See • Hear • Feel • Film

See · Hear · Feel · Film teaches third-grade students critical viewing skills and the techniques of telling a story through film. Using the cinema to spark their own creative expression, the children learn to write with clarity, confidence, and joy, and improve their own storytelling skills.

See · Hear · Feel · Film is taught in five units. Students view and discuss short films from around the world and work collaboratively in small groups to practice the tools filmmakers use to tell stories. The first two units are taught as class trips to the Amherst Cinema and the remaining three are taught in the classroom by the classroom teacher. Teachers receive interactive training sessions at the Amherst Cinema, a comprehensive curriculum guide, and a DVD with all 8 films taught in the program. Each student receives his or her own film journal

The curriculum was designed by nationally known educator and media expert Anne Marie Santoro, at the direction of the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY, where the program has been taught successfully to nearly 40,000 school children since 2001. See · Hear · Feel · Film is aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy which incorporates the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

Goals

The goals of See • Hear • Feel • Film are to use short films from around the world to help third-grade students:

Become more active, thoughtful viewers of visual media
Understand how to write with clarity, confidence, and joy
Improve their creative expression and storytelling skills
Lead more examined lives

See · Hear · Feel · Film provides opportunities for third-grade students to:

Exercise their critical-viewing skills and imagination
Experience a variety of films from around the world
Examine how filmmakers tell stories
Engage their senses to focus on their inner and outer worlds
Enliven their creative expression and storytelling skills using the tools of a filmmaker

Third Grade Children Served

Over 50 third grade classes (1,100 children) from throughout the Pioneer Valley are participating in See-Hear-Feel-Film for school year 2011-2012.

Holyoke Public Schools
Chicopee Public Schools
Pelham Elementary School
Northampton Public Schools
Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School
The Bement School

The program for the 2011 – 2012 school year is full. For information on participating in 2012 - 2013, contact us at info@amherstcinema.org. Enrollment for 2012 – 2013 begins in April, 2012.

Scholarships and Financial Support

Three-quarters of the children are participating on scholarship provided by Amherst Cinema and Pleasant Street Theater, at no cost to the students or to the school districts. These scholarships are available to underserved school districts. Even school districts that participate on a tuition basis pay less than a quarter of the program’s cost.

Scholarships and financial support for See · Hear · Feel · Film is provided by generous individual donors to Amherst Cinema and Pleasant Street Theater, by contributors and Members of our nonprofit cinemas, and by foundations and business supporters.

Volunteers

Volunteers, which include college students, seasoned adults and active retirees, are a key part of the program’s success because the volunteers work closely with the children during class visits to the cinema. The response has been so great that the cinema has two volunteers working with each small group of children. Click here for information on volunteering.

What Educators and Students Are Saying about See · Hear · Feel · Film

“As a teacher with more than 30 years of teaching experience and having attended numerous workshops, I was completely energized after the teacher training workshop. I returned to my classroom higher than a kite and was able to transfer what I had learned to my students. They were thoroughly prepared for the morning at the cinema. As they climbed onto the bus, I overheard students saying that they couldn’t wait to come back for Unit 2.” —Meg Gallagher, 3rd grade teacher, Pelham Elementary School.

“The best critics are the students, and they loved it! They enjoyed it so much, they wanted to write in their journals on the way home! They are very excited about returning in a few months and cannot wait.”
—Diane DeLuca, 3rd grade teacher, Selser School, Chicopee.

“Better than Christmas!" —Holyoke 3rd grader

"I have been teaching for over 20 years and this was truly one of the best field trips we have taken."
—Deb Ward, 3rd grade teacher, Litwin School, Chicopee
 
"Thank you for the wonderful morning at the Amherst Cinema! My students and I were thrilled with the whole program. My students absolutely loved it! We can not wait to visit again."
—Jillian Carriere, 3rd grade teacher, Peck School, Holyoke 

“This was the best field trip ever!” —Chicopee 3rd grader

Read article on See · Hear · Feel · Film from The Springfield Republican

Download Peck School's Storyboard Project

Financial Support of See · Hear · Feel · Film - THANK YOU!

Thank you to the Members of Amherst Cinema and Pleasant Street Theater and to the contributors to our Annual Fund, which supports programming at our cinemas! Contribute To The Annual Fund Here

Thank you to the generous individual donors who make See · Hear · Feel · Film possible!

Thank you to the foundations and business sponsors of See · Hear · Feel · Film!