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processes of cooperative planning—and will have its greatest usefulness with this audience it may have some value to social-studies students as an example of democratic processes. The film is slow moving, however, and this fact should be recognized in using it with other than the specialized audiences for which it was prepared. Rated "acceptable" for group discussion purposes by the Institute of Adult Education.

The Safest Way

16mm sound, color and b/w, 16 minutes, 1948. Produced for the American Automobile Association by Pennsyivania State College. Purchase from AAA, $150 (color) and $50 (b/w). Rent from 16mm film libraries. Borrow from the AAA or from local AAA club.

Film Summary Shows how a sixth-grade class undertook and followed through to completion a project on safety. Pictures the children as they sketch on a table map their routes to school, analyze comparative routes, decide on the safest routes, form into committees, draw individual maps, and take their maps home for their parents' inspection and approval. Committee Recommendation This unpretentious picture, made as a "safety” film, is an excellent portrayal of democracy in the classroom-attention to individual differences, group participation, and democratic leadership by the teacher. For grades 4-6 and for adults.

We Plan Together

16mm sound, b/w, 22 minutes, 1948. Produced by the Horace MannLincoln Institute of School Experimentation, Teachers College, Columbia University, and the Horace Mann-Lincoln School. Purchase from Teachers College, Columbia University, $75. Rent from 16mm film libraries.

Film Summary Shows a new student entering a class 6 weeks late, his uncertainty and confusion, and his gradual absorption into the activities of the class. Emphasizes student-teacher planning of class objectives and projects, self-evaluation by students, and group participation in the activities of the class.

Committee Recommendation We Plan Together is a companion film to Learning Through Cooperative Planning, and has its greatest usefulness with a specialized audience, namely, teachers and school administrators. It may also have some value in high-school social-studies classes as an example of democratic processes in the classroom.

The Wilson Dam School (See page 23)

In the Community

Are You a Good Citizen?

16mm sound, color or b/w, 10 minutes, 1949. Produced by Coronet Films Inc. Purchase from Coronet, $90 (color) or $45 (b/w). Rent from 16mm film libraries.

Film Summary Explains through several dramatized episodes what the film commentator names as the characteristics of a good citizen, namely, performing basic civic activities such as voting, paying taxes, and serving on juries: taking part in group activities; knowing and obeying the law; keeping informed on public affairs; and being a good neighbor.

Committee Recommendation This film shows some of the characteristics of a good citizen in a democratic community and can be so used in the teaching of democracy, particularly at the junior high school level.

Bob Marshall Comes Home

Rent

16mm sound, b/w, 22 minutes, 1946. Produced by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Purchase from United World Films Inc., $27.85. from 16 mm film libraries.

Film Summary A veteran, Bob Marshall, having been an electrician's mate in the Navy, returns to his nonelectrified farm determined to have electricity. He presents his story to the Board of Directors of the local Rural Electrification Administration Cooperative, whose members first reject his application as being too risky, then are reminded of their own lives before and after rural electrification, and vote to extend the power lines to Marshall's farm.

Committee Recommendation A sequel to another REA film, Power and the Land, this picture is a straightforward exposition of rural electrification achieved through farmer cooperatives and a portrayal of democratic processes in one such cooperative. For high-school, college, and adult audiences. Recommended for adult group discussion by the Institute of Adult Education.

Books and People

16mm sound. color. 14 minutes. 1947. Produced by Southern Educational Film Production Service Inc. for the Alabama Public Library Service Division of the Department of Archives and History. Purchase from the American Library Association, $110. Rent from 16mm film libraries.

Film Summary Subtitled "The Wealth Within," this film proposes

that the wealth of a State lies, not so much in its agriculture and industry, as in its people, and demonstrates the library services in Alabama including the establishment of local libraries, the use of grocery stores for library collections, and the operation of bookmobiles to serve rural areas and small towns. Closes with a review of some of the values of books and the needs which the various library services meet for the people of Alabama.

Committee Recommendation This film, with its emphasis upon making books, records, and films available to all the people, is not only an argument for State-wide library services but an example of how these services can be achieved by democratic action within a community. Probably of most value to adult audiences, it can also be used in social-studies classes to illustrate the democratic concepts of freedom of information, the right to knowledge, and the use of group action to achieve those ends. Rated "acceptable” as an aid to adult discussion by the Institute of Adult Education.

Boy in Court (See page 17)

The Cummington Story

16mm sound, b/w, 21 minutes, 1945. Produced by the U. S. Office of War Information for its overseas information program. Made available by the U. S. Department of State to the U. S. Office of Education for domestic use. Purchase from United World Films Inc., $27.85. Rent from 16mm film libraries.

Film Summary Shows a group of European refugees in a small country town in New England, their diffidence and the reluctance of the community to accept them, then their gradual absorption into the life of the community, and their acceptance as friends and neighbors. The film ends as the refugees leave to return to their own countries, now that the war is over.

Committee Recommendation This is a simple portrayal of democratic understanding and tolerance in a small American community. For grades 7-12, college, and adult audiences. Rated "acceptable for adult group discussion" by the Institute of Adult Education.

Leaders for Leisure

16mm sound, color, 21 minutes, 1948. Produced by Dallas Jones for the Athletic Institute. Purchase from the Athletic Institute. $100. Rent from Association Films Inc. and other 16mm film libraries.

Film Summary Presumably recounted by a newspaper reporter, this film shows a newly built recreation center in the hypothetical town of Riverdale, how it was used widely in May and June, used only by the sports experts in August, and used not at all in the winter. The town

committee visits the recreation center in a neighboring town and sees a good program in operation under trained leaders. Riverdale then employs a trained recreation leader and an assistant who (1) survey the town's facilities including the bowling alleys, schools, etc., as well as the center; (2) interview people to determine their interests and wishes; and (3) plan a program enlisting the services of community leaders as parttime assistants. They succeed with a full program involving all the people, night and day, summer and winter.

Committee Recommendation Like the similar film, Playtown, U. S. A., this film story is a lesson in democratic planning and action at the community level and as such should be particularly valuable in high-school classes.

Make Way for Youth

16mm sound, b/w, 22 minutes, 1947. Produced by Transfilm Inc. for the Youth Division of the National Social Welfare Assembly. Purchase from Association Films Inc., $60. Rent from Association Films or from other 16mm film libraries.

Film Summary A fictional account of a Youth Council in a midwestern town, this film shows how representatives of all the youth organizations in the town came together, under adult guidance, to form a Youth Council, elect officers, adopt a constitution, and plan a program. Needing a building of their own, they locate an old warehouse, overcome the opposition of the Town Council, and make it into a community center for both youth and adults. The film closes with a summary of other community activities of the Youth Council, and an emphasis upon other cooperation of all races and religions.

Committee Recommendation Produced with the cooperation of the various youth organizations in Madison, Wis., Make Way for Youth is an example of democratic planning and action. As such it will be particularly useful in senior high schools and parent-teacher associations. Recommended for adult group discussion by the Institute of Adult Education.

Playtown, U. S. A.

16mm sound, color, 23 minutes, 1946. Produced by Chicago Film Studios for the Athletic Institute. Purchase from the Athletic Institute, $135. Rent from Association Films Inc. and other 16mm film libraries.

Film Summary Shows what was done in Decatur, Ill., to provide recreational facilities for the community. A school teacher originates the idea, which is carried through his principal and the school board and spread throughout the community. Under the direction of a Recreational Planning Committee, recreational needs and interests are surveyed;

tax funds and voluntary contributions are secured; existing space and facilities are used more fully and new facilities are developed; and qualified recreational leaders are employed.

Committee Recommendation This film story of one community's providing recreational facilities for all its members is a lesson in democratic action at the community level, and as such should be particularly valuable in high-school classes. Highly recommended for adult group discussion by the Institute of Adult Education.

Proud City

16mm sound, b/w, 26 minutes, 1945. Produced by British Information Services. Purchase from BIS, $67.50. Rent from BIS or from 16mm film libraries.

Film Summary Presents the problem of rebuilding London, bombed and partially destroyed by the Germans, so that the city will be a better place in which to work and live. Reviews the planning and study that have been done since 1941, describes the general plan adopted by the London County Council, and explains in detail its application to Stepney, a typical run-down community.

Committee Recommendation While the locale of this film is England, the problems of city planning, slum clearance, and housing exist also in the United States. The film presents practical proposals developed by democratic processes, and should be stimulating to American as well as to British audiences. Highly recommended for adult group discussion by the Institute of Adult Education.

Schoolhouse in the Red (See page 22)

The School That Learned to Eat

16mm sound, color, 22 minutes, 1948. Produced by the Southern Educational Film Production Service Inc. cooperatively for the University of Georgia College of Education and General Mills. Purchase from General Mills, $140. Borrow from General Mills.

Film Summary Teachers and parents in East Griffin, Ga., survey the dietary habits of their school children, discover that many are not eating a balanced diet in terms of the "basic 7" food groups, and proceed to improve the school lunch program by renovating the kitchen, establishing a lunchroom in the school, and making the lunches both wholesome and attractive.

Committee Recommendation

This film, made for a specialized audience of parents and teachers, shows how the citizens of one community worked together democratically to improve the health of their children. It can best be used with P. T. A. groups.

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