1. There will be EXTREMELY LIMITED extra credit opportunities over the course of the school year. Take every advantage to help your grade.  There will be no extra credit at the end of the term. Late extra credit assignments will not be accepted.
  2. Film extra credit will be calculated in the CLASSWORK/HOMEWORK category only.
1ST QUARTER: JOHN ADAMS MINI-SERIES ASSIGNMENT DUE OCTOBER 30th
2ND QUARTER: APPROVED Reflection DUE
3rd Quarter: Approved Reflection due
4th Quarter: Approved reflection due by may _______ BOTH A/B classes
  1. Watch John Adams, the HBO series.  It is available through Amazon Prime, HBO, DVD or you probably can find it other places too. If you can't find it, ask a friend. If you do not have access to this you can choose a film from the list on my website for Periods 1-3
  2. You will receive 10 points for each episode you watch.  There are 7 episodes and you can watch a maximum of 2 for extra credit. 
  3. To get credit, you must have a signed note (photo via email from a parent stating this and their phone # for verification).  If you watch the movie with a group of friends, the parent of the home in which you watch it can write for everyone. Please list which blocks everyone is in on the note. Then, I need a REFLECTIVE SUMMARY for each episode . You may want to take notes as you are watching.
  4. Each reflective summary must have a 400 minimum word count and be submitted to turnitin.com.  I do not care about the formatting. 
  5. Turnitin will give me a word count, and I will be grading off turnitin.  Submit as one document for all episodes and be sure there is a break between each episode and  is clearly labeled by episode.

NO LATE EXTRA CREDIT AND MUST BE SUBMITTED TO TURNITIN by 7:00 AM of the due date.  If you have turinitin issues, you must email me your completed document before then.  If you are having internet issues, take pictures of your screen including the time to prove it was done on time, bring a digital copy, and you can submit at lunch using my computer.  I suggest multiple digital forms (USB, email, etc.) and double check to be sure you uploaded the correct one. 

So For ALL Films:

1. Submit to turnitin by 7:30 AM on the due date.
2. Bring a signed parent note indicating you watched it uninterrupted and with limited distractions.
3. If I cannot validate that you have watched the episode/series, you will not receive credit.

Film Reviews (assigned at my discretion)

You've probably heard the expressions, "Seeing is believing," and, "A picture is worth a thousand words."  It may seem to you that a very truthful and certainly enjoyable way to learn history is through pictures -- moving pictures, or films.  It is true that films do provide us with presentations of historical events such as the Vietnam War or the American Revolution.  Historical themes have been popular as long as motion pictures have been produced.  It is, however, also true that films provide us with interpretations of historical personalities and events.  Just as you have learned to be critical of print documents, you must bring that same critical eye to non-print or media documents. It is important to learn critical viewing skills to use when you see media productions in your social studies classes, on television at home, or at the movies.

In order to use films to their full advantage, you should ask several major questions when viewing a film:

Since films are produced first of all to entertain and, perhaps, secondly to instruct, it is important to remember that few producers are willing to risk the box-office draw of their film for historical accuracy.  If a choice is to be made between entertainment and historical fact, it might well be that the "truth" suffers.  If this is so, why use a film for learning at all?  Why not just use all print materials such as textbooks and readings?

First, print materials, like films; involve interpretations and careful analysis to determine historical fact.  Films can also be a valuable way of going back through time to experience the atmosphere of a period in the past or to "see" historical characters long dead.  Many film production companies try very hard to make the settings for their historical presentation as accurate as possible.  They employ historians to act as consultants to advise in the construction of sets, costume design, weaponry, transportation, manners, and other details.

In your film review, you must answer the following questions: 

Note: The assignment for John Adams is different and posted at the top.

1. Does this film portray the historical event or time period accurately?  If so, how? (Note: costuming, sets, props, manners, etc.) How does this film deviate from historical facts, or, in other words, what inaccuracies can you find in this film? Or, what are elements of the film that accurately portray the time period/historical context? 150 words

2.  Choose one element of the film to write a reflection/response- What is your opinion on something from the film? What do you THINK about something that happened in the film? 100 words

Choose one or more of the following to discuss- 150 words

-Does this film contain any underlying messages, or is it a straight narrative of a specific historical event?

-Does the film reflect any political undertones of the time it was made? If so, how?

-In your opinion, of what use is this film in explaining or illuminating a historical event, figure, or time period?

All movie reviews are worth 5 points extra credit each and must be submitted to turnitin.com.  

WHAT MOVIES CAN I WATCH?

  1. ONE film per quarter (except Q1 - "John Adams" and Q4 - Ken Burn's "Vietnam War" Series are your options)
  2. Quarter 2: You may watch any movies from the Early History, Civil War or Old West Lists. You may watch Ken Burns "The West"
  3. Due dates Dec 5/6
  4. Second Semester, you may watch any of the movies from Term II/Post Civil War
  5. You may not use any films watched in class (or in English) as Extra Credit. 
  6. John Adams miniseries and Ken Burn's "Vietnam War" will count in the Class Assignment category. All films will be entered in the homework category.

*Films I recommend

Early History

1492 (1992) PG-13

1776 (1972) PG

Last of the Mohicans (1992) R

Patriot (2000) R

The New World (2005) PG-13

*Amistad (1997) R

Civil War

*Glory (1989) R

Gangs of New York (2002) R

Gone with the Wind (1939)

The Red Badge of Courage (1951)

Gettysburg (1993) PG

*Lincoln (2012) PG-13

*12 Years a Slave (2013) R

The Conspirator (2010) PG-13

Free State of Jones (2016) R

Old West

The Alamo (2004) PG-13

Dances with Wolves (1990) PG-13

Tombstone (1993) R

How the West was Won (1964) G

Gilded Age/Progressives

An American Tail (1986) G

Iron Jawed Angels (2004) TV

WWI

Flyboys (2006) PG-13

Sergeant York (1941) PG

War Horse (2011) PG-13

1920s

Citizen Kane (1941)

The Untouchables (1987) R

Public Enemies (2009) R

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) R

Great Depression

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) PG

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

*Seabiscuit (2003) PG-13

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) PG-13

The Great Debaters (2007) PG-13

*Cinderella Man (2005) PG-13

WWII

Windtalkers (2002) R

Fat Man and Little Boy (1989) PG

Flags of Our Fathers (2006) R

Great Escape (1963)

A League of Their Own (1992) PG

Pearl Harbor (2001) PG-13

*Saving Private Ryan (1998) R

Red Tails (2012) PG-13

Postwar/1950s

*Good Night and Good Luck (2005) PG

The Majestic (2001) PG

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

J Edgar (2011) R

*42 (2013) PG-13

1960s

Across the Universe (2007) PG-13

American Graffiti (1973) PG

Bobby (2006) R

The Right Stuff (1983)

JFK (1991) R

Cold War

Dr. Strangelove (1964) PG

Hunt for Red October (1990) PG

Miracle (2004) PG

The Day After (1983) TV

Thirteen Days (2000) PG-13

Charlie Wilson's War (2007) R

Bridge of Spies (2015) PG-13

Civil Rights

Malcolm X (1992) PG-13

Mississippi Burning (1988) R

Remember the Titans (2000) PG

Ruby Bridges (1998) TV

Glory Road (2006) PG

*Selma (2014)  PG-13

Vietnam

Good Morning Vietnam (1987) R

*Platoon (1986) R

We Were Soldiers (2002) R

1970s

*All the President's Men (1976) PG

Apollo 13 (1995) PG

Frost/Nixon (2008) R

Helter Skelter (1976) TV-PG

*Argo (2012) R

Milk (2008) R

Secretariat (2010) PG

Modern

Black Hawk Down (2001) R

World Trade Center (2006) PG-13

W.(2008) PG-13

Flight 93 (TV 2006) PG-13

Zero Dark Thirty (2012) R

Lone Survivor (2013) R

Reagan HBO

Ken Burns Documentaries:

1. The Civil War

2. The West

3. The Pacific

Note to Parents: There are multiple movie options for extra credit.  It is not required they watch R-rated film.  Since this is an at home assignment, I am presuming that your permission is granted if they watch an R-rated film movie.

Most films can be found on Redbox, HBO, Netflix, Amazon, HULU, CBS All Access, History.com, YouTube or other streaming access sites.