A fully resourced 6-lesson unit for SMP 6: Video (Film), designed to introduce students to key film language and Sci-Fi genre conventions through the study of Star Wars, while developing analytical confidence and supporting preparation for Section A exam content.

This unit is highly ESL-friendly, featuring:

A consistent lesson and presentation structure throughout
Clear iconography and visual scaffolding to support accessibility
Embedded literacy and vocabulary support across analytical tasks
Repetition of key terminology and exam command language
Structured modelling and scaffolded analytical writing opportunities

The unit combines film comprehension with analytical skill-building, making it ideal for students who require additional support before tackling more advanced media analysis.

Every lesson is aligned directly to exam practice outcomes, helping students develop skills for:

Q1.3 analytical responses
Sci-Fi genre knowledge for Section A
Recall and retrieval of key narrative information
Analytical writing using media terminology

The unit explores:

Key characters, events and narrative developments in Star Wars
The conventions of the Sci-Fi genre
How meaning is created through film language
Audience responses to media codes and conventions
Representation through character interaction and narrative moments
Structured analytical writing linked to exam success criteria

Students develop analytical skills through:

Guided viewing and comprehension activities
Recall and retrieval practice using mini whiteboards
Gap-fill tasks focused on Sci-Fi genre conventions
Structured Q1.3 analysis tasks
Teacher-modelled analytical responses
Scaffolded sentence structures and media terminology drills

The unit uses carefully selected scenes — including the Battle of Hoth, Asteroid Field Chase, Dagobah Training sequences and Carbon Freezing/Vader Revelation scenes — to help students apply media language terminology to recognisable and engaging examples.

A strong emphasis is placed on frontloading the knowledge and genre understanding required for Section A: Doctor Who and broader Sci-Fi media analysis, making this an effective bridge between film enjoyment and exam-focused analytical writing.

Support materials include:

Recall and retrieval activities
Gap-fill convention tasks
Q1.3 analytical writing scaffolds
Success criteria guidance
Vocabulary and syntactic structure drills
Teacher modelling opportunities
Assessment for Learning checkpoints

The adaptable structure means scenes or film extracts can easily be switched out for alternative Sci-Fi texts while maintaining the same progression of analytical skills, genre understanding and exam alignment.

Lessons are fully mapped against the curriculum framework, with the accompanying curriculum map also available separately for purchase.