High

ELA (X) - High (X) - English (X)

Shakespeare in Our Time

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This award-winning film introduces students to Shakespeare and his time. Featuring excerpts from more than 30 Shakespeare films and theatrical productions, it presents historical and literary background in an irresistibly enjoyable way.

Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
00:25
Shakespeare in Our Time

Lord of the Flies

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Under the direction of Peter Brook, William Golding's fable about a swarm of young boys who, without adult supervision, devolve into chaos after crash-landing on a remote island during wartime becomes an unforgettable vision of cinematic horror. Shot with almost vérité camera work, Lord of the Flies takes a radical approach to Golding's allegory, grounding it in a terrifying reality.

Director: 
Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
01:30
Lord of the Flies

Dragon of the Lost Sea

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Copies: 5

The outlawed princess of the Dragon Clan and her young human companion undergo fearsome trials in their quest for an evil enchantress. ‘Dramatic tension stays high. Weaves Chinese legend into an exciting tapestry of myth and folklore.’ —BL.
Notable Children's Books of 1982 (ALA)
100 Favorite Paperbacks of 1989 (IRA/CBC)

Author: 
Lexile: 
890L
Dragon of the Lost Sea

Redwall

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Copies: 5

Welcome to Mossflower Wood, where the gentle mice have gathered to celebrate a year of peace and abundance. All is well...until a sinister shadow falls across the ancient stone abbey of Redwall. It is rumored that Cluny is coming--Cluny, the terrible one-eyed rat and his savage horde--Cluny, who has vowed to conquer Redwall Abbey! The only hope for the besieged mice lies in the lost sword of the legendary Martin the Warrior. And so begins the epic quest of a bumbling young apprentice--a courageous mouse who would rise up, fight back...and become a legend himself.

Author: 
Lexile: 
800L
Redwall

The Hobbit

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Copies: 5

Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit who wanted to be left alone in quiet comfort. But the wizard Gandalf came along with a band of homeless dwarves. Soon Bilbo was drawn into their quest facing evil orcs, savage wolves, giant spiders, and worse unknown dangers. Finally, it was Bilbo--alone and unaided--who had to confront the great dragon Smaug, the terror of an entire countryside!

Lexile: 
1000L
The Hobbit

Tuck Everlasting

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Walt Disney Pictures' Tuck Everlasting, a timeless and enchanting adventure about one girl's magical summer, will captivate audiences of any age. Young Winnie Foster, stifled by the formality of her proper life and domineering mother, escapes into the woods only to get lost. Soon she happens upon Jesse Tuck—a boy full of life and adventure who's unlike anyone she's ever met—and falls in love. The Tucks, a kind and generous family, have a powerful secret — a spring that holds the magic of everlasting life.

Director: 
Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
01:30
Tuck Everlasting

Fahrenheit 451

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Ray Bradbury's best-selling science fiction masterpiece about a future without books takes on a chillingly realistic dimension in this film classic directed by one of the most important screen innovators of all time, the late Francois Truffaut. Julie Christie stars in the challenging dual role of Oskar Werner's pleasure-seeking conformist wife, Linda, and his rebellious, book-collecting mistress, Clarisse.

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
01:53
Fahrenheit 451

The Monkey's Paw

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From director Ricky Lewis, Jr. comes an old fashioned ghost story full of Gothic atmosphere that will chill you to the bone. In England of 1936, a family takes possession of a mystical talisman said to grant the bearer three wishes, but the wishes they ask bring terror and tragedy upon their lives. Based on the famous short story by W.W. Jacobs, it's an epic and horrifying tale that moves from the darkest jungle of India to the fog shrouded Moors with the warning that fate isn't to be tampered with.

Director: 
Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
00:29
The Monkey's Paw

The Bronte Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne

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Copies: 7

The Bronte sisters were the most extraordinary of literary siblings. In the nineteenth century, when women were discouraged from writing and publishing books, all three produced one or more novels now considered masterpieces. In "The Bronte Sisters," award-winning author Catherine Reef explores the turbulent lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne and offers insights into their passionate and timeless work.

Lexile: 
1080L
The Bronte Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne

The Breadwinner

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Copies: 5

Parvana felt the shadow before she saw it, as the man moved between her and the sun. Turning her head, she saw the dark turban that was the uniform of the Taliban. A rifle was slung across his chest as casually as her father's shoulder bag had been slung across hers...

The Talib kept looking down at her. Then he put his hand inside his vest. Keeping his eyes on Parvana, he drew something out of his vest pocket.

Parvana was about to squish her eyes shut and wait to be shot when she saw that the Talib had taken out a letter.

He sat down beside her on the blanket.

Author: 
Lexile: 
630L
The Breadwinner

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793

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Copies: 1

It's 1793, and there's an invisible killer roaming the streets of Philadelphia. The city's residents are fleeing in fear. This killer has a name—yellow fever—but everything else about it is a mystery. Its cause is unknown, and there is no cure.

Author: 
Lexile: 
1130L

How the Beatles Changed the World

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Copies: 7

Fifty years after the Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, it remains the most-watched television event in history. When the Beatles burst onto the scene, they charmed the public with their mop-top haircuts, their playful wit, and their sweetly romantic rock songs—igniting Beatlemania, an intense fandom unlike any before.

Lexile: 
1160L
How the Beatles Changed the World

Freedom Summer: The 1964 Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi

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Copies: 7

In 1964, Mississippi civil rights groups banded together to fight Jim Crow laws in a state where only 6.4 percent of eligible black voters were registered. Testing a bold new strategy, they recruited students from across the United States. That summer these young volunteers defied segregation by living with local black hosts, opening Freedom Schools to educate disenfranchised adults and their children, and canvassing door-to-door to register voters.

Lexile: 
980L
Freedom Summer: The 1964 Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi

The Story of Buildings

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Copies: 7

We spend most of our lives in buildings. We make our homes in them, go to school in them, and work in them. We're surrounded by buildings practically every moment of our lives! But why and how did people start making buildings? How did they learn to make them stronger, bigger, and more comfortable? And why did they start to decorate them in different ways?

Lexile: 
1060L
The Story of Buildings

Macbeth

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Following a London West End run in December 2007 and a sold-out limited engagement at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in March 2008, Shakespeare's "Scottish play" went on to enthrall Broadway audiences yet again with a gripping production starring Sir Patrick Stewart in a triumphant, Tony®-nominated performance. Originating at England's innovative Chichester Festival Theatre, director Rupert Goold's cinematic re-interpretation of his stage production also stars the Tony®-nominated Kate Fleetwood as Lady Macbeth.

Director: 
Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
03:00
Macbeth

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