ABSTRACT
For as long as there have been movies, the media and the subjects they cover have been popular Hollywood topics. Common Core middle-grade English language arts standards make specific references to the techniques used in making movies, as well as the decisions made by directors and actors. Whether it's an English teacher using a Shakespeare film or a history teacher using a docudrama, all students need to understand and appreciate the decisions and techniques movie-makers use when they create compelling stories on film. For every film that is released "based on true events," there are plenty of legitimate news stories, blog posts, or social media postings that attempt to pull back the curtain on what the filmmakers got right and what they might have altered and why. Docudramas can be an effective medium in both English language arts and social studies classes to explore many areas of curriculum, including creative and persuasive writing, current events, historical perspectives, and filmmaking itself.
