Students Will Participate in a Discussion of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in a Newly Restored Version

More than 1,500 students from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will have an opportunity to view a fully restored version of the 1938 classic, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, thanks to partnerships with The American Film Institute and Discovery Education. The novel from which the film has been adapted is a major text used in many MCPS Grade 7 classes.

Six screenings will be held at 10:00 a.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center on October 24, 25, 26, 28, November 2 and 3. As part of the screening program, Matt Boratenski, AFI Silver's Education Coordinator, will prepare lesson plans, introduce the film, and lead a classroom-style discussion after each screening.

To add to the educational benefits of the series, the Director of Instructional Materials Development at Discovery Education and former Harvard University Professor of English Jocelyn Chadwick will be on hand to share her expertise and passion for the work of Mark Twain.

The 1938 feature, which premiered the same year the AFI Silver Theatre originally opened, continues to be the most faithful adaptation of Mark Twain's consummate American adventure. The film successfully includes the vast majority of Twain's classic sequences, including the fence-whitewashing episode.

AFI Silver Theatre is located at 8633 Colesville Road in Silver Spring.

Information from The American Film Institute
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television, and digital media. AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world-renowned Conservatory, maintains America's film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films, and explores new digital technologies in entertainment and education through the AFI Digital Content Lab and K-12 Screen Education Center.

AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is a unique film and video exhibition space offering an unsurpassed, richly eclectic program of first-run films, repertory cinema, foreign film festivals and live film-related events. Presented on three screens, 365 days a year, the AFI Silver connects a diverse regional audience with the best the art form has to offer in a state-of-the-art and architecturally significant screening environment, seven miles from the White House, in Silver Spring, MD.

Information from Discovery Education
Discovery Education is a division of Discovery Communications, Inc., the leading global real-world media and entertainment company. The leader in digital video-based learning, Discovery Education produces and distributes high-quality digital video content in easy-to-use formats, in all core-curricular subject areas. Discovery Education is committed to creating scientifically proven, standards-based digital resources for teachers, students, and parents that make a positive impact on student learning. Through strategic partnerships with over 25 public television stations across the country, its public service initiatives, products, and joint business ventures, Discovery Education helps educators around the world engage students in the joy of learning by allowing them to explore the world and satisfy their natural curiosity.