Film, Faith, and Teaching Ideas

(Resource Pack  51 )                                                                                                                                                     KEY  STAGE 2

Author: Karenza Passmore from the North East Religious Resource Centre, who explores Creation and the nature of God using the movie: The Snowman

What does it mean to create something? Show the film from the moment when the boy wakes up to find it has been snowing~ until the point where the snowman is complete and he goes to bed…

Will they spot?

• Creation from nothing- a blank sheet of snow

• The boy can use the snow to create, for evil (breaking the window) or for good, (the snowman)

• The time and effort the boy invests in his creation.

• The fact that he makes the snowman into a shape that is not exactly like him, but in his image.

• The use of his own clothes and materials from his family to give the snowman an identity and a character.

• The boy’s satisfaction at what he has made. (and it was good)

• The personal investment he makes in his creature

HOW DO YOU THINK THE BOY FEELS ABOUT HIS CREATION?

What is God like and what do we expect from a relationship with Him?

Show the rest of the film (or selected highlights, concentrating on the journey to the Northern lights, the fun they have together, and the death of the snowman.)

What relationship does the boy have with his creation- is he absent/dominant or something completely different? How would you describe the snowman’s feelings towards the boy? How do you know?

What are the risks in such a relationship- after all the boy allowed his creation to melt away…was that a good thing to do- or should he have tried to keep the snowman alive, and if so what implications would this have for both of them?

These are just some of the things we explored-I am sure there are a lot more!