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Film producer Allison Vanore, who has two entries in this year's Garden State Film Festival, reflects on why screenwriting is important for students. "It teaches them how films are constructed, that they are stories carefully constructed to make you feel a specific way just like books, television," Vanore says. "It's important to understand the medium we ingest and put out. From a creative standpoint, it gives students another way to create and express themselves."

The image projected on the screen in the front of the classroom is Magritte's painting of a pipe, including the words, "Ceci n'est pas une pipe." (1) I ask the students to each briefly make a guess why they think Magritte wrote that, since the painting is obviously a pipe. Some volunteers share their guesses with the class. One student nails it. "It's not a pipe; it's a drawing of a pipe!"

In any classroom, a video game can provide a sure-footed entry point into content. Interested in teaching tone?