heartofdakota.com

Today, I let my boys watch an old movie called "John Smith and Pocohantas." It was based on more of the legend aspect of the story, yet it was very well done and my sons really enjoyed it. It really portrayed the time period well and helped bring it to life. I found it on Netflix. I am finding that once or twice a week if I find a movie that correlates with their unit lessons, it really helps to cement the learning. There are a wide variety of movies and documentaries on these various subjects that you all might enjoy. Just wanted to share that!

Bless you today!

Oh, we just finished this unit! Thanks for sharing!

What unit are you on ....we just started today in Bigger so want to mark this down to remember it when we get there! Beth in Idaho

This would be for Unit 4. I looked it up on netflix and some are saying that the stereotyping is awful. I haven't seen it, so I can't say either way. I added it to our queue though.

Well, with it being an older film like it is, there are obviously some stereotypes going to happen. But overall, I personally found it helpful in just helping my sons to relate more to the time period by seeing the surroundings, etc. It does express that it is a movie based on the "legend" of Pocohantas and Smith, so it is glamorized. Yet, all in all my boys enjoyed watching it. The John Smith character was quite like I feel he would have been in real life actually. Very bold and manly!

Bummer, we canceled our netflix. I wonder if our movie rental place has it...

We are on this unit this week, and have been reading Pocahontas and the Strangers by Clyde Robert Bulla. We are LOVING this! Can't wait to finish the book, so we've been reading extra chapters. Then once we finish, probably on Friday, we will watch a movie I checked out from the library. It's called The New World and we can't wait to see it!!! Looks great! It's rated PG13 for Intense Battle Scenes, so parents will need to use their own discretion. The reviews are great, so we are really looking forward to watch it, since we've enjoyed reading about Pocahontas and John Smith so much.

Here is the synopsis:
The New World is an epic adventure set amid the encounter of European and Native American cultures during the founding of the Jamestown settlement in 1607. Inspired by the legend of John Smith and Pocahontas, acclaimed filmmaker Terrence Malick transforms this classic story into a sweeping exploration of love, loss and discovery, both a celebration and an elegy of the America that was…and the America that was yet to come. Against the dramatic and historically rich backdrop of a pristine Eden inhabited by a great native civilization, Malick has set a dramatized tale of two strong-willed characters, a passionate and noble young native woman and an ambitious soldier of fortune who find themselves torn between the undeniable requirements of civic duty and the inescapable demands of the heart.

ETA: Well, we watched The New World. Not as great as it looked. We were all pretty bored by it. But, we did watch a great one we borrowed from the library. It was The New World: Nightmare in Jamestown by National Geographic We all really liked that one.