Winter Break Short Films
(Plot Analysis)
This fun pre-winter-break project lets students watch short films with a purpose—looking closely at how each one builds its plot through characters, conflict, and big moments.
Right before winter break, we switch things up with a project that feels fun but still hits our ELA goals. Students watch a set of short films from our class slide deck and use the plot-diagram organizer to break down how each story actually works — the exposition, the inciting incident, the rising action, the big moment, and how everything wraps up. We do this together for the first one, then in small groups or partners, and then they do the last one solo to turn in. It is also a great way to assess their understanding of these key concepts leading into January report cards.
Even though it feels like “movie time,” this project is rooted in the Alberta Grade 8 ELA Program of Studies. Students are practicing exactly what the curriculum asks: responding to texts, figuring out how ideas and events are connected, and understanding how plot helps build a theme. They talk about character motivation, conflict, turning points, and how filmmakers guide the audience through a story — all core comprehension skills.
It’s the perfect mix for the last few days before break: relaxed, engaging, and still aligned with what we’re working on. Each of these texts also work as mentor texts that students can use as models for their next Exhale project (if you follow our Room to Breathe work). Students get to enjoy some short films and come away with a stronger sense of how stories are built.