If teachers were to ask students if they would rather watch a film or read a book, most, unfortunately, would probably respond, “Watch a film.” For literature instructors trying to teach students classic works of literature, engaging students who often see few connections in these books to their personal lives is a difficult and frustrating endeavor.

Using popular films to teach students about literary concepts is an effective way to help students make connections between books whose themes and concepts may seem foreign to them and the movies that they may already admire. after watching rhe film students can to write thesis essay or short story about it.The particular lesson plan discussed here requires that instructors use one or more literary works by the same author as a means of discussing overarching themes, motifs, settings, etc. within an author’s body of work. To compare, teachers should choose one or more films by the same director.

Choosing Films
While teachers may have their own ideas regarding films to use for this exercise, they should also solicit students’ assistance in choosing which films to use in the classroom. They can ask students what kinds of films they like and if they admire any certain directors and, at the very least, students are certain to appreciate having a voice in designing this assignment. Obviously, teachers will want to review any films themselves before assigning them to a class and will want to follow school guidelines, best teaching practices, and copyright laws regarding using movies in the classroom.

Drawing Comparisons
Even when using films chosen with student input, without offering students a viewing guide, teachers cannot expect that they will view the films as anything more than entertaining (nor can they ensure that students won’t fall asleep if viewing the films in a dark classroom). After defining literary terms that are present in the movies, teachers should ask students to actively look for these terms manifesting themselves in the film. Teachers should then ask students to view the second movie and look for commonalities with the first. Both films should be followed with a class discussion about where in the movies students noticed terms and commonalities.

Viewing Literature Through a New Lens
After seeing literary concepts manifest themselves across two films with the same director, students can more easily discover themes, motifs, and common settings in literary works by the same author. For example, if viewing the early films of director John Singleton, students will have little trouble seeing the similar neighborhoods, themes of violence and struggle, and even some of the same stock characters used by Singleton across films. After students are attuned to noticing literary commonalities, they will more easily notice similar themes, settings, character types and motifs across the works of, as examples, Jane Austen or Thomas Hardy.

Films, ultimately, are narratives, but students may not see popular movies as anything other than simple entertainment. However, by teaching students to “read” and compare movies, literature teachers can show students that their favorite movies have some of the same literary qualities as the books they read. And by drawing this comparison between books and film, students will grow in their appreciation of both media.