Around the Kitchen Table: Les Miserables

Zeezok Publishing http://www.zeezok.com/ by Tim Spickler CD or E-book -$12.95 Movie is not included Zeezok Publishing has developed a series of movie guides designed to help integrate films into the study of history. I received a copy of their Z-guide for Les Miserables to use in exchange for my honest opinion of their product. The study guide is available on a CD or as an e-book, which contains a printable pdf file. The 35 page Z-guide includes a summary of the movie and ten activities to enhance an in depth study of the movie and a complete answer key. Included in the activities are review questions, a crossword puzzle, family discussion questions and a variety of other activities to aid in the exploration of the movies themes. The study is set up to be completed in five days, but it can be adjusted to meet individual schedules. The activities can be used in any order and allow you to customize the study to meet your families needs. The Les Miserables Z-Guide is geared towards high school age students and is a wonderful addition to the study of 19th century France. The guide is used in conjunction with the 1998-Columbia Pictures version of the movie. This adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel of forgiveness and redemption, stars Liam Neeson as Jean Valjean, an ex-con who is trying desperately to live a decent life. Geoffrey Rush, co-stars as Javert, the inspector who has no intentions of letting Valjean escape his past. The movie deals with themes of love, forgiveness, mercy, the consequences of a vengeful spirit, random acts of kindness and parenting. The movie is rated PG-13 and has a run time of 2 hours and 14 minutes. I used the Les Miserables Z-Guide with Kaela, my 10th grade daughter. We both thoroughly enjoyed the movie and eagerly completed the study guide. We especially enjoyed the movie review questions. However, we completed this activity after watching the movie instead of during the movie as suggested by the guide. I found the activities to be thought provoking. and conducive to analyzing the main characters of the movie. This was a pleasant change from our normal history studies. I plan to include additional movie studies into our curriculum in the future. Zeezok Publishers has several other movie guides including: