Trolls, a family-friendly movie, follows Poppy, a cheerful and overly ambitious troll. When her friends are captured by the Bergens – miserable creatures who believe they must eat trolls to be happy) – Poppy ventures to rescue them. Aside from its fun and energetic nature, this film brings forth many prevalent and relatable themes, making it a great movie for students and educators to use as a hook for meaningful discussions, as it is evident that happiness is a powerful theme, driven by the characters' experiences with resiliency and friendship. Regardless of the many obstacles the characters face, they remain positive and persevere. Poppy's positivity and eager behaviour essentially saved her friends and taught the Bergens that true happiness comes from within, not from exterior or material things. Thus, the movie's key take-away is that happiness comes from one's positive relationships with themselves and those around them.
Key Takeaways from the Film:
· Role Models - From a young age, Poppy's father, King Peppy, was a positive role model for her as he demonstrated resiliency and never giving up on his fellow trolls. Having an encouraging attitude positively influences children. In Poppy's experience, it shaped her into a strong leader.
Classroom Connection: Poppy exhibits a growth mindset when she travels by herself to take on different creatures and overcome her fears. She sings the song Get Back Up Again, which is an anthem for motivation and not giving up. This scene is perfect for modelling resiliency, risk taking, or confronting fears to students. Educators can use this scene as a reminder to students that failure is not something to be afraid of; rather an experience that offers opportunities to learn. When discussing adversity with children, it is important to encourage them to share their fears, and create action plans to outline the realities of the situation and steps to take to overcome such worries.
*View the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aYOGUPabd8
· Resiliency & Confidence - Referring back to the movie, it is also important to acknowledge the struggles Poppy overcame as they added to her confidence and ability to persevere. Poppy's demeanor sparked a chain reaction that positively reinforced her mindset and those of her friends.
Classroom Connection: When discussing how behaviours impact others, educators can explain how Poppy's actions demonstrated prosocial behaviours, respect, and inclusivity for all. For instance, when Branch doubted their abilities and was scared to take risks, Poppy did not give up and encouraged him to help. This reassurance helps to motivate and build confidence in not only ourselves, but everyone we impact. Carol Dweck proves this notion through her work on growth mindsets. For this reason, educators must celebrate students' work, regardless if they succeed or not. This can be achieved by rewarding their efforts, asking them to reflect on their accomplishments, and sharing the work they are most proud of.
· Friendships – Thanks to Poppy's positive friendships, when situations felt too tough to achieve, she had them for support and encouraged her to persevere. When Poppy thought she put everyone's life in danger, her colourful personality diminished and is depicted sad, with her colour draining. Each troll followed suit since their leader had given up, and it was not until Branch decided to pull himself together that they were reminded of their efforts. They sang the iconic song from Cyndi Lauper, True Colours, and suddenly felt empowered, with their colours returning.
Classroom Connection: This scene can be connected to the invisible bucket ideology, since they are building each other back up and positively influencing each other. Educators can use this scene to teach students about perspective taking and even implement activities associated with the bucket analogy (i.e., read How Full is Your Bucket by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer, create buckets, and brainstorm what fills or empties people's buckets).
~ Courtesy of Emilia @ NU
No comments:
Post a Comment