Before watching the film discuss the title ‘Once in a Lifetime.’
Show the opening scene. Image of the airship in the sky.
Pause the film after 12 seconds when the man has his hand on his face.
Pause the film as the man looks through his telescope.
Pause at 58 seconds as the man lassoes the turtle.
Pause the film at 1min 8 secs – when the turtle is towing the ship.
Watch the film until the end
Note: there are no answers for these discussion questions.
Activity 1
Odd Ones Out
Watch the clip. How many of these things can you spot. Tick them when you see them. You might need to watch the clip more than once. Some of these are not in the clip. Which are the odd ones out?
airship | shadow | rope | sword |
boxes | goggles | headscarf | map |
clouds | telescope | toolkit | flying turtle |
flying elephants | propellers | compass | bag |
Activity 2
Can you create a job description for the job of sky explorer?
Activity 3
What might the sky explorer experience while standing on the deck of his boat in the sky?
See | Hear | Smell | Touch | Taste |
Activity 4
Can you create a comic strip of the story?
Activity 5
Write an ending to the story. You could write in first person (I, me, my) and pretend you are the man from the ship or you could write in third person (Jim, he, his, the man). Where do the turtles take you/him? Write about your adventure. You could start with:
I looked down at the turtle flying beneath the ship and took a deep breath. With one quick leap I was over the side and falling freely through the air . . .