A heartwarming animation about a tree house and the kids who love it.
Teaching Ideas and Resources:
English
The tree house in the film is a good example of anthropomorphism. Discuss the ways in which the film gives the tree house human characteristics. Collect vocabulary to describe it.
The title of the film is a play on words. Why do you think it was chosen? Can you think of an alternative title for the film.
Make a comparison chart, comparing the two settings.
Write some reasons why the family has to move.
The photos are the beginning of the film tell the story of how Jimmy built the tree house. Write a description of how he built it.
Stop the film at various points (for example 0:33, 2:40, 3:28) How is Jimmy feeling? Use a line graph to show how emotions change throughout the film.
Why does Jimmy leave the hat behind? Why does the house follow him with the hat? Discuss as a class and write some responses.
Write a news report about the house walking down the street.
Write a set of instructions showing how to build a tree house.
Look at the language used in estate agents adverts and write an advert for the house and tree house.
Write the story from the point of view of the girl.
Watch Home Sweet Home and look for similarities and differences.
Science
Why is wood good for building? What are the drawbacks? Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages and compare to other building materials such as brick.
Computing
Use pivot animator or a similar program to make a simple animation of a moving house.
Look at the artist’s ideas for the film. Create your own character in the same way. Build up an idea from a sketch to a finished painting and display side by side.
Create a storyboard for the film.
Music
Explore wooden instruments. Compare the sounds of different ones. e.g. xylophone, claves etc. Play a listening game. The children look away, an instrument is played, which one is it?
Compose something only using wooden instruments. How does it sound? If you could add one non-wooden sound to the piece, what would you choose?
Geography
Investigate the differences between rural and urban areas. Collect vocabulary and write some definitions.
PSHE
What makes a place special? Which places are special to you?
Have you ever moved house? How did it make you feel?
today!
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