We’re a couple of weeks away from winter break, and while I am looking forward to trimming the tree and unwrapping presents, I also find myself in the awkward position of finishing a unit a few days too early. What do I do to fill the time? It is unrealistic to start a novel study in the last 2-3 days before break—my students will hardly remember their own names when we return in January, so expecting them to retain historical context for Romeo and Juliet is laughable. On the flip side, allowing 30 ninth graders 85 minutes of unstructured free time is about as appealing as eating a scorched Christmas turkey. So what can I do to keep the students engaged while also keeping my sanity?
The answer is an early Christmas present to myself: a movie day.
My go-to for Christmas movies in the classroom is Elf (2003), featuring Will Ferrell as the guileless Buddy the elf. I love his childlike innocence as he treks to Manhattan to find his real father; his grotesque habit of pouring syrup on all of his food, including spaghetti; and his unmitigated ire when he rage whispers at the department store Santa that he sits “on a throne of lies.”
More than anything, however, I love the way the film alludes to the animated classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) in its costuming of the elves and inclusion of eerily similar, but definitely off-brand claymation characters. And it just so happens that the unit my students are wrapping up a little too early is on rhetoric. So why not cap it off with an analysis of how the film Elf uses allusion to achieve its purpose—that is, to entertain?
(For this assignment, it’s best if students already understand claim, evidence, and reasoning.)
Materials Needed:
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (full movie on YouTube)
- Elf (I stream it through Amazon)
- Ruldoph and Elf Allusion Two-Column Notes and CER Paragraph Handout
The Lesson: Day One
- Introduce the essential questions at the top of the two-column notes and CER paragraph handout: How does Elf (2003) allude to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)? How do the allusions make the film more entertaining (i.e., contribute to its purpose)?
- Define allusion with students and discuss the example allusion on the handout. (“Chocolate was Wanda’s Achilles’ heel.”)
- Tell students that they will take notes on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer using the left column on their handout. While watching, they should note the film’s setting, characters, style, and costumes because they will be looking for references to these ideas in the movie Elf.
- Press play!
Note: You do not need to show the entire movie for students to get the essentials of the setting, characters, style, and costumes. If you are pressed for time, the first 10 minutes will suffice.
The Lesson: Day Two
- Review the definition of allusion with students.
- Tell students to review the notes they took on Rudolph. Then tell them that they will use the right column to take notes on Elf and the ways in which it alludes to the setting, characters, style, and costumes of the animated film.
- Press play!
The Lesson: Day Three
- Discuss the allusions that students identified in Elf. Ask students how these allusions make the film more entertaining (e.g., they remind older members of the audience of watching the animated movie during childhood or they make the film funnier because of the contrast between live action and claymation characters).
- Instruct students to plan a CER paragraph using the graphic organizer provided. They will fill in the evidence with examples from their notes.
- Once students are finished planning, they will write their paragraphs on the lined paper provided.
Optional: Have students color code the elements of CER. See an example color-coded CER paragraph below.
Wrap-Up
Movie days get a bad wrap, but they don’t have to be just filler. By including note-taking, CER paragraphs, and practice explaining how a rhetorical device contributes to a text’s purpose, this lesson adds rigor to seasonally-appropriate fun.