Screenwriting 101: A Creative Writing Curriculum Your Students Will Love

Tuesday, 3/23/2010

Picture this: you’re a middle school student in language arts class. What would be cooler than getting to write a screenplay as an assignment? Perhaps learning to write that screenplay with the fun music-driven comedy BANDSLAM?

If this sounds great to you, then imagine how fun it will be for your students. Inspired by our film Bandslam, the education experts at BlueNose Edutainment have created a script-writing curriculum that focuses on:

• Film Synopses
• Adaptation
• Dialogue
• Plot

The four-part standards-based unit encourages students to think critically about how stories are told and adapted for the screen. Students complete the lesson by writing a short screenplay of their own.

The engaging free curriculum is available for download on BlueNoseEd.com, and is particularly timely since Bandslam is now available on DVD. Incorporate clips from the movie into the curriculum as an extra special treat for students.

BlueNose Contest

When Bandslam was released last summer, BlueNose invited teachers to submit their students’ work for a chance to win an educational VIP trip to Hollywood. There, winners received an insider’s look at the entertainment business, complete with tours of a movie studio, TV studio, and record label, filmmaker/celebrity panel and a trip to UCLA to explore the career opportunities and educational requirements of the entertainment industry. Walden is proud to salute the winners of the Bandslam Scriptwriting Contest:

• Hyun Kim, Bernal Intermediate School
• Kevin Shen, Bernal Intermediate School
• Jordan Coach, Manchester High School

Additional Resources

For more Bandslam-related curriculum, download the Bandslam Educator’s Guide which features 6 standards-based activities and three educational webisodes featuring the stars of the film.

Bandslam Educator Guide Lessons:

• It Starts with a Song
• Understanding Music Forms
• Music Epicenters/New York City
• Spotlight on the 1970s/Be a Music Critic Like Will
• Culture Shock: 1950s-2000
• Revolutions of Recorded Sound

Posted by » walden
Tags »
Category » Movies,Education,