Film Review Introduction

Lesson Overview

This 60-minute lesson is the first in a 30-lesson unit titled "Persuasive Film Reviews." It introduces Year 4 students to film reviews, covering what they are, their purpose, and different types of film reviews. Students will engage in discussion about their favourite films to build interest and contextual understanding.

Australian Curriculum Alignment (Version 9)

Learning Area: English
Year Level: 4

Relevant Content Descriptions:

AC9E4LY05 – Use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring and questioning to build literal and inferred meaning, to expand topic knowledge and ideas, and evaluate texts.
AC9E4LY06 – Plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal informative and persuasive texts using relevant linked ideas, appropriate sentence structures, and precise vocabulary according to purpose.
AC9E4LA01 – Explore language used to develop relationships in formal and informal situations (including inclusive language and cultural respect) as part of oral language development.

General Capabilities:

Literacy
Critical and Creative Thinking
Personal and Social Capability (collaboration and communication skills)

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Define what a film review is and explain its purpose.
Identify and compare different types of film reviews (e.g., text-based, video).
Share and discuss their favourite films using descriptive language.
Apply basic persuasive language concepts to express opinions about films.

Resources Needed

Short examples of film reviews (age-appropriate, text and video)
Whiteboard and markers or digital presentation tools
Chart paper and markers
Sticky notes
Pens/pencils and exercise books

Lesson Structure

1. Warm-up Discussion (10 minutes)

Activity: Teacher invites students to share their favourite films and why they like them. Write some titles and reasons on the board.
Objective: Activate prior knowledge; engage students and build a personal connection to the topic.
Method: Whole-class sharing.

2. What is a Film Review? (10 minutes)

Activity: Teacher explains that a film review tells others about a film and whether the reviewer liked it or not. Introduce the purpose: to inform and persuade others about films.
Resources: Show brief excerpts of simple written film reviews and/or short video reviews designed for children.
Discussion Focus: What features do film reviews have? (e.g., title, summary, opinion, recommendation)
Objective: Understand the purpose and key features of film reviews.

3. Exploring Types of Film Reviews (15 minutes)

Activity: In small groups (4 per group), students read or watch different short film reviews (varied media). Each group identifies the key parts of the review and its style.
Group Task: Use a graphic organiser to record: film title, summary, opinion, and recommendation.
Objective: Recognise the diversity of film reviews and how they express opinions persuasively.
Differentiation: Provide scaffolded organisers for students who need extra support.

4. Class Discussion and Language Focus (10 minutes)

Groups share their findings with the class.
Teacher highlights persuasive language used to give opinions (e.g., “I recommend,” “This film is exciting because...,” “I didn’t like... because...”).
Introduce simple connectives for opinions (because, however, also).

5. Creative Sharing: Mini ‘Review’ Talk (10 minutes)

Activity: Each student picks one favourite film and tells the class what it is about and one reason they like it, using persuasive language learned.
Objective: Practice oral language skills and persuasive expressions in a supportive environment.

6. Wrap-up and Reflection (5 minutes)

Students write a short sentence on a sticky note about what they learned about film reviews today and stick it on a "Learning Wall."
Teacher summarises key points and sets the stage for the next lesson, where students will analyse a film review in more detail.

Assessment

Observation of students’ participation in discussions and group work.
Informal oral assessment of use of persuasive language during mini ‘review’ talks.
Sticky note reflections to check understanding of lesson purpose and content.

Extensions and Adaptations

For advanced students: Challenge them to identify emotive language or give examples of sensory adjectives used in reviews.
For students requiring support: Use sentence starters during the mini ‘review’ talk (e.g., “My favourite film is... because...”).
Cross-curriculum priority: Discuss respectful language and cultural awareness when referring to films and characters from diverse backgrounds (link to AC9E4LA01).

Teacher Tips to ‘Wow’ the Class with AI Integration

Start the lesson by showing a short AI-generated animated trailer of a popular children’s film to spark interest.
Use AI to generate simple persuasive sentences to show students examples (display on screen).
After the lesson, use AI to compile students’ talk excerpts into a digital class magazine of “Favourite Films,” modelling multimodal text creation.

Summary

This highly interactive first lesson sets a strong foundation for the "Persuasive Film Reviews" unit. It meets specific Year 4 English curriculum requirements by focusing on understanding persuasive texts, vocabulary, and oral language skills, while engaging students' interests through film conversations and media examples.

Teaching Instructions