Get students excited about classes and boost student engagement with film-book pairings. Journeys in Film offers free lesson plans and discussion guides for films with literary connections to make film-book pairings fun and easy for teachers and students alike.
Why educators love film-book pairings
- Films are fun! They bring joy and excitement to the classroom.
- Film provides an immersive educational experience that brings literature to life.
- Films can be highly effective learning tools for auditory- and visual learners who may struggle with texts.
- Classroom film screenings create a powerful shared classroom experience.
- Pairing books with films plus our free film-based lesson plans and discussion guides makes teaching easy.
Who are film-book pairings for?
- Film-book pairings work well for classroom instruction and for homeschooling.
- We offer free film-based lesson plans and discussion guides for films with literary connections suitable for use with elementary school, middle school, high school, and higher education learners.
- Combining books and films are great indoor activities for after school clubs and youth organizations.
- Film-book pairings are perfect for library programming while saving budget lines — our resources are free and many of our films are available to stream for free.
- Film-book pairings are a fun way to liven up book clubs, film clubs and doc clubs.
Journeys in Film Recommends Film-Book Pairings
We recommend the following pairings of books and award-winning films. We would love to hear from you about other literary connections you make in your classrooms with the films in our library.
Book and Film Pairings for Elementary School Learners (and up)
Queen of Katwe
- Pair it with: The Queen of Katwe: One Girl’s Triumphant Path to Becoming a Chess Champion by Tim Crothers.
- For ages 10+.
- Themes: Black Excellence, Black History, Chess, Gender Equity, Mentoring.
➡️ Get the Queen of Katwe Discussion Guide.
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind
- Pair it with: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, also available in Young Reader and Picture Book editions.
- For grades 6 and up.
- Themes: Black Excellence, Black History, Character, Climate Change, Desertification, Engineering and Activism, Wind Power.
- Lesson Plan Subjects: Economics, Engineering, English Language Arts, Environmental Science, Film Studies, Physics, Service Learning, Social Studies, World History.
- Noteworthy: This are a great resources for boosting student engagement in science classes.
➡️ Get The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind Curriculum Guide and Discussion Guide.
The Neighborhood Storyteller
- Pair it with: Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out by Muzoon Almellehan and Wendy Pearlman.
- For grades 5 and up.
- Themes: Gender Equity and Education Access; Importance of Education; Reading, Literacy and Storytelling; Refugees; Syria; Grassroots Work, Life Skills, and Future Vision.
- This film discussion guide features Essential Question and Discussion Questions to explore the film and story individually as well as their thematic connections.
- Noteworthy: These resources make a power combination with He Named Me Malala and Malala Yousafzai’s autobiography.
➡️ Get The Neighborhood Storyteller Discussion Guide.
More Film and Book Pairings for Elementary School Learners (and up)
- Disney’s Hidden Figures, about the Black women mathematicians of the 1960s NASA space program, and the book it was based on, Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly; also available in Young Reader (for ages 8-12) and Picture Book editions (for ages 4-8). For grades 4 and up.
- National Geographic’s Jane, about Dr. Jane Goodall, and any of the many excellent books about her, including picture books. For grades 3 and up.
- The Cup, about young Tibetan refugee monks with a passion for soccer, and writer-director Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s online memoir-in-progress Mugwort-born. Rated G for all ages.
- Whale Rider, about a Māori girl who challenges tradition to pursue her destiny, and the book it was based on, The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera. For grades 5 and up.
Book and Film Pairings for Middle School Learners (and up)
Bridge of Spies
- Pair it with: Strangers on a Bridge by James B. Donovan.
- Film rating: PG-13.
- Themes: US history, Cold War, espionage, legal careers.
- Noteworthy: These are great materials to teach with in an election year.
➡️ Get the Bridge of Spies Discussion Guide.
Chevalier
- Pair it with: African Europeans: An Untold History by Olivette Otele.
- Film rating: PG-13.
- Themes: French Revolution, Black Excellence, Classical Music, Race and Identity, Women and Patriarchy.
➡️ Get the Chevalier Discussion Guide.
Greener Pastures
- Pair it with: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- For grades 6 and up
- Themes: Farming — Small Farms, Family Farms, Independent Farms, Midwest Farmers; Mental Health and Wellness — Hardship, Coping Strategies, and Resilience; Family Traditions; Soil and Food; Health; Community Action and Engagement.
➡️ Get the Greener Pastures Discussion Guide.
He Named Me Malala
- Pair it with: Malala Yousafzai’s memoir I am Malala.
- For ages 12+.
- Themes: Gender Equity and Education Access; Importance of Education; The Influence of Family; Pakistan; Religious Extremism; Activism and Engagement.
- Lesson Plan Subjects: Community Service, Economics, English Language Arts, Film Literacy, Geography, Health, Social Studies, Sociology, Speech/Communication, World History.
- Noteworthy: These resources make a power combination with The Neighborhood Storyteller and Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out.
➡️ Get the He Named Me Malala Curriculum Guide and Discussion Guide.
Meshes of the Afternoon
- Pair it with: The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- For Grades 9+.
- This film discussion guide features Essential Question and Discussion Questions to explore the film and story individually as well as their thematic connections.
- Noteworthy: Our Meshes of the Afternoon resources include a bell ringer activity
➡️ Get the Meshes of the Afternoon Discussion Guide.
More Film and Book Pairings for Middle School Learners (and up)
- Big Sonia, about Holocaust Survivor / Holocaust Educator Sonia Warshawski, and Night by Elie Wiesel. For ages 12 and up.
Book and Film Pairings for High School Learners (and up)
Navalny
- Pair it with: Alexei Navalny’s posthumous memoir Patriot (launching October 2024).
- Film rating: R for language. Common Sense Media rates Navalny as appropriate for ages 14+. Our resources are appropriate for high school students.
- Themes Russia — Navalny and Putin; Civic Engagement — Political Corruption, Nationalism, Leadership; Data Tracking, State Surveillance, and the Role of Journalism; Social Media, Censorship, and Propaganda; State-Sanctioned Assassinations and Political Prisoners; Power — What Is Power? Who Has Power?
- Noteworthy: These are great resources for teaching with in an election year.
➡️ Get the Navalny Discussion Guides.
More Film and Book Pairings for High School Learners (and up)
- Schindler’s List and the book on which it was based, Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keneally. For ages 15+.
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