Z-Guide to the Movies~TOS Review

Today is REVIEW DAY

and I am very happy to bring to you from...

The wonderful movie guides that incorporate media (a powerful teaching tool in our increasingly electronic society) into any curriculum.  

Now, many of my readers remember our experience with Z-Guide to the Movies last year.  You can find that review HERE. Our family loves the movies.  We love to learn more about movies outside of just the normal 'watch it and move on'.  We enjoy the history, facts and trivia of movies we have liked, to help us know more about the characters, the actors and the story 'behind' the story. 

Our Z-Guide review this year centered around the movie My Side of the Mountain.  A story about a boys adventure in the wilderness.  My son was given the orginal book by his aunt some years ago as a gift.  He read it from cover to cover and thoroughly enjoyed the adventures of this young boy with his Peregrine Falcone.  It's at the top of his library list of Favorites.

Being his favorite we could not resist  watching the movie version.  And given the opportunity to do a Z-Guide review there could not have been a better way to find out more about this favorite story. 

My Side of the Mountain DVD

Bottom line, these movie guides are Awesome!  We love them!

"If your student enjoys watching movies, we just made it easy for you to incorporate them into your curriculum." -ZeeZok Publishing

To start your study you are encouraged to read the synopsis at the beginning of the lessons.  Then it's 'Off to the Movies'.  Here is how this curriculum flows:

My Side of the Mountain Middle School study

• Watch the Movie
• Day 1: Answer the 'Movie Review Questions' and 'More About Henry David Thoreau'.  The movie review questions come straight from the movie itself, while the study of Mr. Thoreau is research done on-line or in a book.
• Day 2: Answer the 'Surviving in the Wilderness' questions (where would you be and how would  you survive).  This was a blast!  We laughed and carried on for a long while listening to one anothers ideas on what our survival experience would be like.  One child chose flying to Hawaii and surfing while the other chose Utah and living in a cave in the ground.  There is also a hands-on 'Design a Wilderness Home' activity. It has been raining so much here in the south we have not had a chance to make this happen...yet!
• Day 3: Learn more about the Peregrine Falcon by doing research on the computer or a book. Then compose what you think is an alternative ending to the movie.  This is particularly interesting for my son because the movie, in many places, was completely different from the original book.  He could not get it out of his mind how different the movie was and was a little dissappointed at one part.  I won't spoil it for you.  You'll have to read the book and watch the movie and decide for yourself. 
• Day 4: Spelling and Grammar check up using lines directly from the movie.  Then there is the 'My Side of the Mountain Personal Nature Walk' Activity. This is a great way to get your students journaling about all the wonders of God's creation and a great way to dispell 'cabin fever'.
• Day 5: A 'Worldview activity'.  These are wonderful discussion questions to find out everyone opinion on different events that occurred during the movie.  I have chosen to allow this to be a verbal discussion instead of answering questions in the guide.  As well there is a memorization passage from Thoreau's Civil Disobedience.
• Then there are some bonuses like a Word Search and Family discussion questions.

"All of the guides contain ten educational activities that build upon the movie. The guides are movie specific. We tell you exactly which movie we used, and almost all are available thru Netflix. Most you can probably get through your local library. So you don’t even need to buy the movie to use our guides!" -ZeeZok Publishing

Simply put, these Z-Guide to the Movies are great! I know that you will love digging deeper into that favorite movie. You can find a sample HERE on The Count of Monte Cristo from Zeezok Publishing. The movie titles offered range form Middle School to High School age range. Some of the guides are offered in both a High School or a Middle School version. As a family you will have to decide which is appropriate for your children. Other, titles offered are:

• Hiding Place
• Boy in the Striped Pajamas
• Sergeant York
• The Red Badge of Courage
• Kitt Kittredge

Each guide is $12.99.  Zeezok has also included the DVD's for your purchase.  These are the version of the story they have based their curriculum. 

To find your Z-Guide and movie today head on over to Zeezok Publishing HERE. I know you will not be disappointed. 

Thank you for reading today.  Blessings!

From My Heart to Yours,
Mindy B.
Revelation 12:11
Please visit the TOS Homeschool Crew and READ more reviews on Zeezok's Z-Guide to the Movies.

Disclaimer: As a member of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew, I receive products, for free, for review. All of the opinions expressed on My Own Sense and Sensibility are solely my own, and I only suggest products or services that we personally use or believe will be helpful to my readers.