To think this is stupid in an English lesson in year 7?

[justmeandmeandonlyme]

My daughter who is 11 years old in year 7 has told me she has been watching hunger games in her English lesson. She said she was nearly crying because of the people dying in it ( I have watched the full series Of hunger games Myself) and she thought it was real.. she is only 11 bad doesn’t watch things like that at home. But am I being unreasonable to think this is not even remotely educational in an english lesson??? I just don’t see how watching a film like that is going to teach kids anything apart from how to sit and cry at a film?

Shih

It does have limits but they're wide. Check the link for more.

Interesting reading. Last year I taught my Y8 class Woman in Black,
after we had studied the novel I showed them the film, but first I sent letters home so any sensitive children could be withdrawn. Some films can frighten/upset and it is easier to say your parents won't let you than admit to being scared in front of the class. Four chose to read in the Llibrary and the rest thoroughly enjoyed screaming through the film!

At least it wasn't Battle Royale. Suzanne Collins pretty much lifted The Hunger Games from that and put it in a dystopian American setting rather than a Japanese one. But Battle Royale is both more intense and pretty obscure so most don't notice. It's brilliant though for those who like dystopias.
With regard to the OP, I was a sensitive 11 yo and the realism of some films gave me nightmares for weeks. I still think they were worth watching and analysing.

DS1 read all the HG books and then watched the films with me in Y5/6. We did read them together at bedtime, so I could discuss things with him as we read, but as it was he wasn't disturbed by any of it. He read 1984 over the summer after finishing Y6 and loved it and he's a big Dystopian fiction fan. The only things he's ever read that upset him were novels based on reality - The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas upset him a bit as 'that stuff really happened' (he's currently reevaluating 1984 every time he watches the news and now suspects it was not fiction at all).

I wouldn't be upset at all if he watched HG or similar in school (he's in Y7 now). Battle Royale, maybe! As for the curriculum being full of depressing books, we read stuff like Of Mice and Men, In Cold Blood, Romeo and Juliet and Jude the Obscure (still my choice for most depressing book ever!) 25 years ago.

" Films classified 12A and video works classified 12 contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child. To help them decide, we recommend that they check the BBFCinsight for that film in advance. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a 12 rated video work. "

can I please repeat, 12 and 12 A are THE SAME THING. The 12 A rating is used for cinema, and is primarily so the cinemas don't have to police the 12 films, if an adult is there, it is up to the adult.

I have dc is 2 different seceondary schools, and both schools would send an email home saying, we plan to watch this next week, in context of our curriculum. If you have a concern please email Mr/Ms XXX by Friday.

That way the parent has the choice, and if you have a particularly sensitive child (or, as in a case I know, a child who had recently returned from a country at war, and parents didn't feel they wanted them to watch a war film at school) then you as the parent can make a choice.

I do think HG is fine for year 7, mine both read it in year 6, but I have always been strict about rating for film/TV, and they didn't see any 12A films until they started year 7.
In fact in year 7 ds had a sleepover and I checked with parents that they were ok with us watching a 12 film, as not all boys were 12.

As a retired English teacher (whose students achieved excellent test and exam results) I think The Hunger Games (films/books) is likely to be part of a quite sophisticated teaching 'module' re dystopias in literature. Lots of esteemed examples. My kids are finished school long ago-but I'd have been impressed coming across this. And
surely this particular dystopia-with its emphasis on sacrificing the young-strikes you as especially relevant?!

Oops. My dd read it in Year 6 so you might study it in Year 7. We had to give permission for her to watch age appropriate DVDs on a form when she joined. I'd be unhappy for her to watch a 12A at school but once she's 12, I've basically said its ok in advance. I wonder if the teacher thought it was a PG? You probably do need to speak to the Head about it.

@ifailed what is a 12A version? What do they delete???

If a 12 and a 12a is the same, why do cinemas differentiate?

She’s not heard of the hunger games or anything like that. You have to remember my child only just left primary school

I work in year 6 and would be very surprised if any of our children haven't heard of THG. I'm sure a significant number have read the books and some will have seen the films. We usually have a few Katniss Everdeens on World Book Day.

My ds was shown hunger games in year 6, apparently for an English lesson too. He was terrified. Completely inappropriate for 10/11 yo’s! I believe it was purely for the teachers’ entertainment 🤔 who incidentally, was a twat!

A great film and lots of different tasks can be done from this. The curriculum is going through many changes, one of them being trying to make lessons more engaging for the growing number of children that have attention problems.
If it was shown as an end of term treat, after 7 weeks back at school I really wouldn't blame the teacher. Unless you've done the job yourself, it is easy to critique teachers about many things.

OP, sorry if I've missed this in your posts, but have you actually asked your DD or her teacher why this was shown in class and what made it relevant? You seem quite certain that it isn't educational yet don't seem to have asked for the context in which it was shown. Once again, sorry if you have and I've missed it.

Many children can cope with much harder hitting material in book form than in film form. My dD is 7 and she is very sensitive to film, they have been watching something called Spywatch at school and she hates it. But she doesn't get so bothered by books.

12 means a child under 12 can not see it. 12A means children under 12 can only see it with an adult present.

English always deals with challenging issues. If you google recommended texts for English Year 7, a lot of challenging texts come up.

12 means a child under 12 can not see it. 12A means children under 12 can only see it with an adult present.

No it doesn't!! 12 is videos and downloading, 12a is cinema. It means children under 12 may want an adult present.

Yes you are right. The BBFC says:

Films classified 12A and video works classified 12 contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child. To help them decide, we recommend that they check the BBFCinsight for that film in advance. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a 12 rated video work

So it means you can watch both with an adult present.

thank god she didn't get to see a Shakespeare play she would have passed out or thrown up.
I think you need to sit down and talk to her and ask her what she found so distressing and explain how its all fake and its created with computers and some really really talented people oh and the blood is usually made out of corn syrup, looks real but is really sticky

I don't think it's even about whether it's suitable for a child her age. I would not want my daughter watching it next year (she us now 10). If it could be really upsetting for a child, because of violence or cruel scenes, then I think it's inappropriate to put it on in a classroom. I agree that children need to be aware of things that are upsetting as they grow older, but when a child is ready. Some children are more sensitive and empathic than others. Finding something sad is one thing, but being unable to sleep at night and unable to get images out if their heads which they find disturbing is another and not appropriate. If I think a film comes into the latter category with either of my DCs I woukd not want them to watch it.

Dd watched 15 minutes of clips to start a discussion about survival. She's doing some writing on it for homework. Certainly didn't watch the whole movie.

Many Y5,6,7 children may well have watched the films but that doesn't mean everyone has to think it's ok or suitable. At this age they should still be children. I don't understand or agree with trying to make childfen grow up too soon. There are plenty of more suitable films for this age. Plenty of time to be grown up later.

Agree with you totally Ricotta. Too often I hear people (including teachers) say things like "well kids watch much worse than that at home". Well, mine don't. Just because some kids go upstairs to their personal screens and watch all sorts, the boundaries are then pushed for all of them.

Back in 1976 , when I was in Year 7 ( or 1st year, as it was known then) we read The Silver Sword, which was about WW2, set in Poland. There were some moments of peril, and it was very sad in parts. We didn't have the luxury of being able to watch films in class. We also read Lord of the Flies..
At 11-12 years old you should be able to separate fact from fiction, and be resilient enough to cope with some uncomfortable concepts.. being sheltered from these things isn't going to help them when they're older,

Did they actually watch the whole film, or just clips of key moments?