As an example, we'll use the Disney film "Cheetah," which is one of the movies on the Movie Reader program. At the beginning of this movie, two teenagers arrive in Kenya, where they join their parents who arrived a month earlier to set up their new home. The boy, Ted, has expectations of adventure and encounters with wild animals, while his protective mother hopes to keep him close to their safe, suburban-looking house. If the viewer does not understand the conflict that develops between Ted and his parents, the remainder of the film will make little sense. Thus, a teacher might have Movie Reader pause the movie, and ask the student to complete the "Drop Box," shown below.
The student attempts to match the goals with the characters who have them. In this variation of Drop Box, the characters have conflicting goals. After matching "wants to see exotic animals" with Ted, the student then must find the conflicting goal.
Continuing in this manner, the student explores potential conflicts between characters. Sophisticated viewers and readers continually engage in this process of interpreting characters, evaluating their goals and plans, and considering possible outcomes. Movie Reader's exercises are designed to assist the student in developing these same skills.
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