Frankenstein
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“I am alone, and miserable; man will not associate with me, but one
as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me." page 171 of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley |
Here is a high quality, interdisciplinary PBL21 curriculum - The Frankenstein Project. This amazing teacher, Rocco Russo, did this project with his 7th graders. They studied the books, War of the Worlds and Frankenstein . . . created films and more . . . read more about it here.
Have students do a film study comparing various movies of Frankenstein from 1931 with Boris Karloff, (and the sequels). I like Gene Wilder's Young Frankenstein. There are also many other Frankenstein films starring actors such as Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Jr., Randy Quaid, Robert DeNiro, and in 2013 an actor, Karel Roden, played in Frankenstein's Army. The trailer is really gross.
Also there is Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) " In 2001 the Library of Congress deemed this film 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant' and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry, and in September 2007, Readers Digest selected the movie as one of the top 100 funniest films of all time. The 1948 film is recognized by historians as the definitive end point to the American golden age of the monster mash and the classic Universal monster cycle."
Here's a Frankenstein Unit for British Honor's Literature - with connections to biomedical ethics and feminist theory. Students will write an original Gothic ghost story.
From English AP, College Board, beginning at p. 32, Strategies for Engaging Students in an Analysis of Frankenstein.
*** Young Frankenstein Stage Notes - A Field Guide for Teachers *** - this includes excellent teaching tips, exercises and connections
Have students do a film study comparing various movies of Frankenstein from 1931 with Boris Karloff, (and the sequels). I like Gene Wilder's Young Frankenstein. There are also many other Frankenstein films starring actors such as Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Jr., Randy Quaid, Robert DeNiro, and in 2013 an actor, Karel Roden, played in Frankenstein's Army. The trailer is really gross.
Also there is Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) " In 2001 the Library of Congress deemed this film 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant' and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry, and in September 2007, Readers Digest selected the movie as one of the top 100 funniest films of all time. The 1948 film is recognized by historians as the definitive end point to the American golden age of the monster mash and the classic Universal monster cycle."
Here's a Frankenstein Unit for British Honor's Literature - with connections to biomedical ethics and feminist theory. Students will write an original Gothic ghost story.
From English AP, College Board, beginning at p. 32, Strategies for Engaging Students in an Analysis of Frankenstein.
*** Young Frankenstein Stage Notes - A Field Guide for Teachers *** - this includes excellent teaching tips, exercises and connections
Connections
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Anatomy
Biology Chemistry Forensics - here are some classroom activities Electricity Philosophy Psychology |
More Frankenstein connections:
Publishing - students could create books similar to this. Using this technology they could also publish a collection of their original ghost stories, essays, create an illustrated cook book or a guide to a student-produced dinner theatre!
Mock Trial of Victor Frankenstein - use a real courtroom and judge if you can! Also see Guilty!
Filmmaking - there are many links in this email, all of them worth your time, but be sure to read the one on filmmaking!
Service Learning - many possibilities - the performances could be a fund raiser for a good cause (selected and researched by the students)
Extended connections:
Nutrition and science (Frankenfood - genetically modified)
Health
Environmental studies (Frankenfood)
Resources:
The National Library of Medicine has many resources including a university level curriculum; for example one unit is The Franken-Factor in Contemporary Biomedicine
Discovery Education lesson plans (includes a mock trial)
Teaching Frankenstein with The New York Times - looks like this has many excellent resources
Astronomy and Frankenstein
Publishing - students could create books similar to this. Using this technology they could also publish a collection of their original ghost stories, essays, create an illustrated cook book or a guide to a student-produced dinner theatre!
Mock Trial of Victor Frankenstein - use a real courtroom and judge if you can! Also see Guilty!
Filmmaking - there are many links in this email, all of them worth your time, but be sure to read the one on filmmaking!
- students could produce mini-films, public service announcements or documentaries similar to those on the Biography Channel, Science Channel, Discovery Channel, etc. - or
- create a series of cooking shows similar to the format of Good Eats with Alton Brown (he lives in Atlanta) - they could put these on a DVD and sell them to raise money. (perhaps this time for filmmaking equipment for the school - as well as equipment for radio and television broadcasting)
- It would be a good idea to purchase the Good Eats DVDs, have the students watch a few in order to determine the format of the show, then put them into small teams to create different episodes.
- Show at a community film festival, and enter them into national or international student film festivals
- Filmmaking and radio and television production are actually quite inexpensive - you only need a small room with a camera and a wall for a green screen (which can be a piece of fabric, or even paper). I have personally been to schools that broadcast a brief, live television show each day - some to the school itself, and some to the community via cable tv.
- Parents and community members are always good for a variety of specific knowledge, skills and contacts - you ever know who would love to help set up or run a film class or club. Also the local public television channel has free, or extremely inexpensive, classes on television production as well as studios and equipment you can use, Then do not forget university RTF departments (Radio/Television/Drama) - perhaps a professor would like to help, or a graduate student may need a great project for his thesis or dissertation.
Service Learning - many possibilities - the performances could be a fund raiser for a good cause (selected and researched by the students)
Extended connections:
Nutrition and science (Frankenfood - genetically modified)
Health
Environmental studies (Frankenfood)
Resources:
The National Library of Medicine has many resources including a university level curriculum; for example one unit is The Franken-Factor in Contemporary Biomedicine
Discovery Education lesson plans (includes a mock trial)
Teaching Frankenstein with The New York Times - looks like this has many excellent resources
Astronomy and Frankenstein
