Find the examples that “good things come in small packages”.

How is poverty opposed to wealth?

13. What are the main virtues proclaimed in the film?

14. What are themajor conflicts of the film?

15. What enduring themes are explored? What lasting images, lessons, or messages did this film leave with you?

 

Film II.

 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (released in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) is a 2001 fantasy/adventure film based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. Directed by Chris Columbus, it is the first in the popular Harry Potter films series.

 

Directed by Chris Columbus

Produced by David Heyman

Written by Novel: J.K. Rowling

Screenplay: Steve Kloves

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris,

Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Ian Hart

Music by John Williams

Cinematography John Seale

 

Awards

The film received three Academy Award nominations: Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score for John Williams although it did not win in any category.

The film was also nominated for seven BAFTA Awards. These were Best British Film, Best Supporting Actor for Robbie Coltrane, as well as the awards for Best Costume Design, Production Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Visual Effects. The film won a Saturn Award for its costumes and was nominated for eight more. It won other awards from the Casting Society of America and the Costume Designers Guild.

 

The main characters are:

Harry Potter

Ron Weasley

Hermione Granger

Hagrid

Albus Dumbledore

Minerva McGonagall

Severus Snape

Draco Malfoy

Lord Voldemort

 

Pre-stage

1. What is the movie about? Did you like it?

2. What is the main idea of the movie?

3. Have you ever seen this film before?

4. Do you know anything about this film?

5. Do you know that this film based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling?

6. According to the title, can you predict what the film is about and its genre?

While-stage

Answer the following questions:

At the Dursleys': Why did the Dursleys need to wake Harry up early that day?

Why was Dudley angry?

Why did the snake at the Zoo start to move?

What excuse did Dudley use to snatch the letter from Harry?

At the small house in the middle of the sea: Why did the family eventually leave their house?

What did Hagrid explain to Harry when he appeared?

At the pub: Who was Mr. Quirrel that Harry was introduced to?

At the Diagon Alley: What was so special about the broom the children saw in the shop window?

Why did Harry and Hagrid have to go to Gringotts?

What did Hagrid say about the parcel he gave to the goblin?

What did the salesman of the wands say about the one he gave to Harry?

Who was the person who left a scar on Harry’s forehead?

At the station: Why couldn’t Harry find the platform himself?

Who helped him?

In the train: Who was the boy Harry met in the train?

What did Ron try to do?

What was the girl searching for?

Why didn’t Ron like her?

In Hogwarts: What did McGonagall explain about the faculties?

What faculties were Harry, Ron, Hermione and Malfoy sent to?

What did Dumbledore explain about the second floor?

Why was McGonagall angry?

What did Neville’s grandmother send to him?

Why was Hermione upset and ran away?

How did Harry and Ron make friends with her?

Why did Harry start to chase Malfoy when they were on the brooms?

Why was McGonagall exited?

What was given to Harry as a present for Christmas?

How did the three of them end up on the forbidden floor?

Why were they so sure it was Snape who set everything up?

How did they end up chasing him?

Who was the real enemy?

Why, according to Dumdledore, couldn’t the dark lord touch Harry?

· Try to give brief character sketches. What do these short descriptions say about the character's personality?

· What is themajor conflict of the film?

· How does the Hogwarts world compare with the Muggle world? Does Rowling want us to make such a comparison? Are that the wizards' world and the Muggles' world more similar or different?

· Harry has no personal contact with Dumbledore until he is caught in the forbidden room where the Mirror of Erised stands. Why does this first close contact with Dumbledore occur in the mirror room?

· What does the episode of the Sorting Hat reveal about Harry? What does it say about fate in the story? Is it always superior to human will?

· Why does the school first prohibit the Forbidden Forest and then force Harry to enter it for his detention?

Post-stage

1. Why did the Dursleys hate Harry so much?

a) They didn’t like children;

b) He wasn’t their son;

c) Petunia was jealous of her sister and misplaced her anger.

 

2. What made Ron feel so shy in the train?

a) He had no money and felt ashamed;

b) He was embarrassed to talk to the legend;

c) His nose was dirty

 

3. Why didn’t Harry want to go to Sliverin?

a) He didn’t want to be on the same faculty as Malfoy;

b) He knew Voldemort had studied there;

c) He wanted to be on the same faculty as the Weasleys

 

4. Why did Hermione set Snape’s cloak on fire?

a) She wanted to help Harry;

b) It was a dare;

c) She wanted to prank him because nobody liked him

 

5. Harry defeated the dark lord because

a) He was stronger;

b) Voldemort couldn’t touch him;

c) Harry used a powerful spell.

 

 

Post-activity:

-What did you think of this story's ending? Was it satisfying to you? Why or why not?

-What is your favorite scene in the film? What makes it powerful, interesting, shocking, funny, or otherwise memorable?

-What fundamental and universal ideas are explored in the film?

-How does the virtue of humility emphasize in the film?

-How is the idea of the occasional necessity of rebellionreflected in the film?

 

 

Film III.

 

The Lord of the Rings

The Book

Vocabulary

Match the following words with their descriptions:

Sheer – absolute;

Idle – lazy, not doing anything;

Strenuous – active, energetic;

Splendid – fabulous, marvelous;

Trot – to walk in small, short steps;

Stride – to walk in long steps;

Perilous – dangerous, unsafe.

Contents

Match the description with the name of the character:

1. An old man was driving it [a cart] all alone. He wore a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, and a silver scarf. He had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck out beyond the brim of his hat. Small hobbit-children ran after the cart all through Hobbiton and right up the hill. It had a cargo of fireworks, as they rightly guessed.

2. A strange-looking weather-beaten man, sitting in the shadows near the wall, was also listening intently to the hobbit-talk. He had a tall tankard in front of him, and was smoking a long-stemmed pipe curiously carved. His legs were stretched out before him, showing high boots of supple leather that fitted him well, but had seen much wear and were now caked with mud. A travel-stained cloak of heavy dark-green cloth was drawn close about him, and in spite of the heat of the room he wore a hood that overshadowed his face; but the gleam of his eyes could be seen as he watched the hobbits.

3. The rider's cloak streamed behind him, and his hood was thrown back; his golden hair flowed shimmering in the wind of his speed. To Frodo it appeared that a white light was shining through the form and raiment of the rider, as if through a thin veil.

 

4. In the middle of the table, against the woven cloths upon the wall, there was a chair under a canopy, and there sat a lady fair to look upon, and so like was she in form of womanhood to Elrond that Frodo guessed that she was one of his close kindred. Young she was and yet not so. The braids of her dark hair were touched by no frost, her white arms and clear face were flawless and smooth, and the light of stars was in her bright eyes, grey as a cloudless night; yet queenly she looked, and thought and knowledge were in her glance, as of one who has known many things that the years bring. Above her brow her head was covered with a cap of silver lace netted with small gems, glittering white; but her soft grey raiment had no ornament save a girdle of leaves wrought in silver.

 

5. Seated a little apart was a tall man with a fair and noble face, dark-haired and grey-eyed, proud and stern of glance.

He was cloaked and booted as if for a journey on horseback; and indeed though his garments were rich, and his cloak was lined with fur, they were stained with long travel. He had a collar of silver in which a single white stone was set; his locks were shorn about his shoulders. On a baldric he wore a great horn tipped with silver that now was laid upon his knees.

A) Gandalf; b) Aragorn; c) Glorfindeil; d) Arwen; e) Boromir.

Answer the following questions:

1. Why did Gandalf return to the Shire 50 years after Thorin’s travel? What was so special about the event?

2. How exactly did Bilbo plan his leave from the Shire?

3. Who did Frodo leave the Shire with? How did Frodo and Sam explain their leave?

4. Where did the hobbits get their weapons? What was so special about the place?

5. Who were the creatures the hobbits met in the forest? Where were they headed?

6. What elf came from Rivendell to pick the hobbits up?

7. Why were there exactly 9 people in the Fellowship? Why was every one of them there?

8. What was Pippin’s little action out of boredom which changed the situation drastically in Moria?

9. What were the presents that Galadriel gave to every one of the Fellowship? Was there any reason?

10. How did the Fellowship get separated?

Try to remember who said this and what they referred to:

1. ‘Foiled again!’ he said to his wife. ‘And after waiting sixty years. Spoons? Fiddlesticks!’

2. ‘I hope he will. But nobody will read the book, however it ends.’

‘Oh, they may, in years to come. Frodo has read some already, as far as it has gone. You’ll keep an eye on Frodo, won’t you?’

‘Yes, I will - two eyes, as often as I can spare them.’

3. ‘Take care! I don’t care. Don’t you worry about me! I am as happy now as I have ever been, and that is saying a great deal. But the time has come. I am being swept off my feet at last.’

4. ‘I don’t,’ said Gandalf grimly. ‘It is some time since I last heard the sound of your shears. How long have you been eavesdropping?’

‘Eavesdropping, sir? I don’t follow you, begging your pardon. There ain’t no eaves at Bag End, and that’s a fact.’

5. ‘ Bilbo went to find a treasure, there and back again; but I go to lose one, and not return, as far as I can see.’

6. 'Well? Why did you do that? Worse than anything your friends could have said! You have put your foot in it! Or should I say your finger?'

Comprehension

Answer the following questions:

1. What is the general atmosphere in the book? What does the author feel about the war?

2. How does the author feel about the past and the future?

3. How does Bilbo feel leaving the Shire? Are his feelings the same as Frodo’s?

4. What is the general attitude towards the hobbits?

5. What is the difference in the atmosphere in Shire and Bree? Is there any reason?

6. Why has Bilbo been able to let go, if not fully, of the ring? Why did he change this much in Rivendell?

7. Name some of the key words of the book and explain what they mean.

8. Why do you think the source of darkness is the East? Does the name ‘Mordor’ mean anything?

 

The Film

Pre-Stage.

Vocabulary.

Match the following words with their descriptions:

Affray – a fight, a noisy quarrel;

Peril – danger or jeopardy;

Spring – to move or cause to move suddenly in upward or forward motion;

Avail – to be of use, advantage, profit or assistance;

Linger – to delay or prolong departure;

Eaves – the edge of a roof that projects beyond the wall;

Hasten – to hurry or cause to hurry.

 

While-Stage.

Answer the questions while watching the film:

 

Pre-story: What happened to the ring 2000 years before the story? Who got it eventually?

The Shire: What was the reason for Gandalf to visit Bilbo?

Why was Bilbo so upset?

Why did Bilbo put on the ring?

Why didn’t the ring melt in fire?

How did Sam join the travel?

Bree: What did the innkeeper say about Gandalf?

Who are the nine black riders?

Isengard: Why did Saruman join Sauron?

Forest: Why did the hobbits have to steer up to Rivendell?

Who was sent to meet them?

Rivendell: Why was the decision made to head for Mordor?

The path through the Mountains: Why was Moria the last choice left to cross the Grey Mountains?

Moria: Why couldn’t the Fellowship decide where to head next?

What action of Pippin made Gandalf so angry?

What, according to the record, had happened to the dwarves in Moria?

Lorien: What did Frodo see in the Galadriel’s mirror?

Anduin: What was the main problem that arose in the Fellowship as they travelled down the river?

Why did the Fellowship get separated?

 

Post-Stage

Choose the correct answer:

1. Why did Bilbo decide to leave Shire?

a) he felt old;

b) he wanted to see Rivendell again.

2. Why did Bilbo leave the ring eventually?

a) he was strong enough to;

b) Gandalf made him.

3. Why did Frodo leave the Bag-End?

a) he was frightened and wanted to run;

b) he had to take the ring to Rivendell.

4. Why did the Strider grab Frodo?

a) he wanted to steal the ring;

b) he didn’t want anyone to notice where Frodo disappeared to.

5. Why was Pippin afraid when Arwen rode away with Frodo?

a) he didn’t trust her because he didn’t know her;

b) he knew the riders were still in the forest.

6. What caused the storm because of which the Fellowship couldn’t cross the Grey Mountains through Caradras?

a) the mountain wasn’t too fond of elves and dwarves;

b) Saruman caused everything.

 

7. Why was Gimli so worried about Lorien and didn’t want to go there?

a) he thought there were some evil powers there

b) he didn’t trust the elves.

8. Why did Boromir follow Frodo?

a) he wanted to take the ring;

b) he was worried because the orcs were near.

9. Why did Frodo want to leave by himself?

a) he thought this would be a good decision;

b) he was afraid of Boromir.

 

Film IV.

The Wizard of Oz

Directed by: Victor Fleming

Uncredited: Mervyn LeRoy, Richard Thorpe, King Vidor.

Produced by: Mervyn LeRoy

Written by: Novel: L. Frank Baum

Screenplay: Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf.

Characters

 

Dorothy Gale - Judy Garland

Professor Marvel/The Wizard of Oz - Frank Morgan

Auntie Em - Clara

Uncle Henry - Charley

Hunk/The Scarecrow - Ray Bolger

Hickory/The Tinman -Jack Haley

Zeke/The Lion - Bert Lahr

Miss Gulch/The Wicked Witch of the West - Margaret Hamilton

Glinda, the Good Witch of the North - Billie Burke

Toto – Toto

 

Music by: Songs: Harold Arlen (music), E. Y. Harburg (lyrics)

Cinematography: Harold Rosson

Editing by: Blanche Sewell

 

 

Critics about this film: At least in the United States, The Wizard of Oz is probably the most widely known and recognized movie in the history of the cinema. It is shown every year on national television, and it is often the first movie that every generation of new parents show their young children. The songs within the movie may be as familiar to most people as anything by the Beatles or Beethoven, and word for word, there are probably as many famous and universally recognized lines as any play by Shakespeare. Beyond all this, it has become one of the most loved films ever made, by both children and adults.

 

Awards:

· 1939 Nominated Golden Palm

· 1940 Won Oscar Best Music, Original Score

· 1985 Jackie Coogan Award

· 1989 National Film Registry

· 2005 Won Satellite Award Outstanding Classic DVD

· 2006 Won Saturn Award Best Classic Film DVD Release

· Best Cinematography, Color

· Best Music, Original Song -For the song "Over the Rainbow"

 

In June 2008, AFI revealed its "Ten top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. The Wizard of Oz was acknowledged as the best film in the fantasy genre.

 

Useful vocabulary:

 

· squawks

“To squawk” is to make a loud, high crying sound, the way birds do.

 

· coward

A critical word for a person who is always scared, or has no courage.

 

· jabbering

“To jabber” is to talk quickly and unclearly.

 

· Shiftless, farmhands

“Shiftless” is an interesting word for lazy, and “farmhands”

are people who work, obviously, on a farm.

 

· Tinkering, contraption, wagon

“To tinker” is a nice little verb meaning to try and fix something, often when you don’t really know what you’re doing. A “contraption” is a machine that looks unfamiliar or confusing.

 

Lead-in

1. Do you remember the story about a little girl travelling to the Emerald city?

2. Do you know this story in Russian? Can you name the characters?

3. What will happen if the child must leave home before he or she has grown up?

4. Will the child be able to meet the challenges? Will he or she ever be able to find the way back home?

5. What about relationships with grownups?

6. What do children do when adults ignore or cannot respond to their pleas for help?

While-stage

Task I.

Say who or what in the film:

1. was 12-year-old?

2. were responsible for a little girl after her parents’ death?

3. was the place of the family’s resistance?

4. was the best friend of Dorothy?

5. was bitten by Dorothy's dog, Toto?

6. caught up the house and transferred it to Munchkinland?

7. met Dorothy in a village of unearthly beauty?

8. was killed by falling house?

9. did Dorothy receive from the Good Witch of the North?

10. accompanied Dorothy to the Emerald City?

 

Task II.

Answer the questions.

1. Did Oz really happen or was it just Dorothy's dream?

2. Why the land of Oz was green?

3. How do you think Dorothy felt when she woke up from the tornado and found that the farm and Aunt Em and Uncle Henry were gone and that everything was different?

4. How did Dorothy make it through all those dangerous situations in Oz?

5. How did the Wizard come to power in the city of Oz and become renowned as a great and powerful wizard?

6. Why was Dorothy so happy to return home to a drab existence in Kansas when the land of Oz was so beautiful and colorful?

7. Was the Scarecrow any smarter after he got his diploma [or did he just think he was]?

8. Was the Lion any more courageous after he received his medal [or did he just think he was]?

 

Task III.

Complete the sentences by implication:

1. After a cyclone Dorothy finds herself in…

2. … arrives magically via bubble.

3. Glinda informs Dorothy that she…

4. …appears claiming the powerful ruby slippers.

5. Glinda advises Dorothy to seek the help of the mysterious… in the…

6. Glinda explains that Dorothy can find Emerald City by following….

7. On her way to the city, Dorothy meets…

8. Wizard of Oz promised to grant their wishes if they can bring him…

9. On their way to the witch's castle, they are attacked by a gang of…

10. the witch sets the… on fire.

11. The wizard Oz promises to deliver Dorothy home by…

12. Dorothy returned home by….

 

Task IV.

Tell about these scenes:

1. Dorothy tried to save Toto from the punishment of Miss Almira Gulch.

2. The cyclone brings Dorothy to Munchkinland.

3. Dorothy meets her new friends.

4. The company appears in the Emerald city and meets The great Wizard of Oz

5. Encounter with flying monkeys.

6. Dorothy and her friends are under the hatches of the Wicked Witch.

7. Exposing of the Wizard of Oz

8. Return home.

Post-stage

1. How does Dorothy change through the course of the story told by this movie?

2. Why couldn't Dorothy use the ruby slippers to get home at the beginning of the film, right after they appeared on her feet?

3. Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion were all very different. Did that stop them from being friends? Does this lesson apply to real life?

4. Can you see a benefit to yourself in having friends who are very different than you?

5. Why would people want to be friends with others who were different from themselves?

6. How is it important for a child to try to defeat the fears he/she has got?

7. As a child anyone used to create an imagined world for them to live in. do you think it is a useful experience or a silly thing?

Film V.

 

Alice in Wonderland

Directed by: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske.

Written by: Winston Hibler, Ted Sears, Bill Peet, Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Milt Banta, William Cottrell, Dick Kelsey, Joe Grant, Dick Huemer, Del Connell, Tom Oreb, John Walbridge,

Starring: Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Richard Haydn, Sterling Holloway,Jerry Colonna, Verna Felton, J. Pat O'Malley, Bill Thompson, Heather Angel,Joseph Kearns, Larry Grey, Queenie Leonard, Dink Trout, Doris Lloyd, James MacDonald, The Mellomen, Don Barclay.

 

Music by: Oliver Wallace

Editing by: Lloyd L. Richardson

Studio: Walt Disney Studios

 

All of these creative decisions were met with great criticism from fans of Lewis Carroll, as well as from British film and literary critics who accused Disney of "Americanizing" a great work of English literature. Disney was not surprised by the critical reception to Alice in Wonderland - his version of Alice was intended for large family audiences, not literary critics - but despite all the long years of thought and effort, the film met with a lukewarm response at the box office and was a sharp disappointment in its initial release. Walt surmised that the film failed because Alice lacked "heart" and was a difficult character for audiences to get behind and root for. In The Disney Films, Leonard Maltin relates animator Ward Kimball felt the film failed because, "it suffered from too many cooks - directors. Here was a case of five directors each trying to top the other guy and make his sequence the biggest and craziest in the show. This had a self-canceling effect on the final product." On the movie aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes, the overall rating of the film is a "fresh" 79%.

 

Awards: This motion picture received an Academy Award nomination for: Best Scoring of a Musical Picture (lost to An American in Paris)

Pre-stage

1. Have you read the book about Alice in Wonderland?

2. Do you find the story amusing/funny/silly/extraordinary/etc.?

3. What can you say about the language of the tale? Is it always easy to understand the meaning of the words? Why (not)?

4. Have you ever seen a cartoon or film based on the book? Was it in Russian or in English?

5. Did you dream about going to the Wonderland just like Alice? What did you want to see there?

While-stage

Task I.

Reproduce a succession of changing Alice’s size as it was in the film. Explain what exactly happens to her at this moments?

The Doorknob suggests Alice drink from a bottle marked "Drink me."

The Doorknob directs her to a cookie marked "Eat me."

Alice finishes the last drop of the fluid inside the bottle

Inside the house of the rabbit, Alice eats a cookie.

Alice eats a carrot from the garden

Alice breaks off two pieces of the mushroom she is sitting on

Alice eats the remaining portions of mushroom

 

Task II.

Do the crossword about the heroes of the film.

												1.
											3.
													4.
																			6.
		1.						2.
3.
																	4.
									5.

Across:

1. An eerily grinning feline that can disappear and reappear at will.

2. Gives Alice a cryptic advice about the mushroom she is sitting on.

3. leads a group of animals in a futile caucus-race to get dry

4. Is sent by Dodo down the chimney to help Alice to get out of the house of Rabbit.

5. Celebrates an "unbirthday" of March Hare.

Down:

1. Celebrates an "unbirthday" of March Hare.

2. Suggests Alice drink from a bottle marked "Drink me."

3. Invites Alice to a strange game of croquet

4. The hero of the occasion at the party in his garden.

5. two fat brothers who recite "The Walrus and the Carpenter"

6. leads Alice into Wonderland.

Post-stage

Answer the questions:

1. Why did playing cards paint white roses red?

2. What did Alice and the Queen use playing croquet?

3. Why did the Queen order Alice’s execution?

4. How did Alice manage to escape?

5. What is the most unusual moment in this tale for you?

6. Do you find the story amusing/funny/silly/extraordinary/etc.?

7. What can you say about the language of the tale? Is it always easy to understand the meaning of the words? Why (not)?

8. Did you see the same story in translation? Are there any differences in the genuine and Russian version? What about the language?

 

 

PART II.

ADVENTURE AND THRILLER

Film “Bridge to Tirabithia”

The film received positive international reaction. Jessica Grose of Village Voice said "This film is an unpretentious and touching tale of preteen companionship and loss." Jeannette Catsoulis of New York Times wrote that "consistently smart and delicate as a spider web, Bridge to Terabithia is the kind of children's movie rarely seen nowadays."

Directed by Gábor Csupó

Starring Josh Hutcherson

AnnaSophia Robb

Robert Patrick

Bailee Madison

Zooey Deschanel

Music by Aaron Zigman

Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures (USA)

Awards Saturn Award, Young Artist Award

 

Pre-viewing

1. Based on the title alone, what do you think the film will be about? To your mind, who are the main characters? What additional predictions about the story might you make?

2. Tell how you and one of your friends became friends. How did you first meet? Did you like the other person immediately or did it take time? How did you know you were friends?

3. What do you like about spending time with a good friend? How would you feel if you ever lost touch with that friend?

4. How do you think you would feel if you ever lost a loved one, such as a family member, a friend, or a pet?

5. What do you think you might do if you lost a good friend — how might you react?

6. We all like to dream. We imagine the world where we would like to live, a place full of wonders and magic.

7. Can you describe your imagery world? Write a description or draw the world of your fantasy. Share it with others.

While-viewing

1. Why is running so important to Jess?

2. What do you think Leslie thought about the running races on the first day of school?

3. Jess's mother appears to treat him differently than she treats his four sisters. How does that make Jess feel about himself?

4. Jess wishes he had more attention from his father. Imagine that Jess figured out a time to talk with his father to let him know how he's feeling.

5. How does Miss Edmunds respond to Jess's art? Why is that important to him?

6. Why is Leslie unhappy? Does she feel comfortable with the other kids at school, besides Jess? Why or why not?

7. Why do Jess and Leslie create Terabithia? What does Terabithia represent for them? What is Terabithia like? Is it a calm land of fairies or a dangerous world?

8. Jess feels that, "Leslie was more than his friend. She was his other, more exciting self- his way to Terabithia and all the worlds beyond." What does this mean? Why do Jess and Leslie become friends? Do they have the same imagery land? How do the friends change the real world?

9. At first, Jess's sister Brenda thinks he doesn't care that Leslie has died. Why does she think that?

10. What did Leslie's friendship teach Jess?

11. Why does Jess throw Leslie's present into the gully? How does he feel about her dying?

12. How do you think Jess will live his life differently because of his friendship with Leslie? What do you think Jess will do with his life?

13. Were you surprised that Leslie died? Why or why not?

14. How do you think you would have felt if you were Jess?

15. How do you think you would feel if you lost a friend this way in real life?

16. Were you surprised by Jess’s initial reaction to Leslie’s death? How did you expect him to act?

17. In what ways did Jess’s friendship with Leslie change him?

18. Do you think Leslie died knowing how Jess felt about her? What clues from the story make you think this way? Why does Jess bring his little sister to Terabithia when Leslie deis?

19. Why can it be important for friends to feel good about their friendships?

Post-viewing

1. Talk briefly about Jess and Leslie, sharing your initial impressions of these two characters.

2. Do you think it’s possible — in real life — for a boy and a girl to be best friends? Why or why not?

3. Do you find the close friendship between Jess and Leslie believable? Why or why not?

4. Have you ever been friends with someone who is different than you are? How were you different from your friend? Did this make your friendship harder?

5. How have your friends made you feel good?

6. How have your friends made you see things in a different way?

7. What did you learn from Jess and Leslie’s friendship that can apply to your friendships?

8. Imagery worlds are usually dangerous places where main characters have to fight against the evil. Speak about this.

9. Is it good or bad to live in the world of your dreams?

 

The Book

“Bridge to Tirabithia” by Katherine Paterson

The novel Bridge to Tirabithia was first published in 1977 and has been engaging and inspiring readers as a poignant story of friendship, courage, and growing up ever since. It was honored with the 1978 Newbery Medal for being the year’s most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Pre-reading

1. This story is about two friends. Brainstorm a list of qualities that make someone a good friend. Is having friends important? Explain.

2. The main characters in Bridge to Terabithia have a secret place they go to. Do you have a secret place—a place where you can go to be by yourself? Can your secret place be imag­inary? Explain.

3. Look at the cover of the book. What do you think it tells you about the story? What emotions does the cover make you feel? What questions do you have about the cover? What do you think the title means? What is a bridge? How can a bridge be a metaphor? What can a bridge symbolize?

While-reading

1. Describe Jess. What does he look like? What is important to him? What does he think of himself? How do you know? Would you be friends with Jess? Why or why not?

2. Why do you think Jess tells himself that he and Miss Edmunds are "alike"?

3. What is Lark Creek Elementary School like? Who has social power there? How is this similar to and different from your school?

4. When Jess thinks about Miss Edmunds and his drawings, he considers himself "rich, very rich." What do you think he means? Is he rich? What role does wealth play in this story?

5. Who is Leslie Burke? What does she look like? What is important to her? What makes her different from Jess and other students?

6. What does Leslie mean when she says, "My parents are reassessing their value structure"? What does Jess mean when he responds, "But you're the one that's gotta pay"?

7. Discuss the roles of boys and girls, men and women in this story. Why do you think the gender roles are the way they are in this community? Do these roles apply today?

8. What is Terabithia? What does it mean to Jess? To Leslie? Why?

9. Why doesn't Jess stand up to Janice Avery on the bus? What does Leslie mean later when she says, "It's the, principle of the thing, Jess. That's what you've got to understand, You have to stop people like that. Otherwise they turn into tyrants and dictators." Do you agree? What do you think about what Jess and Leslie did to Janice after she took May Belle's Twinkies? Did they have other choices? Explain. Leslie says that Janice deserves everything she gets, Do you agree? Why or why not?

10. Compare and contrast Jess's and Leslie's families, in what ways are their families similar to and different from yours?

11. How does Jess feel about his sister May Belle? Why? Why do you think Jess decided that "somehow this year May Belle needed something special" for Christmas?

12. Why doesn't the magic of Terabithia work for Jess when he is alone?

13. The words stupid and smart appear throughout the story. For example, "A11 the Burkes were smart. Not smart, maybe, about fixing things or growing things, but smart in a way Jess had never known real live people to be." What do you think smart means? Are there different ways of being smart?

14. The Aarons family goes to church once a year, on Easter, Leslie's family has never gone to church before. How do Jess and Leslie expand each other's ideas about God and religion? How can you learn from people who have different beliefs from yours and your family's?

15. What made Jess's day in Washington so special? What is ironic about the title of chapter ten? What was your reaction to the news of Leslie's death? Have you known someone who died? What were your feelings and experiences about this death? What helped you during that time?

16. Does Jess eventually come to terms with Leslie's death? Explain your answer. Ellie says that "boys ain't supposed to cry at times like this." What do you think about this statement?

17. Is Jess the same person at the end of the book as he was at the beginning? Use examples from the book to support your ideas.

18. Review the notes about the cover and title from before you read the book. Now what do you think the title means? What do you think is happening in the cover picture? Talk about the meaning and importance of bridges in this story, both real and symbolic.

 

Post-reading

1. The major themes of this story include friendship, courage, death, and growing up.

a) In what ways do these themes appear in the novel?

b) What do you think the story says about each theme?

c) Which of them is most mean­ingful to you personally?

 

2. Terabithia, the imaginary kingdom that Jess and Leslie create, is based on another well-known imaginary kingdom. You may have read some of the Narnia books by English author C. S. Lewis, starting with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and continuing for seven books to The Last Battle. In this popular saga, Lewis relates several children's adventures in a magical world called Narnia, where they meet kings and queens, witches, lions, and unicorns and other fantastic creatures. If you have read any of the Narnia books, look for similarities between Narnia and the kingdom of Terabithia in this novel. What other magical kingdoms have you read about?

 

3. Personal Response.

A real-life tragedy led Katherine Paterson to write Bridge to Terabithia. Her son David's best friend, Lisa Hill, was struck by lightning and killed. How does knowing about this tragedy add to your understanding and appreciation of the book?

 

4. Writing about the Novel.

Terabithia is a place where Jess and Leslie can escape from everyday cares and pressures and indulge in the life of the imagination. Write about the importance of the imagination as a means of escape from the problems and stresses of everyday life. Can dreaming and imagining be productive activities, or are they just a waste of time? Think about Leslie and Jess's experiences as you write.

Film 2

“The Golden Compass”

Pre-stage