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 tasks that cater to learners of all ages, bringing topics to life, fostering important pondering, and offering your kids with a deeper understanding of varied subjects. On this weblog publish, we’ll discover the NFB web site, spotlight some assets, and share recommendations on find out how to 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 in addition 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 gained hundreds of awards (together with 12 Oscars!) and has offered lots 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, however it 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 lots of the movies on the positioning with out an account, a common account is free. In order for you, it’s additionally obtainable as an app for a lot of totally different units akin to Google, Android, Apple, and Roku.

The house web page provides 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 technique to discover Canada.

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

• documentaries
• animation
• interactive
• schooling

and there’s an quick access 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 akin to the primary Chinese language ladies in Canada or the normal teachings of varied Indigenous communities. There are voices akin to ink makers, criminals, refugees, musicians, artists….

Animation

Anybody keep in mind the log drivers’ waltz?

Log Driver’s Waltz, John Weldon, offered by the Nationwide Movie Board of Canada

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

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

Interactive

On the time of this publish, there are 3 interactive items obtainable. These are cellular experiences, as a result of you should use the contact display with the intention to take part. Please notice – at the least one in all these might not be acceptable for youths because it has to do with sexuality, however I attempted the Neuroflowers app and it was fascinating: a superb message about difficult your mind – mixed with fairly vocals, artwork, and a sport that was a flower-like model of the reminiscence sport Simon.

Training

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

There are additionally assets for skilled growth by means of recordings of varied displays on subjects akin to Asian historical past month and Earth Day.

This part too has interactive assets on a a lot wider number of subjects. 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 severe 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 perfect options of the academic part. These playlists have been curated based mostly on subjects and themes, collections of movies marked with what their really useful age vary is. Some subjects are: Canadian historical past and geography, the Prime Ministers of Canada, psychological well being, language and communication, indigenous narratives, variety, media literacy and extra.

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

The tutorial part additionally has its personal membership improve. It’s referred to as Campus and as a person person, the price is simply $39.99 a yr. This provides some unique content material – extra movies and examine guides – in addition to entry to their media college, which is an internet program which teaches digital storytelling.

A Couple of Reminders

• The precise content material on the positioning varies in model, format, voice, and audience. It appears that evidently a lot of the content material is secure for all viewers, and those which may have content material which is inappropriate for youthful viewers are marked with warnings, however it’s not assured.
• Please do not forget that simply because a video is animated, it’s not at all times kid-friendly.
• The NFB’s movies are typically very large of their views. It’s essential to do not forget that older movies might include content material that can require conversations about our views and understandings at present. There are additionally movies obtainable on the web site which could not be aligned with the values or opinions that you simply personally maintain or wish to expose your kids to.

Due to the above, I might 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 Items

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

Supplementary Instructional Materials

• Use NFB’s educator guides and lesson plans tailored to be just right for you in your homeschool as an alternative of a classroom setting – to enhance your classes.
  • If you’re learning Astronomy in science for center college, you’ll be able to watch the video sequence “North Star” after which observe 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 mild, 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 numerous subjects in Canadian and world historical past. This will help make imprecise ideas and experiences extra actual as a result of your kids can see issues as an alternative of simply imagining them.
• Create or use a Canadian historic timeline, noting key occasions, figures, and outcomes.
• Increase it farther by connecting the movies with associated historic fiction.

Inventive 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 brief movies based mostly on what they’ve realized.
• Have your college students create their very own tasks impressed by NFB’s movies, subjects, or interactive content material, encouraging creativity and software of data. This could possibly be an incredible 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 tasks, permitting college students to precise their understanding by means of artistic 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 clarify 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 provides some nice Indigenous views and experiences, for instance, which may supply an incredible change to study extra in regards to the variety and significance of our First Nations peoples.
• Evaluate NFB movies with different media sources, discussing variations in portrayal and perspective. It’s at all times essential to contemplate different factors of view on a selected subject so we will have a extra absolutely knowledgeable understanding.
• Join movies to present occasions and/or social points, discussing their relevance and affect on at present’s world. Focus on if older movies obtainable have any worth in at present’s world or if the views proven now totally different.
• Invite specialists or filmmakers for in-person or digital talks to offer deeper insights into the movie subjects or to study extra about filmmaking basically.

The Nationwide Movie Board is a superb useful resource for homeschoolers in Canada as a result of it gives so many movies on so many alternative subjects from so many voices and views. It may be a helpful instrument 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.