Middle Childhood
The Sandlot
1993
The film is told through the perspective of Scott "Scotty" Smalls (Tom
Guiry), who is reminiscing about the summer of 1962. Smalls moves with his
mother (Karen Allen) and stepfather Bill (Denis Leary) to a new neighborhood
outside Los Angeles and has a hard time making new friends. One afternoon, he
decides to follow a group of neighborhood boys, and he watches them play an
improvised game of baseball at a small field, which they call the “sandlot.” Smalls
is reluctant to join their game because he fears he will be ridiculed based on his
inexperience. Nevertheless, he chooses to play with them, but fails to catch a
simple fly ball and properly throw the ball back to his infielders. All the other
players, except for Benny Rodriguez (Mike Vitar), begin to laugh at Smalls for
committing defensive miscues, prompting him to leave the sandlot in
embarrassment. Benny, who is the best player in the neighborhood, shields Smalls
from the insults of his peers and invites him to rejoin their game. He proceeds to
give Smalls advice and helps him earn the respect of the other players.
Assignment:
As you view the film, find examples which demonstrate the following
characteristics of middle childhood:
1. The importance and influence of peer group/friends
2. Children have prolonged periods of activity
3. Behavior is influenced by family
4. Children fear humiliation
5. Children have idols/heroes they try to mimic
6. Children at this age like new challenges
7. Children’s motor development has substantially improved
8. Children are in “concrete operational” stage of development
9. Social comparison - to the abilities, expertise and opinions of others
10.Downward social comparisons
11.“Industry versus Inferiority” stage of psychosocial development
12.Self-esteem is building or issues
13.Self-efficacy established
14.Pre-conventional stage of moral development
15.Status may become important
16.Examples of “favored” behaviors of friends
17.Examples of “least liked” behaviors of friends
18.Popularity because of “social competence”
BE SURE to pay attention to Character NAMES
Product: In ONE page, single spaced, typed….Defend the following:
“The children portrayed in “The Sandlot” clearly demonstrate the
characteristics of middle childhood”
Note: Be sure to put forward a thesis and defend your thesis with no less than
3 main ideas each with several examples to support