Forrest Gump

(Introduction, Body, and Conclusion)

After introducing essay structure, I divide the class into groups and explain that first, we will watch the beginning of the movie, Forrest Gump, then each group will write an introduction to an essay about Forrest Gump’s life. Some students express concern that they haven’t seen the movie, but I tell them it doesn’t matter. Students who have seen the film list events to be used as the thesis statement forecast: college football star, war hero, Olympic athlete, successful businessman, and conscientious father.

We watch the first few minutes of the film—the feather twirling over treetops, past steeples, and across the street to rest beside the muddy running shoes of Forrest Gump. While waiting for his bus, Forrest offers a box of Russell Stover chocolates to a woman sitting beside him on the bench: “My Mama always said that life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get.”

I ask students to review their notes on essay structure and write an introduction (attention-getting title, attention-grabbing first sentence/s, transition statement/s, and a thesis statement that includes both a generalization and a forecast that supports it).

After writing their introductions, students bring them to the document camera and read them to the rest of the class. Most include a thesis statement that reads something like this: “Life did offer Forrest Gump an assortment of experiences, such as becoming a college football star, war hero, and successful businessman.”

This activity can be continued with body and conclusion paragraphs if you like.