Movie Wednesday: The Wizard of Oz

Movie Wednesday Wizard of Oz

Dorothy lives a quiet life on her family’s farm in Kansas. She longs for adventure—and that’s exactly what she gets when a tornado sucks up her house and drops it into the Land of Oz!

With her little dog Toto, Dorothy meets a host of colorful characters: the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. Together they set off for the Emerald City home of the Wizard of Oz. Only he can grant their deepest wishes, and get Dorothy home. But can they escape the fearsome Wicked Witch of the West? And is the Wizard all that he seems?

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Adapted from the widely popular novel by L. Frank Baum, the Wizard of Oz was brought to the big screen in 1939. The film had a troubled production period. The script had many drafts by various writers and the production went through five different directors! Many of those writers and directors are not credited in the final film regardless of their contributions.

Despite all this and the fact that the film was initially considered a box office flop, the Wizard of Oz has gone on to become an iconic staple of American cinema. Notable for its juxtaposition of black and white film with bright outrageous technicolor, as well as its award winning score, the Wizard of Oz is widely considered a classic.

Discussion Questions

  • The film differs from the book in a number of ways (example: the ruby slippers were originally silver). Why do you think some of these changes were made?
  • The ending of the film, where the audience is told that the Land of Oz was just a dream, was added in because the studio felt that a 1939 audience wouldn’t accept Oz’s fantastical elements. How does this change the message of the film? Do you think it hurts or enhances the story? Explain.
  • One of the two Oscars the film won was for the song “Over the Rainbow.” What’s your favorite song in the movie and why?
  • The Wizard of Oz has a lot of memorable lines. Do you have a favorite? Why is it your favorite?
  • What do you think of the Wicked Witch of the West? Why do you think she might behave as she does?
  • If you found yourself in Oz, what would you do?

Additional Resources

DIY ruby slippers

How to make Wizard of Oz inspired bookmarks

DIY no sew Dorothy dress

Movie Discussion Club

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2017 Fall Class Registration is OPEN

Registration is OPEN for Brave Writer Online Classes

Brave Writer Online Classes provide a safe space for writing risks.

Fall Class Registration is OPEN

Today is our biggest online class registration event of the year. Our Arrow and Boomerang Book Clubs are open for registration as well. Spots fill quickly so don’t wait to sign up!

New to our online class registration day? I’ve got tips for you!

You will receive two email confirmations (one of payment and one showing your classes)

Charter School payments are collected later. Select “charter school” at the payment window to complete your registration. You will receive ONE receipt.

We’ve created an FAQ you can read too.

If you get stuck, contact us:

  • Use the live chat box on the website
  • Or email us at help@bravewriter.com (Put a clear subject line: “Payment didn’t go through” or “I can’t get past the ‘add a child’ page”)
  • We’ll get back to you as quickly as possible!

Register for Fall Writing Classes HERE

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Friday Freewrite: Fly on the Wall

Friday Freewrite

Have you heard the saying: “I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall”? Most people simply mean they wish they could have been a hidden observer. But what might that actually be like? Pick an event (historical or fictional or from your own life) and describe it from a pesky insect’s point of view.

New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.

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Reading the Writer’s Jungle

Reading the Writer's Jungle

Brave Writer mom, Jennifer, writes:

Julie,

Thank you so much for doing the [Writer’s Jungle] webinar. I was not able to participate live, but just finished watching the replay. I have owned a copy of The Writer’s Jungle for years but never got around to reading it or implementing it in our homeschool. Why was I hesitant? What was my fear? As a writer, I totally do all the things that you recommend. But as a teacher, I honestly felt it was too loosey-goosey for my teaching style. I wanted clear instructions to follow. I wanted step-by-step writing assignments. So instead of just doing something…I did nothing. (Ok…not nothing…we regularly do poetry tea time, read alouds, discuss books, observe writing, talk about words, read Shakespeare, watch Shakespeare, but I don’t feel that we write enough. After watching your webinar, perhaps I need to rethink that. 😉 )

One way to make sure I started doing more writing with my 12 year old son was to make myself accountable. I was approached by a couple of mothers in our music co-op about the need for a middle school writing class. After thinking it over, I agreed to put a class together. Next I had to decide what curriculum to use in my class. I pulled out my copy of The Writer’s Jungle and finally started reading it. After going through the first couple of chapters, I skipped to the Appendix where you map out a course of study for each level. This was exactly what I needed and didn’t realize was in there! I was able to easily pull together a semester’s worth of writing assignments and activities. Thank you for including that in the book. I only wished I’d known about it sooner. Hopefully others who watched the webinar won’t wait so long to implement your great ideas.

My class meets for 90 minutes once a week. I have 8 students including my son. We just finished our 4th week. We’re doing the eight week freewrite project. We’ve played the communication game (which they loved). We did limericks and tongue twisters. We did a keen observation exercise. They wrote lovely paragraphs about their pets full of amazing details. We had cupcakes and lemonade and tore apart Jabberwocky just yesterday. My son (and others) have said how much they enjoy the class. It is their favorite thing all week! But I cannot take credit for much of it because the ideas are all coming from your book and your blog. Thank you!

Thanks again for all that you do! What a blessing Brave Writer is to families everywhere.

All my best,
Jennifer

The Writer's Jungle

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Kidswrite Basic has a NEW Name

Kidswrite Basic is now The Writer's Jungle Online
Kidswrite Basic (our foundational class) has a new name—

The Writer’s Jungle Online

The content of this class is identical to Kidswrite Basic. The Writer’s Jungle Online covers the first nine chapters of The Writer’s Jungle manual providing you, the parent, with coaching, gentle accountability, and a space for your young writers to grow.

You do not need to purchase The Writer’s Jungle to participate. The information from the manual is provided to you in class. That said, if you have the manual and struggle to use it, this is a GREAT class to help you follow through on your best intentions for writing.

Why Take an Online Writing Class?

Great question!

Brave Writer is unique in the world of online writing classes. We focus on the writing voice of your child by giving personal, kind, supportive attention to each student.

Our instructors provide your children with the kind of reader responses that help your child to feel read not corrected. Not your “English teacher” margin notes: “Unclear” or “Awkward.” Rather, our instructors conduct a conversation with the student about the writing, sharing how the writing impacted them as readers.

Students will get comments like these (taken from one of our Writer’s Jungle Online classes):

I’m so excited to play with you in your world of sugar. I’ll suggest and comment, and when you decide you’re satisfied, you get to declare this one finished. Okay, off I go into your world! So, one thing to look for is an Opening Hook. Your first two sentences grab the reader. Your third sentence is where you might want to start to fiddle…

Our goal is to help students grow as writers—to learn how

  • to expand their ideas,
  • to enrich their content,
  • to polish their presentation of their viewpoint.

We respond to what they offer, we don’t correct it. That’s what makes this process pain-free and supportive rather than the “cling to your fragile ego by your fingernails” experience so often revision feedback can be.

Each writing class is designed for maximum writing support. Students get to read the writing of other students and the instructor interaction with everyone in the class. This creates a “writing workshop” environment where supporting one another and learning together is maximized.

Because all of the classes are conducted through writing (through posts), students learn to put their thoughts into writing naturally, easily. They discover that they do have things to say and they come ready to write those thoughts. Instructors bring their enthusiastic, happy, insightful energy to the students.

The result? Kids who find their writing voices and discover their own writing power!

We’ve got a wide variety of classes so be sure to check them out. If you need help selecting a class, drop us a line (help@bravewriter.com).

2017 Fall Writing Class Schedule

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