Using Short Films in High School Speech and Language Therapy

Do you remember the feeling when your teacher rolled in a TV and a VHS player and said you were going to watch a movie in class that day? Remember how excited you were? Well, our students feel that same burst of excitement when we tell them we are going to watch a short film in therapy. We love using short films for how versatile they are; with one short film, you can target so many goals! Best of all, our students are engaged and always ask for more.

Here are some more reasons why we LOVE using short films in therapy:

They are engaging – Our students are more engaged with short films than a text. They are constantly tuned into their phones, TikTok videos, and SnapChat videos – so why not cater to their interests by watching a video?
They are FREE! Youtube, TedEd, EdPuzzle – all are free! There are thousands of videos to choose from!
We can target a huge variety of speech and language goals. One video can target a variety of goals, and activities can be easily differentiated.
Many students benefit from visual input and are visual learners. Short films are perfect for these types of learners.
Simple to use – just share your screen if using during remote learning or if you’re in the classroom, simply turn your computer around or project on a Smart Board or with a projector.
FUN! Yes, even for older students!! Many of us might think that short, animated films are more appropriate for younger students, however this is not true at all! Our high school students love short, animated films and get a lot out of them. There is always a theme or message that can apply to older students, no matter the film.

Here are some goals we’ve targeted using short films:

Inference
Predictions
Social Skills
Problem solving
Narrative Retell
Comprehension
Writing (sentences, paragraphs, essays)
Summarizing
Theme/Message
Figurative Language
Oral Language
Sequencing
Note-taking
Perspective Taking i.e. What are they thinking?
Characterization
And sooo much more!

How do we use short films in our sessions?

There are many ways to use short films in therapy sessions. This is why we love using them! Oftentimes, one short film can last 2 or 3 sessions depending on the type of activities we use. If we are using our Short Film Extension Packet, the packet could potentially take a few weeks!

Our sessions typically look like the following:

Do now/Activate prior knowledge- we provide a thought provoking question related to the topic or the film. Discuss answers using oral language strategies and visuals.
Introduce the film and strategy we will be using.
Watch film once straight through.
Discuss film, ask basic recall questions to assess for understanding.
Provide a graphic organizer for the goal we’re targeting.
Watch the film again, stopping this time to discuss and provide an opportunity to complete the graphic organizer if needed.
Independent work – students finish graphic organizer or apply graphic organizer to an additional activity (i.e. use graphic organizer to write a paragraph).
Share out work, discuss as a group.
Optional exit ticket – check in, refresh strategy, make sure students understand what they were working on.

Our favorite short films:

Purl
The Present
Bao
Glued
Float
Last Shot
Mariza
Loop
Miles to Fly
Pip
Coin Operated
Mr. Indifferent
Snack Attack
TED Ed The Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep

We love using our short films extension packet as a companion to short films in our sessions. The packet provides many mini-lessons based on one short film. We have the students interpret a given quote and relate it back to the short film, identify the literary elements found within the film, complete an inferencing chart, work on perspective taking, and so much more!

As you can see, short films can be used in various creative ways throughout your speech and language sessions with any group of students. Check out our Short Films Extension Packet and give short films a try in your sessions – your students will thank you!