Topic: Mental and Emotional Health
Grade: 6-8
Documentary
Title: “Are the kids alright?”
Producer: Ellen Spiro and Karen Bernstein
Running Time: 58 minutes
Year: 2004
Rating: PG-13
Description:
Film maker Ellen Spiro creates a documentary exploring the decline of mental health services to youth and children at risk in the Texas area. Ellen shares her access to troubled children and their families, as well as her experience in correctional facilities, judicial, and psychiatric areas as well. This documentary follows several different families and shares the results of the decline of mental health services that are available to youth, especially youth who desperately need it.
Review:
The documentary took us on an inside look into families who are struggling to find the support they need to help their child who has a mental illness. The film highlights Cesar’s family, Antonia’s family, and Jeremy’s family. Each troubled youth is suffering from a mental illness, were they are endangering themselves or their families. Either treatment coast is too high, or there is not enough availability we look at the families struggle to find a solution. There is not a treatment bed for Cesar who is threatening to kill himself, Antonia attempts to cut her wrists, and overdose when her mother refuse to visit her, and Jeremy has threatened to kill his stepmother and has injured his younger brother but the family cannot afford a psychiatric facility. This film I thought highlights so very well an issue that gets swept under the rug, availability for mental health treatment to troubled youth should be an issue we need to pay more attention to.
Snippet: For now, I could not find a snippet to embed right here for you I had to download the film off some website to watch because there is not snippet or even a trailer on YouTube right now. For the blog post I will make sure I am able to find a snippet of the film.
Core Integration:
For this core integration assignment I would love to have a whole class discussion about the film and after I advise them to take notes while watching the film so their actively engaged. Discussion would include what they liked, or disliked about the film, what did they take away from the film, and why is having mental health services to troubled youth important. After the discussion I would advise them I would like a short essay about the film answering the question why there should be mental health services available to youth, especially troubled youth. Using examples from the film, and a little research online using some sort of statistics, I would want them to use writing and explaining, to support their answer and essay. Writing is a good way to express ideas and I think this assignment would also be good for the students who may not want to participate in the whole class discussion but would rather put their ideas on paper.
Core Standards:
CCSS: ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
CCSS: ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.1A
Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
CCSS: ELA-LITERACY.SL..7.4
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
Standards: NHES 3: Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid information, products, and services to enhance health.
H1. So6.7a: Identify different emotional and mental and behavioral health disorders”
HBO: Get help for troublesome thoughts, feelings, or actions for oneself and others.
Popular Film:
Black swan
Year: 2010
Producer: Mike Madevory, Arnold Messer, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin
Running Time: 108 minutes
Rating: Rated-R
Description:
This movie is about an inside look into a stressed, and mentally ill ballerina. Nina Sayers who is a 28-year-old dancer with the New York city ballerina company. The movie takes us on a journey through Nina’s life as she competes to become the best dancer. Nina hallucinates and is constantly worried about not being the best, as her competitor lily is always ready to step up and play her role as the black swan. The movie looks at the stress Nina is under and shows us wat pressure can do to someone who is struggling to stay afloat.
Review:
I think the film beautifully portrayed mental illness as a progressive thing. First, we see Nina being sexually assaulted at the beginning of the fil by Thomas the lead producer of the dance, she then gets the role, but things spiral out of control. Nina starts hallucinating about sex, killing herself, hurting herself, and fighting others. She starts to feel immense pressure to be perfect, so her backup star Lily doesn’t take her place. After countless attempts by her mother to not perform that night, Nina goes on stage an gives a flawless performance. Her hallucinations become so bad she ends up stabbing Lily, hiding the body, and ends up stabbing herself as well. This movie shows progressive mental illness how bad it can get, if you do not get help immediately.
Snippet:
This scene perfectly portrays how immense pressure Nina is under, she ends up killing Lily in the end but this scene I would want people to watch, because Nina is cracking under pressure easily.
Core integration:
For this I would allow the students to do a “follow up assignment” this would be a type of worksheet with a follow up discussion. Some questions on the worksheet would be to “describe a time you felt immense pressure like Nina” “what is one-way Nina could of handled her stress in a healthy way” “describe one-way you could handle stress in a healthy way that works for you”. The class could then have a discussion describing times, or things that make them feel stressed, and anxious, then we could discuss healthy ways on how to handle stress and pressure, and what to know if it gets bad. This would follow the discussion common core standards from above.
Standards:
NHES 1: Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks.
H4. So6.7: “Demonstrate supportive responses to people who may be experiencing mental and behavioral health disorders”
HBO: Prevent and manage emotional stress and anxiety in healthy ways.