George Bailey learns that it truly is a wonderful life when he discovered how many lives he has touched—not to mention how many new generations of lives the story touches every year. A study guide on It's a Wonderful Life  introduces learners to the classic movie using the format of a live radio play. Information in the guide includes details on the story, as well as handouts on the history of old-time radio performances. After going through the information, scholars create their own old-time radio plays.

Concepts

dramatic plays, dramatizations, elements of drama

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Listen to a few different old-time radio programs and point out key features and techniques
• Watch the movie It's a Wonderful Life and discuss differences between the play and the film
  

Classroom Considerations

• Includes Florida theater standards on the front cover
• Resource is based on the live radio play, but activities are applicable to the 1946 film

Pros

• Shares a wealth of background information to help improve understanding of the topic
• Brings in key themes and discussion opportunities

Cons

• Does not include a script for the radio play

Common Core

RL.9-10.1 SL.9-10.1.a