Coraline
- Grades: 7 to 9
- Common Sense Media: read the review
- CS strength: 1 out of 5
- SEL strength: 4 out of 5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 90% critics
What happens
Coraline Jones moves to a rundown apartment house with parents who are too busy to play with her. She finds a tiny door that leads to an Other World where everything looks like her life, but better, and her Other Mother wants her to stay forever. To do that, Coraline would have to let her sew buttons over her eyes. Coraline has to outsmart the Other Mother to save herself and the children trapped there.
Why we watch it
Coraline is brave, curious and stubborn, and the film asks what we do when we feel ignored and someone offers us exactly what we think we want. It is the scariest film on this list: it is rated PG for creepy images and scary scenes (button eyes, a monster that changes shape, ghost children). Check that your class is comfortable with that before you choose it. The worksheet is all reflection, with no computer science.
Standards alignment
Answer key and teacher notes
- B Why does Coraline go through the small door in the wall?
- A What is different about the people in the Other World?
- B What does the Other Mother want Coraline to do if she wants to stay?
- A What does Coraline find hidden inside the Other World that she needs to rescue?
- B What does Coraline do with the key at the end of the movie?
Questions 1 to 3 are plot comprehension. Questions 4 and 5 ask students to read a motive.
CASEL focus by question:
- Self-Awareness: feeling ignored and wanting attention
- Responsible Decision-Making: spotting a trap (the Other World is “perfect”)
- Self-Management: staying brave and thinking under stress
- Social Awareness and Relationship Skills: first impressions of the neighbors
- Personal Connection: self-reflection
Content note: Rated PG for scary images and thematic elements. This is the scariest film in this set: button eyes, a villain who changes into a monster, ghost children, and a long chase. A student who is sensitive to scary movies may want another film. The Other Mother is a villain who pretends to love a child, which can also be a good talking point. Best for grades 7 to 9.