Simplify your school year with classroom-ready lesson plans from Journeys in Film! Our free curriculum guides for award-winning films contain ready-to-teach lessons for elementary, middle school, and high school instruction.
Our lesson plans are created by teams of area experts and instructional designers to boost student engagement and teach critical thinking across the curriculum. The lesson plans feature handouts, classroom activities, and experiential lessons. The lessons align with Common Core standards and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Featured Lesson Plans
Anti-Bias Education
Teach about contemporary antisemitism to grades 9-12 plus higher ed. Lesson Eight of our Schindler’s List Curriculum Guide explores contemporary Anti-semitism and its connections with white supremacy. This lesson is also available as a standalone download from our Schindler’s List page. This is a powerful resource for teaching anti-bias education, social emotional learning and media literacy which we highly recommend to Social Studies teachers.
Civics
Teach about the principles of elections and democracy to grades 6-8. Lesson Two of our Please Vote for Me Curriculum Guide explores the values that are essential for a functioning democracy and what happens when elections are not well run. This non-partisan teaching tool is a great educational resource for election years that can be adapted to use with students of different ages.
Mathematics
Yes, you can teach math with film! Teach how to calculate percentages for grades 6-8. Lesson Four of our Like Stars on Earth Curriculum Guide explores fractions, decimals, and percents to demystify how teachers calculate the student averages for grading their classes.
Science
Teach science to grades 5-7. Lesson Eight of our Whale Rider Curriculum Guide is all about the science of how whales communicate with echolocation. The lesson includes a fun science activity that will get students on their feet and engaging with these science principles.
Visual Arts
Teach visual arts to high school students. Lesson Three of our Rebel Hearts Curriculum Guide features a hands-on visual arts lesson for grades 9-12, inspired by the dynamic pop art of Corita Kent.
Free Curriculum Guide Index
We also offer curriculum guides for the following award-winning documentaries, feature films, docu-series and short films with lessons on a range of subjects:
- Big Sonia – English Language Arts, Film Literacy, Human Development, Psychology, Social Studies;
- Children of Heaven – Art, Cross-Cultural Understanding, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Media Literacy, Science, Social Studies, Visual Literacy;
- Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops – Biology, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Service Learning;
- Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution – Civics, English Language Arts, Film Studies, Government, Media Literacy, Social Studies;
- Defiant Requiem – English Language Arts, European History, Music, Music History, Political Science, Psychology, Visual Literacy, World History;
- Happy – Career Readiness, English Language Arts, Health, Psychology;
- He Named Me Malala – Community Service, Economics, English Language Arts, Film Literacy, Geography, Health, Social Studies, Sociology, Speech/Communication, World History;
- Hidden Figures – Career Readiness, English Language Arts, Film Literacy, Geometry, U.S. History, Mathematics, Physics, Programming, Science, Social Studies;
- Just Mercy – Civics, English Language Arts, Film Literacy, Government, U.S. History;
- Landfill Harmonic – Community Service, English Language Arts, Environmental Science, Music, Social Studies;
- Like Stars on Earth – Arts, Cross-Cultural Understanding, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Media Literacy, Music History, Science, Social Studies, Visual Arts, Visual Literacy;
- One Strange Rock – Biology, Chemistry, Creative Writing, Earth Science, English, General Science, Geology, History, Physics, Social Studies;
- Please Vote for Me – Civics, Cross-Cultural Understanding, English Language Arts, Film Literacy, Geography, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Visual Arts, World History;
- Rebel Hearts – Art History, U.S. History, Visual Arts / Studio Art, World Religions;
- River of Gold – Anthropology, Biology, Community Service Learning, Computer Science, Economics, English Language Arts, Environmental Science, Geography, Photography, Social Studies, World History;
- Schindler’s List – English Language Arts, Film Literacy, History, Social Studies, Speech/Communication, World History;
- Summer of Soul – Current Events, Economics, English Language Arts, Film Literacy, Music, Sociology, Speech/Communication, U.S. History;
- The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind – Economics Engineering, English Language Arts, Environmental Science, Film Studies, Physics, Service Learning, Social Studies, World History;
- The Cup – Cross-Cultural Understanding, Current Events, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Media Literacy, Science, Social Studies, Visual Arts;
- The Dhamma Brothers – Anatomy, Biology, English Literature, Film Literacy, Health, History, Neurology, Physiology, Psychology, Religious Studies; Social Studies;
- The Love Bugs – Biology, Life Science, Social-Emotional Learning; Visual Arts, Zoology;
- The Music of Strangers – English Language Arts, Film Literacy, History, Music, Social Studies, Visual Arts;
- The Post – Civics, English Language Arts, Drama/Theater, Film Literacy, Government, Journalism, Social Studies, US History,
- The Prophet – Art, Art History, English Language Arts, Philosophy, Social Studies;
- The Story of God – Cross-Cultural Understanding, English Language Arts, History, Religious Studies, Social Studies, World History, World Religions;
- The Way Home – Cross-Cultural Understanding, Economics, Mathematics, Media Literacy, Science, Social Studies, Visual Arts; Visual Literacy;
- Wadjda – English Language Arts, Film Literacy, Geography, Social Studies, World History, World Literature;
- Walden – Art, Art History, English Language Arts, Environmental Science, Mathematics, Media Literacy, Science U.S. History, Visual Arts;
- Whale Rider – Cross-Cultural Understanding, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Media Literacy, Science, Social Studies, Visual Arts, Visual Literacy;
- Youth v Gov – Civics, Economics, English Language Arts, Environmental Science, U.S. Government.
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