Educational Media Reviews Online

When Someone Dies: Bereavement and Loss chronicles the transition of life from birth to death. Several vignettes highlight individual stories of teens dealing with the death of a sibling, parent, and grandparent. The various stories allow the viewer an opportunity to understand the necessary ceremonial traditions that happen before and after a person dies and the steps of emotion/five stages of grief that are experienced before and after a passing. While the process is everlasting, the pain of the loss diminishes and the memories become part of the person. The treatment of this difficult topic is well handled and this video could become the medium for further dialog and discussion.

This professionally produced VHS tape and accompanying lesson materials allow educators the chance to support middle and high school students with their grief during, before and after the death of a loved one. The Teacher’s Guide written in English gives an introduction to the video and includes some activities for using the resource. A current bibliography of useful websites and age appropriate literature accompany the information found in the guide.

The audio and video quality is excellent. This resource is highly recommended with great potential for use in many collections. These materials would be beneficial to educators and counselors who have the responsibility of helping adolescents with the concept of death and the formalities of planning a funeral. Teacher education programs could benefit by making their students aware that such resources exist. It is imperative that public libraries and curriculum centers make these materials available.