It's extremely competitive in the world of teaching these days. As a teacher, you are constantly trying to maintain your current status. However, it just seems like you are always coming in second place. No, we're not talking about other teachers trying to take your job or even a demanding administrator. Heck, the opponent we are talking about here isn't even a human being! Nope, it's not a departmental budget limitation or a hectic class schedule.

One of your biggest competitors as a teacher is technology. You have to compete for the attention of your students with devices like smart phones, portable video games and mobile tablets. Now that's challenging! All this competition for attention has resulted in a classroom full of students that expect you to match the level of technology and interest that they see on their screens every day.

So what can you do? How can you reach them when they seem to be fully wedded to the new technology?

Fortunately, there is a way to reach students and still adhere to curriculum requirements such as those set forth in the most recent edition of the Common Core State Standards. The trick is, you have to sneak up on your students...you have to be ready and waiting where they expect you the least. No, I'm not saying to go out and jump them while they're waiting at the bus stop in the morning. I'm talking about reaching them through the primary medium that they see every day, the medium they are used to...the screen.

The simple fact is that students today receive their media and content through screens: television screens, computer screens, cell phone screens, tablet screens...every month or so there's another technological innovation based, again, on screens. What's next? Window screens? Wall screens? (Remember Fahrenheit 451?) But seriously, one reason why your class does not respond very well to the lessons analyzing written texts is because it's not on a screen. Now, here is where you get them...here it comes...in the form of media to which they are most accustomed and that they understand. Movies.

It's a movie, but not just any movie. It's a film carefully selected by their teacher that relates to the curriculum and teaches something that's otherwise hard to get across in a classroom. And, it's not just a movie thrown in the DVD or streamed from the Internet, it's a film given a proper introduction, accompanied by a movie worksheet, discussed afterward and made the subject of assignments afterward.

Now, what better way to reach your students than through movies and film? The simple answer is that the use of screened stories in whole or in part will increase motivation and interest among students. Plus, you can even cover some of the most important Common Core State Curriculum Standards through use of film. Yep, it's true. 28 of the Common Core State Standards directly relate to movies or "diverse media". Hundreds more can partially be met using film.

The days in which the term "movie in class" meant "teacher not doing the job" can be over. Hey, you may even change the mind of your principal... once he/she discovers how beneficial movies can be.

One or two carefully selected movies per semester can be an integral part of your curriculum. Just remember to introduce them properly with appropriate background, give them a well-thought-out movie worksheet and follow through with a group discussion or HW assignment. These steps can enhance your student's interest in ELA, social studies, science or just about any other class while significantly improving educational outcomes.

This article was written by Lauren Humphrey of http://www.TeachWithMovies.com, Inc. -- the premiere site on the Internet showing teachers how to create lesson plans using movies and film.

With the help of Teach With Movies, thousands of Teachers and Home School Parents use movies / film in their classes and home schooling programs to teach Social Studies, English, Science, Health, & the Arts.

Visit our site today: http://www.teachwithmovies.org

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