Tag Archives: adoption

Juno

Title: Juno

Date: 2007

Media type: Film

Format: Complete

Category: Human Growth and Development

Keywords: Adolescence, adoption, decision making, parent-child relationships, response to crises, social and cultural influences

Rating: PG 13 – Parents Strongly Cautioned

Audience(s): High School Age, College Age, Adults, Parents, Couples

Language: English

Film/Episode Summary: The film follows Juno, a 16-year-old high-school junior, who discovers she is pregnant with her best friend Bleeker’s child. Juno goes in for an abortion but quickly decides against it once she is sitting in the office. Instead, she decides to have the baby and place the child with an adoptive couple. She finds the perfect couple in the PennySaver personals and decides they are the couple she wants to choose. After all the papers are signed, the waiting for Juno to have her child begins. The rest of the film follows Juno through her pregnancy and as she processes all that is occurring.

Comments or Recommendations for Teaching:

Places to view: Itunes, Youtube, Amazon Video, Vudu, Google Play, Cinemax

Contributor: Krista Hamann

The Blind Side

Title: The Blind Side

Date: 2009

Media type: Film

Category: Ethical Issues and Dilemmas

Rating: PG-13

Audience(s): High School Age, College Age, Adults, Parents, Couples, Families

Language: English

Film/Episode Summary: Leigh Anne Touhy is a strong, tough, and opinionated wife and mother. While she rarely shows the soft side of her personality, that all changes when she learns about Michael Oher, a homeless boy that is seen hanging around her children’s private school. The movie follows the family as they take in Michael as their own and push him to his full potential. With their assistance, Michael becomes a successful student and football player. They all learn that family is more important than anything else.

Comments or Recommendations for Teaching: Why do you think Leigh Anne chose to be a parent to Michael? How did the family have to change to accommodate a new member in the family? How do you think Leigh Anne reacted to other’s opinions about her changing family?

Contributor: Krista Hamann

Easy A

Title: Easy A

Date: 2010

Media type: Film

Format: Clip

Rating: PG-13

Audience(s): High School Age, College Age, Adults, Parents, Families

Language: English

Film/Episode Summary: The film follows 17 year-old Olive (Emma Stone) who tells her best friend a lie about losing her virginity to a guy in college. While telling her friend this, a conservative, christian girl overhears Olive and spreads the rumor throughout the school. Later, Olive confides the truth about the lie with her friend Brandon who then asks her to pretend to have sex with him so that he’ll seem straight. She agrees, and soon her promiscuous reputation grows. She embraces this new reputation because boys are giving her gift cards to say they slept with her to increase their reputation, but problems arise as this continues.

Clip Description: Olive interacts with her parents in such a healthy way. There is love, connection, humor, and support that all make their relationship work. They seem to be able to talk to each other about anything, but while simultaneously allowing each other to keep things private if they want.

Comments or Recommendations for Teaching: I would use this clip to showcase parenting that encompasses high levels of warmth and demandingness. Also, to showcase healthy communication between adolescent and parent.

Places to view: Youtube, Amazon Video, Vudu, Google Play, Itunes

Contributor: Cameron MacKinney