Ethos Education

The Lego Batman Movie: Is it good to be alone?

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Assembly Objective:

  • Is it good to be alone? This assembly explores a Biblical response to the experience of loneliness as portrayed in The Lego Batman Movie.

Film:

  • The Lego Batman Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2017) certificate U, click here to buy the DVD online.

Bible:

Supporting Values Education:

  • The Lego Batman Movie presents an image of a non-traditional family group in which each member cares for the other.
  • Democracy and Rule of Law. Batman progresses from working alone and outside the law to co-operating with others for the benefit of society.

OPENING ACTIVITY

Collective Nouns: (Quiz)

FILM CLIP 1

  • From The Lego Batman Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2017) certificate U.
    • Start time: 00:13:59 (Batman sets off from the orphanage in the Batmobile.)
    • End time: 00:18:43 (Batman kicks Alfred, his butler, into a piano.)
    • Clip length: Four minutes and 44 seconds.
  • If you cannot play this clip from the DVD, instead say, ‘Batman returns home to celebrate saving Gotham city once again from the Joker. The computer tells him that his faithful butler, Alfred, is working in one of the many empty rooms in his huge mansion. Batman microwaves the dinner that Alfred has prepared for him. He eats it sitting amongst his many Bat Boats. He then plays his guitar for a bit before watching the end of his favourite romantic comedy. Afterwards, he stares at a picture of himself as a boy with his parents who are now dead. He feels very sad’.

FILM CLIP 2

  • From The Lego Batman Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2017) certificate U.
    • Start time: 01:31:48 (Batman stands on the cliff.)
    • End time: 01:35:58 (The film ends.)
    • Clip length: Four minutes and ten seconds.
  • If you cannot play this clip from the DVD, instead say, ‘Batman is preparing to return to The Phantom Zone prison. He says goodbye to his new friends and zaps himself with the Phantom Zone Projector. However he is prevented from going into the Phantom Zone by an invisible force field and drops down to Earth. The Phantom Zone talking brick appears and tells Batman that he doesn’t have to return to the Phantom Zone as he has made big changes in his life. Batman returns home with his new ‘family’. They have dinner together, watch a film and hang a new family photograph on the wall. The film ends.’

TALK

Scripted Talk

Download the Is it good to be alone PowerPoint for use with this talk.

  • [PowerPoint slide 1]
    • Welcome, everyone. Our assembly this morning is based around The Lego Batman Movie and explores the question, ‘Is it good to be alone?’ Most animals in the world live in groups. About five hundred years ago, people who spoke English started giving special names to groups of particular animals. Collective nouns is the name given to these group names and, in the past, school children in the UK had to learn these names by heart as part of the curriculum. How many do you know?
  • [PowerPoint slides 2-17]
    • Play the Collective Nouns quiz.
  • [PowerPoint slide 18]
    • So now we know the collective nouns for ants and rooks and parrots and bats, what about humans? How many different collective nouns can you think of that can be applied to humans? For some examples see: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/explore/what-do-you-call-a-group-of. [Allow children time to respond, noting down their answers. Why do the children think there are so many collective nouns for groups of humans?] There are lots and lots of collective nouns for groups of humans because we are a highly sociable animal.
  • [PowerPoint slide 19]
    • At the start of The Lego Batman Movie, Batman is shown to be not very sociable at all. In our first clip Batman returns home, after visiting an orphanage, to celebrate saving Gotham city once again.
    • Play clip 1 from The Lego Batman Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2017) certificate U.
      • Start time: 00:13:59 (Batman sets off from the orphanage in the Batmobile.)
      • End time: 00:18:43 (Batman kicks Alfred, his butler, into a piano.)
      • Clip length: Four minutes and 44 seconds.
    • If you cannot play this clip from the DVD, instead say, ‘Batman returns home to celebrate saving Gotham city again from the Joker. The computer tells him that his faithful butler, Alfred, is working in one of the many empty rooms in his huge mansion. Batman microwaves the dinner that Alfred had prepared for him. He eats it sitting amongst his many Bat Boats. He then plays his guitar for a bit before watching the end of his favourite romantic comedy. Afterwards, he stares at a picture of himself as a boy with his parents who are now dead. He feels very sad’.
  • [PowerPoint slide 20]
    • We need to remind ourselves of today’s assembly question – ‘Is it good to be alone?’ [How might children answer the question based on the clip? What is their experience of being alone? Is there a difference between being alone and being lonely? Allow time for discussion.]
  • [PowerPoint slide 21]
    • In the story of Creation in the first book of the Bible, God says, ‘It is not good for man to be alone.’ [What do the children think about this statement? Is it also true for Batman?]
  • [PowerPoint slide 22]
    • In the course of the movie, we see how Batman gradually becomes a member of a new Bat Family, comprising of Alfred (his butler), Barbara (the new police commissioner) and Dick, an orphan whom he accidentally adopts. Together, this new Bat family manages to overcome the greatest ever threat to the city of Gotham but Batman has to return to prison for some of the harmful things that he has done to his new family along the way.
    • Play clip 2 from The Lego Batman Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2017) certificate U.
      • Start time: 01:31:48 (Batman stands on the cliff.)
      • End time: 01:35:58 (The film ends.)
      • Clip length: Four minutes and ten seconds.
    • If you cannot play this clip from the DVD, instead say, ‘Batman is preparing to return to The Phantom Zone prison. He says goodbye to his new friends and zaps himself with the Phantom Zone Projector. However he is prevented from going into the Phantom Zone by an invisible force field and drops down to Earth. The Phantom Zone talking brick appears and tells Batman that he doesn’t have to return to the Phantom Zone as he has made big changes in his life. Batman returns home with his new ‘family’. They have dinner together, watch a film and hang a new family photograph on the wall. The film ends.’
  • [PowerPoint slide 23]
    • How has Batman changed from the first clip? Who or what is responsible for this change? Do the children think that he will be lonely again?
  • [PowerPoint slide 24]
    • Christians, like all people, experience times of loneliness but many are comforted by the last words of Jesus to his followers. These are recorded in the Gospel of Matthew which can be found in the New Testament section of the Bible. Jesus says, ‘And be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’

Headings and Bullets

  • [PowerPoint slide 1]
    • Welcome.
    • Is it good to be alone?
  • [PowerPoint slides 2 – 17]
    • Collective nouns: questions and answers.
  • [PowerPoint slide 18]
    • A … of…
    • Humans.
  • [PowerPoint slide 19]
    • Batman: the loner.
    • Play clip 1.
  • [PowerPoint slide 20]
    • Is it good to be alone?
  • [PowerPoint slide 21]
    • Genesis 2:18.
  • [PowerPoint slide 22]
    • The Bat Family.
    • Play clip 2.
  • [PowerPoint slide 23]
    • Happy Batman.
  • [PowerPoint slide 24]
    • Matthew 28:20.

Photo Copyright for Is it good to be alone Powerpoint: Slide 1 Warner Animation Group / Slides 2 and 3 fish and ants iStockphoto.com, dogs freeimages.com / Slides 4 and 5 cats freeimages.com, dolphins freeimages.com, gorillas freeimages.com / Slides 6 and 7 bears Pixabay.com, elephants Pixabay.com, cats Pixabay.com / Slides 8 and 9 hyenas Freeimages.com, geese Pixabay.com, rats Pixabay.com / Slides 10 and 11 bats Pixabay.com, gulls Pixabay.com, termites JMK, / Slides 12 and 13 penguins iStockphoto.com, porcupines Pixabay.com, parrots Magnus Manske / Slides 14 and 15 chickens Pixabay.com, jellyfish Pixabay.com, butterflies Pixabay.com / Slides 16 and 17 rooks Pixabay.com, mice Freeimages.com, zebra Freeimages.com / Slide 18 soldiers Freeimages.com, footballers Pixabay.com, choir Pixabay.com / Slide 19 Warner Animation Group / Slide 20 Warner Animation Group / Slide 21 Pixabay.com / Slide 22 Warner Animation Group / Slide 23 Warner Animation Group / Slide 24 image 3 LUMO Project

RESPOND

Reflection

  • Is being alone the same as being lonely? Is Batman alone or lonely or both?
  • When have you ever been lonely? What happened to make you feel less lonely?
  • What might you do to stop people you know from feeling lonely?
  • When do you like to be alone?
  • What prevented Batman from making friends?
  • How did Batman change over the course of the movie?
  • Christians believe that God is with them always. What do you think of this idea?

Prayer

  • Dear God, we thank you for our family and friends who keep us from feeling lonely. May we help other people not to feel lonely but also recognise the times when people want to be alone. In times of loneliness, help us to remember your promise to be with us always and give us the courage to tell other people how we are feeling. Amen.

YOU WILL NEED:

  • The Lego Batman Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures, certificate U), click here to buy the DVD online.
  • Is it good to be alone PowerPoint.

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