Use the Nationwide Movie Board of Canada for Homeschooling

The Nationwide Movie Board of Canada (NFB) produces a big selection of documentaries, animations, and interactive initiatives that cater to learners of all ages, bringing topics to life, fostering important considering, and offering your youngsters with a deeper understanding of assorted matters. On this weblog publish, we’ll discover the NFB web site, spotlight some assets, and share tips about successfully use them in your homeschool.

What’s the Nationwide Movie Board of Canada?

The Nationwide Movie Board of Canada started in 1939 with an act of Parliament to develop, promote, and create Canadian movies for us right here in Canada, but additionally the remainder of the world. Based on their about web page on their web site, the Nationwide Movie Board has produced with greater than 14,000 works, has received 1000’s of awards (together with 12 Oscars!) and has offered a lot of them without spending a dime to the general public. The content material has expanded right into a a lot wider perspective than simply Canada now – there are voices from all around the globe, but it surely nonetheless focuses closely on the individuals right here in Canada.

Navigating the Nationwide Movie Board’s Web site

You may entry the web site at www.nfb.ca. Though you’ll be able to entry most of the movies on the positioning with out an account, a normal account is free. If you need, it’s additionally accessible as an app for a lot of totally different gadgets reminiscent of Google, Android, Apple, and Roku.

The house web page gives totally different classes to discover. On the time of this publish, it has new releases and movies divided up into views of various provinces – which I believe is a extremely neat approach to discover Canada.

Navigating across the web site could be very user-friendly. On the sidebar are the principle divisions of

• documentaries
• animation
• interactive
• schooling

and there may be an easy accessibility search possibility if you’re on the hunt for one thing particular.

Documentaries

The documentaries from the Nationwide Movie Board vary from biographies of Canadians like Leonard Cohen to distinctive life experiences of individuals reminiscent of the primary Chinese language girls in Canada or the standard teachings of assorted Indigenous communities. There are voices reminiscent of ink makers, criminals, refugees, musicians, artists….

Animation

Anybody keep in mind the log drivers’ waltz?

That is most likely probably the most acquainted of all of the Nationwide Movie Board movies for Canadians.

The animation part options filmmaking types reminiscent of extra conventional hand-drawn artwork, stopmotion, and extra. I discovered that this part comprises fairly a number of Indigenous tales introduced in distinctive codecs.

Interactive

On the time of this publish, there are 3 interactive items accessible. These are cell experiences, as a result of you have to use the contact display in an effort to take part. Please word – a minimum of one among these will not be acceptable for teenagers because it has to do with sexuality, however I attempted the Neuroflowers app and it was fascinating: a very good message about difficult your mind – mixed with fairly vocals, artwork, and a recreation that was a flower-like model of the reminiscence recreation Simon.

Schooling

This can be a separate part on the web site designed deliberately for academic assets. Right here you’ll find content material that goes together with varied movies on the web site – together with mini-lessons and examine guides. The examine guides differ relying on the particular movie, however they’ll present dialogue matters, classroom actions, and extra assets.

There are additionally assets for skilled growth by recordings of assorted shows on matters reminiscent of Asian historical past month and Earth Day.

This part too has interactive assets on a a lot wider number of matters. Whereas they aren’t essentially video games, they’ve distinctive codecs like interactive paperwork, 360 diploma cameras, vignettes, and interactive storytelling. There are additionally some apps – from critical historic storytelling about Japanese-Canadian camps after the conflict, to determining social innovation and sustainable financial system in PotatoLand, and extra.

The playlists, although, are the one the most effective options of the tutorial part. These playlists have been curated based mostly on matters and themes, collections of movies marked with what their really useful age vary is. Some matters are: Canadian historical past and geography, the Prime Ministers of Canada, psychological well being, language and communication, indigenous narratives, range, media literacy and extra.

One other additional is one thing known as OceanSchool – which takes children beneath the waves to be taught extra about life within the ocean. There are 360 diploma movies, digital dissections of sharks, indigenous tales and information, hands-on lesson concepts, and extra. It’s designed for teenagers in grades 5+.

The tutorial part additionally has its personal membership improve. It’s known as Campus and as a person consumer, the fee is simply $39.99 a 12 months. This gives some unique content material – extra movies and examine guides – in addition to entry to their media faculty, which is a web based program which teaches digital storytelling.

A Couple of Reminders

• The precise content material on the positioning varies in model, format, voice, and audience. Plainly a lot of the content material is secure for all viewers, and those that may have content material which is inappropriate for youthful viewers are marked with warnings, but it surely’s not assured.
• Please keep in mind that simply because a video is animated, it’s not all the time kid-friendly.
• The NFB’s movies are typically very extensive of their views. It’s vital to keep in mind that older movies could include content material that may require conversations about our views and understandings right this moment. There are additionally movies accessible on the web site which could not be aligned with the values or opinions that you just personally maintain or wish to expose your youngsters to.

Due to the above, I’d warning mother and father to observe any movies they wish to use of their homeschool first to guarantee that it’s appropriate for his or her household.

Utilizing the Nationwide Movie Board in Your Homeschool

So, as a homeschooler, how are you going to use this wealthy useful resource?

Thematic Movie Models

• Choose a theme related to your present curriculum (e.g., Indigenous Peoples, Canadian historical past, environmental science). Decide a number of movies that may cowl or improve your subject of examine by checking the NFB’s search and filter possibility or their pre-made playlists to seek out acceptable content material. You may then create your personal playlists for fast entry. After watching, have interaction in discussions in regards to the movie’s content material, message, and its relation to the theme. Use open ended questions for important considering.
  • For instance, if you’re doing Canadian historical past this 12 months and you’ve got younger learners, you may wish to try the Life in Early Canada collection for teenagers ages 5-9 that are quick animated movies about life within the 1800s.
  • Or, if you’re doing Canadian historical past for highschool, you may wish to watch the movies within the playlist, Canada at Battle.

Supplementary Academic Materials

• Use NFB’s educator guides and lesson plans tailored to give you the results you want in your homeschool as a substitute of a classroom setting – to enhance your classes.
  • If you’re finding out Astronomy in science for center faculty, you may watch the video collection “North Star” after which comply with it up with the actions and discussions in the information – from observing the sky along with your bare eyes, to doing an experiment to know gentle, to studying about Indigenous star tales, to analysis subject concepts to dive in additional.

Historic Documentaries

• Use Nationwide Movie Board documentaries to offer historic context for varied matters in Canadian and world historical past. This might help make obscure ideas and experiences extra actual as a result of your youngsters can see issues as a substitute of simply imagining them.
• Create or use a Canadian historic timeline, noting key occasions, figures, and outcomes.
• Develop it farther by connecting the movies with associated historic fiction.

Artistic Assignments

• Write evaluations of NFB movies, specializing in important evaluation and private reflection. One actually difficult piece is to discover ways to analyze media critically, inspecting the aim, perspective, and message of every movie.
• Encourage college students to create storyboards or scripts for their very own quick movies based mostly on what they’ve discovered.
• Have your college students create their very own initiatives impressed by NFB’s movies, matters, or interactive content material, encouraging creativity and utility of data. This might be an amazing alternative to dive into visible storytelling along with your children and attempting their hand at filmmaking or stop-motion movies.
• Use animated movies as inspiration for artwork initiatives, permitting college students to specific their understanding by inventive mediums.

Connecting to Different Topics

• Pair movies with literature research. For instance, watch a documentary about an writer after studying their work, or write your personal poetry after watching a video a couple of poet.
• Use movies to elucidate scientific ideas and spark curiosity in topics like biology, ecology, and area exploration.
• Discover movies about totally different areas and cultures, enhancing geography classes and selling cultural consciousness. The NFB actually gives some nice Indigenous views and experiences, for instance, which might supply an amazing change to be taught extra in regards to the range and significance of our First Nations peoples.
• Examine NFB movies with different media sources, discussing variations in portrayal and perspective. It’s all the time vital to contemplate different factors of view on a particular subject so we are able to have a extra absolutely knowledgeable understanding.
• Join movies to present occasions and/or social points, discussing their relevance and influence on right this moment’s world. Talk about if older movies accessible have any worth in right this moment’s world or if the views proven now totally different.
• Invite consultants or filmmakers for in-person or digital talks to offer deeper insights into the movie matters or to be taught extra about filmmaking typically.

The Nationwide Movie Board is a good useful resource for homeschoolers in Canada as a result of it offers so many movies on so many alternative matters from so many voices and views. It may be a helpful device to have in your pocket. Have you ever used it earlier than and the way?

This publish was initially written in September 2010, however has been up to date in July 2024 to supply extra up-to-date info.


Lisa Marie Fletcher is a mother of 5 with 15+ years of homeschooling expertise. She began The Canadian Homeschooler in 2010 as a approach to help the homeschooling neighborhood in Canada.

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