Since the day that motion pictures became popular in nickelodeons, the American public has been fascinated with film. Movies have a special power to sway and influence your emotions. Movies are also entertaining and the use of subtitles as you watch can make them a good tool when teaching people to read English.

Pick the movies that you would like to incorporate into your lesson. Choose movies that are suitable for the age of your students. "Dead Poet's Society" may be appropriate and motivating, because it tells a story about an English class. Stay away from action movies, as they often trade out conversation in exchange for more action. Character-driven stories are usually dialogue driven with plenty of one-on-one conversations. Some examples of approriate films include: "Lost in Translation," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "The Sandlot," and "Breakfast Club."

Find a large television or projector screen to show the film on. Make sure the screen is big enough so the back row of your classroom can see and read everything.

Turn the subtitles on for the film. Subtitles are the words of what the characters are saying on screen. This is very useful for an English literacy class, as the students can both watch and hear the actors say the words as well as read them on the bottom of the screen.