The Incredibles Cinema Study Guide: Teens can use some movies as part of the work that earns their Literature credits if they practice analysis skills like the ones explored in this guide.

Cinema Studies for Literature Learning is geared to the visual learner in high school, to those who are reluctant readers or for whom reading is very time-consuming, and to those who love movies! Good movies tell good stories, and good storytelling requires the use of traditionally respected literary devices and techniques. With a little help from a study guide, many movies introduce the viewer to excellent literature that is being presented in a visual medium.

This format for literature study is a great option for high school students who become overwhelmed with a demanding reading list. Can you REALLY use movies as literature? While reading books is still a necessary part of a teen’s high school education, placing the ANALYSIS of literature primarily in the arena of movies is a good option for some students.

How much credit does each Cinema Studies Guide earn?

The Cinema Studies for Literature Learning is part of the English/Language Arts credit. Each of the guides with its movie can count as a book, although teens should also read some real books too. (Read this post to understand what goes into the Language Arts credit.)

What is in each Cinema Studies for Literature Learning Guide?

Each guide contains:

• Background information
• List of characters
• Theme or themes being highlighted
• A few vocabulary words to consider
• Questions to develop thinking skills and awareness of how the themes work in the movie
• Answer key for parents

As with all curriculum from 7Sisters, we aim for no-busywork and no-overkill, instead offering teens a chance to build critical thinking skills while earning high school credit.

Here’s how Cinema Studies for Literature Learning guides work.

• Each study guide asks the student to read the introductory material, watch the movie once (answering questions as they go, occasionally pausing the video), and then take a week to think a bit about the ideas and the literary devices they observed. Ideally, students should discuss their answers with someone else to enhance the learning process.
• Students then watch the movie a second time after the questions and ideas have had some time to take root, then write in response to the suggested assignment at the end of the study guide. Writing assignments assume a certain degree of basic understanding on the part of the student regarding paragraph structure and essay form. (If your teen has not practiced essay writing, we recommend that you look into a writing guide like Introductory Guide to High School Essay Writing.)

This product downloads as two separate PDF files. One file is intended for student use. This document contains fillable fields so students can type their answers directly into the guide. The other document is the answer key, intended for the parent.

The literary analysis focus for this cinema study guide:

• Social Commentary via Fiction
• Satire
• Irony

Click here to view an excerpt from The Incredibles Cinema Study Guide.

For a full ELA credit that emphasizes literature learning with cinema studies, click here.

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Note: 7Sisters curriculum is unique in that (by request from teens themselves), it is no-busywork and adaptable to varying levels of academic rigor. In this way, following guidelines in the curriculum, teens complete coursework that is personally meaningful to their interests, needs, and goals. This is the 7Sisters educational philosophy!

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