Into the Spider-Verse: Structured & Scaffolded Film Analysis Unit

Take your students beyond surface-level movie worksheets with this complete film analysis unit designed around Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Through parallel frame analysis, students learn how filmmakers use visual choices to show growth, highlight themes, and build meaning — and then transform those observations into polished film analysis essays.

What’s Inside this Unit:

✅ 6+ model frame pairings with guiding questions (Opening vs. Closing Images, Tied Up, Shoulder Touch, The Leap, Shadows & Silhouettes, Spidey Intros)
✅ Scene analysis questions to scaffold close reading of film visuals
✅ Prewriting activities that help students turn annotations into thesis statements
✅ Detailed essay outline & graphic organizer with sentence frames for a full 5-paragraph film analysis essay
✅ Optional presentation pathway — students can create a slide deck instead of an essay
✅ Printer-friendly + full-color versions for classroom flexibility

Skills Students Will Build:

• Visual literacy & cinematic analysis
• Identifying and analyzing themes & character growth
• Connecting parallel scenes across a film
• Crafting thesis statements and structured essays
• Presenting film analysis in multiple formats

Why You'll Love This Unit:

• Works for ELA and Film Studies (grades 9–12)
• Rigorously aligned with analytical writing and Common Core standards
• Fully scaffolded: from observation → prewriting → thesis → essay
• Flexible for 1–2 weeks of lessons or as a cornerstone assessment piece