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Frank Langella, Actor

Unscripted Wisdom (Season Two) - Available 01/20/25

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Frank Langella, Actor - Unscripted Wisdom (Season Two) - Available 01/20/25 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

"Do something you're afraid to do." - Frank Langella, The Thread

Frank Langella is an acclaimed stage and screen actor. Now, at age 86, he shares his hard-earned wisdom with eloquence and humility. In this episode you will meet a complex and deeply thoughtful human being who who shares many life lessons such as, “It’s important to always live life, at any age, with a question mark, not an exclamation point.”

 

Watch "Unscripted Wisdom" - Available 01/20/25

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Lesson Objectives

Social Studies

* Discuss the changes in the acting profession through the lens of Frank Langella’s experiences

* Reflect on the importance of intergenerational relationships and wisdom gained from elders

* Analyze the impact an actor can have on shaping culture

English Language Arts Focus

* Examine perspective taking from the point of view of one actor

* Analyze the structure and purpose of a narrative, identify key themes in the episode, and synthesize information from a spoken text

* Analyze, reflect on, and discuss the title “Unscripted Wisdom” after watching the episode

* Explore the idea of purposeful work and a meaningful life

* Use Frank Langella’s episode as evidence to write a rhetorical argument, commentary, or synthesis essay

Social Emotional Learning: By offering engaging personal narratives, students can discuss and strengthen the five SEL competencies - self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

Media Literacy: Students will practice media literacy skills by analyzing information, points of view, and claims made in The Thread and be able to translate these strategies with all forms of media to make more informed decisions.

Frank Langella, Actor - Unscripted Wisdom (Season Two) - Available 01/20/25 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

First Take >

The “First Take” activity is a warm-up writing or conversation exercise created uniquely for The Thread to strengthen media literacy skills. Like an opening song in a musical, the first stanza of a poem, or even the first impression one person makes on another, the “First Take” asks students to reflect and share their initial thoughts and feelings about the episode’s opening and why the filmmaker and editor made these choices.

Download Frank Langella’s lesson to access the complete “First Take” activity.

Frank Langella, Actor - Unscripted Wisdom (Season Two) - Available 01/20/25 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

The Thread Up Close >

After watching the interview, students will debrief and discuss the life story and engage in a close read and analysis of his interview using the “Unscripted Wisdom” episode and transcript.

In this lesson, the suggested close read focuses on the acting process and examines the emotional, cognitive, and psychological processes involved through the point of view of Frank Langella.

Download the lesson to access “The Thread Up Close” activity.

Frank Langella, Actor - Unscripted Wisdom (Season Two) - Available 01/20/25 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

"Unscripted Wisdom" >

In this activity students will analyze the meaning of the lesson’s title and assemble their own collection of "unscripted wisdom" on a shared classroom document. Each student will write a small vignette explaining a piece of advice they value, why it remains important, and who shared it.

Download the lesson to access the entire “Unscripted Wisdom” activity.

Resources

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