Blog #346: Top 10 Books/Movies for Special Education English Classes (Part 2)

As promised, we are now going to move onto the top half of this list on book/movies for special education English classes. Again a reminder that if you have a book/movie combo that should be on the list, please let me know. Now, on with the countdown!!

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#5: “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson

Let’s face it that we all love a good adventure story now and again and no adventure would rank higher than a good old fashioned treasure hunt. But the ones who we would most likely rank in that category are pirates who sailed the seas, seeking for treasure in the glory days of the Caribbean.

Now the reason I put “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson on this list was because in today’s world, a lot of special education students have a lack of understanding about the dangers of evil and they will often associate the word “pirates” with something else, like these pirates. But most importantly, “Treasure Island” is about building trust with someone who will often use your trust to obtain their own goals. The one we build trust with is the one who we look up to and while Long John Silver treats Jim Hawkins like his own son, he is really just using him to get to buried treasure.

Many of us out there tend to be naive about who some people really are and by the time we discover the true intentions of someone, it will already be too late. By reading “Treasure Island,” special education students can gain somewhat of an understanding of what life is like beyond walls of their classroom while also getting in some excitement to break the tension.

For film adaptations of “Treasure Island,” I would recommend either the 1950 film version starring Robert Newton as Long John Silver and Bobby Driscoll (Peter Pan) as Jim Hawkins or the 1996 version starring Tim Curry as Long John Silver and the Muppets. They are both made by Disney, so you can expect family friendly entertainment to show your students.

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#4: “The Outsiders” by SE Hinton

Let’s be real…everybody loves the story of an underdog, right? Picture yourselves in the 1960s in Oklahoma, you have no family and the only ones you can rely on are the others who live with you. You come from the wrong side of the tracks and your enemies have more money and a much better appearance than you. You are called a Greaser and your enemy is called a Soc.

“The Outsiders” by SE Hinton covers many areas such as class, wealth and backgrounds while also teaching about survival, danger and loss, all lessons that many of us out there will need to learn in life. Having read this novel in 8th grade, “The Outsiders,” teaches the audience that sometimes our actions can send us down a path that is a reflection of who we are as people.

The main protagonist, Ponyboy, is a member of the “Greasers,” who doesn’t want to look for trouble. However, he is thrusted into the spotlight after he kills a member of the rival group, Socs while defending his friend Johnny Cade. This can teach the lesson that actions have consequences and can result in a chain of events that will require at least some sacrifice and tragedy.

Now, I want to be clear that when you hear the word Greaser, you may think of Bowser of Sha Na Na, who would always close out his band’s variety show with the words, “Grease for Peace.” But there is always a deeper meaning for some words and “The Outsiders” shows that meaning. Being a greaser isn’t cool, it’s all about surviving challenges the same way as everyone else.

As for the 1983 film version, all I can say is, “Wow.” This adaptation really hits deep in multiple areas from the all star casting such as C. Thomas Howell as Ponyboy, Matt Dillion (Tex) as Dally, Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid) as Johnny Cade, Emilo Estevez (Maximum Overdrive, The Mighty Ducks), Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise (Top Gun, Mission Impossible), Patrick Swazye (Dirty Dancing) and Diane Lane to the direction by Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather) and Stevie Wonder singing the title song, “Stay Gold.”

All I can say is that your students are in for something when they read this novel.

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#3: “Shoeless Joe” by WP Kinsella

“If you build it…they will come.”

This quote has resonated with aspiring dreamers and seekers for almost 35 years whether they be in baseball, business or any other venture. “Shoeless Joe” by WP Kinsella covers very many themes such as banned writings and believing in someone where that someone has given up on life because of the changing times in the case of Terrance Mann, whose books were banned by schools.

You might also say that “Shoeless Joe” is sort of like a young adult version of “Horton Hears a Who!” from Dr. Seuss because Ray’s revelation that he saw Shoeless Joe’s ghost is ignored by his brother-in-law who would much rather convince him to sell the farm. This is often very true in our society on account that some people will accuse you for being crazy and believing in fairy tales. In a way, fairy tales and tall tales are the common theme of this novel because people believe that creating a baseball field in a cornfield is only a dreamer’s dream and can never be made.

“Shoeless Joe” can also serve as a model for aspiring special education students seeking to go into sports or special Olympics to prove their doubters wrong. Also, don’t play a sport that you are not going to be happy at playing. Just playing to have fun is good enough.

The 1989 adaptation of this novel, named “Field of Dreams,” is largely inspired by the novel although they had some slight changes and alterations made. The cast is top notch with Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta and Burt Lancaster (in his final film). Plus, there are some scenes that I couldn’t stop laughing at particularly the crowbar scene where Ray Kinsella breaks into Terrance Mann’s apartment.

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#2: “Mary Poppins” book series by PL Travers

Moving onto the top 2 spots on the list, I want to cover a series of books written during the 1930s that many people may know because of the film adaptation of which I will discuss more in a sec. But the “Mary Poppins” book series teaches lessons through the eyes of Mary Poppins herself who flies in to take the Banks children, Jane and Michael, on a series of adventures. But most importantly, it’s about Mary Poppins watching the children of the Banks Family grow up as the years go back while also ensuring that the children live like children.

And that’s the whole point of teaching special education students that life will go on and our childhood will end at some point. Yes, there will be the time when we have to grow up and act like adults, but it doesn’t have to be right away.

When you look at the legendary 1964 Disney Adaptation, the focus switches from the children to the father, George Banks. In this version, Mary Poppins is really more of a teacher, than a nanny, trying to teach the children how to be there for George, who hides all his problems in his job at the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank without telling anyone.

In a way, both the book and film versions can bring a strong message that we all tend to forget what it is like to have the child in all of us. Plus, we also learn that the path we take as adults can be a deadly path if we don’t have intervention.

Speaking of the 1964 version, sure it takes bits and pieces from the books, but it’s a very good puzzle that was put together into a classic. The cast is legendary with Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins, Dick Van Dyke as Bert, David Tomlinson as Mr. Banks, Glynis Johns as Mrs. Banks, Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber as Jane and Michael Banks along with Ed Wynn and Jane Darwell. The music is top notch with my personal favorite being “Feed the Birds.” Trust me, you are in for a classic when all is said and done.

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#1: “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum

I want to apologize in advance if I am biased because this was a selection that is universally known and ideal for special education students. “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum is a story of what happens where we are tired of our mundane lives and want to go somewhere over the rainbow. That’s who Dorothy Gale is, a girl that wants to escape her mundane life and go over the rainbow. Most special education students will want to be just like Dorothy but there is also the matter of being careful what you wish for because pretty soon, you’ll be wanting to go back home.

For the other characters, they sort of go through their own character developments such as the Scarecrow getting his brain (wisdom), the Tin Man getting his heart (feelings) and the Cowardly Lion getting his courage (bravery). We tend to seek for something that we seem to already have in front of us all along and this is something that I have personally had to go through in finding my identity as a writer and speaker.

I thought doing brony and fan conventions was the way to go, but it wasn’t my destiny. Speaking to families, educators and employers about being neurodivergent and all the challenges I faced…that’s my destiny and it’s something that I had all along.

The 1939 film version of “The Wizard of Oz,” well, everybody knows it by now: it’s got a legendary cast in Judy Garland as Dorothy, Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Billie Burke as Glinda, Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West and Frank Morgan as the Wizard of Oz. The songs are legendary including “Over the Rainbow,” and your special education students will either relive the magic from their classroom for the first time or they will take another trip to the land of Oz from their classroom. The possibilities are endless!!

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Well, that will wrap up this two parter. Stay tuned, as I look to do another series of lists over the summer as I continue to help special education and general education teachers get ready for the 2023-2024 school year!!

Catch you all later!!

#Diversity #Disability #Neurodiversity #Equality #SpecialEducation #Autism #Education #Inclusion