Ya Just Never Know....
This summer I ordered a copy of the movie Real about the Real Madrid soccer team. I'm not much of a sports fan, but many of my students are. The set up of the movie is interesting. There is a running story line...almost like a documentary....about the team. It shows present players (although Beckham has moved on), history of the team, behind the scenes in training and pre-game preparations in the stadium and more. What is different about the film is five separate fictional stories that are woven into the "documentary".
It's not necessarily a cinematic masterpiece, and I thought it would be a little disjointed for the kids. I did like the idea though that I could show the movie in short clips and use those as a jumping-off point for discussion. (BTW the movie is in several languages since the stories take place in Spain, NY, Tokyo, Senegal and Venezuela. English subtitles are used throughout).
They love it! Who'dathunkit? The very first section is about a teen in Tokyo whose girlfriend is obsessed with David Beckham. No matter how hard he tries, he just can't compete. It's funny and there is so much to talk about with the kids: teen fashion, teen relationships, the images of Tokyo, larger than life sports personalities. It's great!!
The second section is about a girl in NY who is a soccer player who seriously injures her knee. This runs parallel (a built-in parallel story whoo hoo!!) to a piece on Raul of Real Madrid and his injury. There is so much to talk about: overcoming adversary, the impact of a coach, parental expectations, fear of failure and more.
The third section is about a young boy from Senegal. This boy's father walks sixty kilometers to the nearest city to watch the games and then returns home to share the details with his village. The boy himself is a soccer fan, but struggles to do well in school because he is only interested in soccer. At the end of the piece, his father takes him to live with his uncle in the city, where he can attend a soccer school run by Real Madrid. (Real Madrid actually sponsors a number of these throughout the world) Some of the kids could really relate to this boy's struggle in school.
The fourth section is about a pre-teen soccer player who finds out that the old man who has been coaching the local kids is really his grandfather. His father has long been estranged from his grandfather because the grandfather was involved in the kidnapping in 1963 of the famous player DiStefano. (you can find out more about this by Googling...) The father does not want his son to play soccer nor to get to know his grandfather.
The fifth story is about a young boy, his grandmother, and the boy's teacher who is trying to understand why everyone he has met in Madrid is so obsessed by Real Madrid. There is a lot of great stuff here too: a guy who doesn't like sports trying to understand the mania, a woman trying to come to terms with the loss of her husband, the collective history of the Real Madrid phenomenon.
For the students who are just too literal and practical to get "hooked" into stories, the pieces about the team itself are very interesting. The athletes in the class are drawn to the athleticism and excitement of the game scenes. The members of the Real Madrid team bring a bit of "celebrity" status to the film and my kids (and I) have enjoyed getting to know the players. Each of the side stories has a historical or cultural connection to explore.
I thought that it just might make a decent sub plan. Hah! Live and learn. I could teach all year off of this movie!!!!
Ya just never know....
with love,
Laurie
It's not necessarily a cinematic masterpiece, and I thought it would be a little disjointed for the kids. I did like the idea though that I could show the movie in short clips and use those as a jumping-off point for discussion. (BTW the movie is in several languages since the stories take place in Spain, NY, Tokyo, Senegal and Venezuela. English subtitles are used throughout).
They love it! Who'dathunkit? The very first section is about a teen in Tokyo whose girlfriend is obsessed with David Beckham. No matter how hard he tries, he just can't compete. It's funny and there is so much to talk about with the kids: teen fashion, teen relationships, the images of Tokyo, larger than life sports personalities. It's great!!
The second section is about a girl in NY who is a soccer player who seriously injures her knee. This runs parallel (a built-in parallel story whoo hoo!!) to a piece on Raul of Real Madrid and his injury. There is so much to talk about: overcoming adversary, the impact of a coach, parental expectations, fear of failure and more.
The third section is about a young boy from Senegal. This boy's father walks sixty kilometers to the nearest city to watch the games and then returns home to share the details with his village. The boy himself is a soccer fan, but struggles to do well in school because he is only interested in soccer. At the end of the piece, his father takes him to live with his uncle in the city, where he can attend a soccer school run by Real Madrid. (Real Madrid actually sponsors a number of these throughout the world) Some of the kids could really relate to this boy's struggle in school.
The fourth section is about a pre-teen soccer player who finds out that the old man who has been coaching the local kids is really his grandfather. His father has long been estranged from his grandfather because the grandfather was involved in the kidnapping in 1963 of the famous player DiStefano. (you can find out more about this by Googling...) The father does not want his son to play soccer nor to get to know his grandfather.
The fifth story is about a young boy, his grandmother, and the boy's teacher who is trying to understand why everyone he has met in Madrid is so obsessed by Real Madrid. There is a lot of great stuff here too: a guy who doesn't like sports trying to understand the mania, a woman trying to come to terms with the loss of her husband, the collective history of the Real Madrid phenomenon.
For the students who are just too literal and practical to get "hooked" into stories, the pieces about the team itself are very interesting. The athletes in the class are drawn to the athleticism and excitement of the game scenes. The members of the Real Madrid team bring a bit of "celebrity" status to the film and my kids (and I) have enjoyed getting to know the players. Each of the side stories has a historical or cultural connection to explore.
I thought that it just might make a decent sub plan. Hah! Live and learn. I could teach all year off of this movie!!!!
Ya just never know....
with love,
Laurie
This sounds really super! Small stories within a bigger context are great for teachers. If the subtitles are in English then my kids can practice reading in English and the visual aspect is there to support comprehension. Sounds like great inspiration for stories too...
Thanks for sharing this.
Reply to this