5/5/23: Teach with Great Movies: Cast Away (2000) Starring Tom Hanks

This fantastic movie has been an invaluable addition to my curriculum!

Even though it was made back in 2000, its timeless story and incredible acting by the one-and-only Tom Hanks have helped me teach elements of literature and literary devices in my classroom for the last 15 years.

If you’ve never seen the movie, here’s a quick summary:
Tom Hanks plays Chuck Noland, a FedEx executive  who boards a cargo plane during the holidays. He says goodbye to his girlfriend Kelly Frears just before climbing on, literally saying that he’ll be “right back” (I smell irony!).

The plane ends up crashing in the Pacific Ocean. He is the sole survivor and eventually washes up on an uninhabited island after surviving the stormy night by floating on the plane’s inflatable life raft.

He survives on this island for 4 years living off of seafood, coconuts, and the island itself along with random items he found in packages that washed ashore. He also finds a package with an image of angel-like wings on it that he contemplates opening but decides against it.

He also befriends a volleyball and aptly names him Wilson. CONTENT WARNING: There is a scene where they briefly show the bloated corpse of one of the pilots that washes ashore and Chuck buries him. You might want to skip over this part, teachers.

Chuck is very creative with how he uses the little supplies he has to get by on the island. (This is one the kids’ favorite things in the movie!)

Eventually he gets rescued and makes his way back home to discover that his girlfriend (and almost wife) has gotten married, and must move on with his life. Although he lost Wilson on the journey at sea before being rescued, he managed to escape that island with the package with the angel-like wings on it and delivers it to its destination (which is ripe for a rigorous class discussion on symbolism!)

​Here’s the trailer!

There’s nothing better than a gripping story full of teachable moments! Throughout the film, students can complete the questions or you can watch it all through and then have students complete them.

A third option could be watching the movie completely first and then going back and re-watching it in small, manageable chunks to help students fully grasp the plot and devices.

Here are some sample test questions from our assessment:

5.    What is the author/director’s purpose of showing Chuck hard at work in the beginning of the film?

a.    It shows the viewer how FedEx works in great detail
b.    It shows the viewer Chuck’s character at work, his relationships, and his                                       personality
 c.    It shows the viewer the many struggles in Chuck and Kelly’s relationship
 d.    All of the above

30. Which of the following adjectives best characterize Chuck Noland?

 a.    Crazy and intelligent
 b.    Shy and obnoxious
 c.    Hard-working and practical
 d.    Rude and short-tempered

37.  Which of the following most accurately describes Chuck’s character change from the  beginning of the film to the end?

 a.    Chuck starts off very focused on his career and time management and at the end he is more focused on what really matters in life and more appreciative of the things he didn’t have on the island
 b.    Chuck starts off obsessive about his girlfriend but by the end of the movie has become detached from her and the idea of romance
 c.    Chuck starts off as a happy, carefree person but ends up becoming a miserable person that believes there is no purpose in life
 d.    Chuck starts off as an ambitious, money-hungry businessman but quickly becomes angry at the world when his wife leaves him for another man when he is lost at sea
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I made sure to allot class time to recap before each class viewing session, as well as afterwards to discuss what’s happened so far in the story.
During these times spoiler alerts from students that have already seen the movie.

You can get this movie lesson plan and assessment here!
It even comes with a preview!

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As always —keep changing the world!
Charlie with Shining Scholar Education

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