Standard: Describes and demonstrates the role and
responsibility of the audience.
Standard: Demonstrates an awareness that drama
comes from all cultures throughout time and compares
and contrasts cultures through drama activities.
37
Language Arts Standards (Middle & High)
Topic: Listening/Speaking
Standard: Follows oral directions and asks questions
for clarification.
Standard: Listens and responds to various language
patterns and literary forms including regional dialects.
Standard: Responds to literal, inferential, and critical
questions.
Standard: Evaluates messages and effects of mass
media (print, radio, cinema, television, internet)
Topic: Writing
Standard: Uses a writing process that involves prewriting, drafting, revising, editing (can involve peer
editing), proofreading, and publishing.
Standard: Writes paragraphs that include unifying
ideas and supporting details (may include topic
sentence and clincher sentence).
Standard: Produces paragraphs and compositions for
a variety of purposes (exposition, description, narration,
and persuasion).
Standard: Experiments with organization, style,
purpose, and audience.
Standard: Uses available electronic communication
technologies in writing.
Social Studies Standards (Middle & High)
Topic: Cultural Geography
Standard: Identifies various ethnic groups in the
Americas, Europe, and Oceania, and describes
their impact on the development of the regions (e.g.,
linguistic patterns and cultural contributions).
Standard: Assesses cultural expression of art, music,
and literature.
Standard: Explains how social institutions (religion,
government, and economics) influence the attitudes
and behaviors of people.
38
Topic: Cultural Geography
Standard: Categorizes important social and cultural
developments of the Americas, Europe, and Oceania.
Topic: Problem Solving
Standard: Identifies and defines a problem.
Standard: Formulates possible alternatives/solutions
to a given problem.
Standard: Collects evidence using appropriate, reliable
data.
Standard: Chooses a reasonable solution from among
the various alternatives.
Standard: Identifies areas for further study.
Standard: Follows established rules.
Standard: Shows respect toward others.
Standard: Works with a group, following set rules of
procedure to complete an assigned task.
Standard: Formulates and defends position on issues.
Standard: Identifies and uses alternative methods of
conflict resolution.
Standard: Participates in planning for effective civic
actions and demonstrates effective civic actions.
Standard: Recognizes the rights of others to present
different viewpoints.
39
Fine Arts Standards (Middle & High)
Topic: Artistic Skills and Knowledge: Creating,
Performing, Producing
Standard: Demonstrates social discipline and
appropriate group contribution.
Standard: Uses imagination to form and express
thought, feeling, and character.
Character-Related Standards
Standard: Retells stories that illustrate positive
character traits and will explain how the people in the
stories show the qualities of honesty, patriotism, loyalty,
courtesy, respect, truth, pride, self-control, moderation,
and accomplishment.
Standard: Gives examples of how the historical figures
under study demonstrate the positive citizenship traits
of honesty, dependability, liberty, trustworthiness,
honor, civility, good sportsmanship, patience, and
compassion.
Standard: Demonstrates an understanding of good
citizenship.
40
Special Thanks to:
Georgia Department of Education
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
National Middle School Association
American School Counselor Association
Character Education Partnership
Center for Media Literacy
Center for Civic Education
Directors Guild of America
Screen Actors Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
American Federation of Musicians
Of the United States and Canada
Buena Vista Pictures
Dimension Films
Dreamworks
Lions Gate Films
Lucasfilm
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Films
Miramax Films
New Line Cinema
Paramount Pictures
Pixar Animation
Touchstone Studios
Twentieth Century Fox
United Artists
Universal Pictures
Walden Media
Walt Disney Pictures
Warner Bros.
The Weinstein Company
Visit us online at
www.FilmClipsOnline.com
41
Film Clips
SPIRIT OF AMERICA
Produced by Michael R. Rhodes
www.FilmClipsOnline.com
4903 Island View Street
Channel Islands Harbor
California 93035
Phone: (805) 984-5907
Fax: (805) 984-2397
E-mail: info@filmclipsonline.com
Study Guide design by Scott C. Gold • ScottCGold@gmail.com