Music in Our Schools Month: Teach with Film

In a still photo from Disney's Chevalier, actor Kelvin Harrison Jr appears as the title character Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint Georges. The attractive Black musician stands on stage in a triumph pose, arms outstretched, holding a bow and violin. He is surrounded by seated white musicians. Text says: "Teach with Film for Music In Our Schools Month".
March is Music in Our Schools Month. Celebrate with these beautiful films plus our free lesson plans to boost student engagement across the curriculum including Music Education, Language Arts, Social Studies, History, Environmental Science and more! For grades 5 and up.

Five Great Films to Teach for Music in Our Schools Month

Disney’s hit film Chevalier was inspired by the true story of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the historic Black violinist, composer and fencer at the court of Marie Antoinette. The Chevalier Discussion Guide explores Joseph Bologne’s legacy, as well as the impact of music and the arts on social and cultural revolutions. For high school.

Powerful Holocaust Education film Defiant Requiem chronicles how prisoners at Theresienstadt (Terezin) concentration camp used music and the arts as a tool of resilience and resistance. The Defiant Requiem Curriculum Guide includes lessons on Verdi and his requiem, and also on the psychology of art and resilience. For grades 6 and up.

Landfill Harmonic is an inspiring documentary about the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, the Paraguayan classical music group that plays instruments made entirely out of upcycled garbage. The Landfill Harmonic Curriculum Guide includes a lesson all about this amazing youth orchestra. For grades 5-10.

Summer of Soul documents the extraordinary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, in an epic celebration of Black history, culture and fashion. The Summer of Soul Curriculum Guide introduces students to iconic Black musicians of the 1960s. It also features an activity where students plan their own music festival. For grades 9-12.

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble presents a vivid portrait of a bold musical experiment and a global search for the ties that bind that brings together musicians and artists from around the world. The Music of Strangers Curriculum Guide features a lesson on ancient instruments and a printable PDF about traditional instruments around the world. For grades 9-10.

Plan Ahead

In addition to Music in Our Schools Month, these films can also be great choices to teach with for Classical Music Month in September,  International Music Day on October 1, and Violin Day on December 13.

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Teach with Oscar Movies

Teach with Oscar movies to boost student engagement across the curriculum! We are proud to offer free, classroom-ready lesson plans and discussion guides to make it easy to teach with Oscar winners and Oscar-nominated films.

Bridge of Spies

Bridge of Spies received six nominations. They were for Best Supporting Actor (Mark Rylance), Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Production Design and Best Sound Mixing. Our Bridge of Spies Discussion Guide  explores the Cold War and implications for today.

Crip Camp

Crip Camp was nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film in 2021. Our Crip Camp Discussion Guide explores the history-making 504 Sit-In. We also offer a Crip Camp Curriculum Guide, featuring a powerful anti-bias education lesson on language and ableism.

Children of Heaven

Children of Heaven received a Best Foreign Language Film nomination in 1999. It is a relatable, touching film about siblings in Iran. Our Children of Heaven Curriculum Guide offers opportunities to teach about Iran as well as the science of earthquakes and more.

Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures received three nominations in 2017. They were for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer). Our Hidden Figures Curriculum Guide is our most downloaded film guide. We also offer a Hidden Figures Discussion Guide.

Navalny

Navalny won the 2023 Oscar for Best Documentary. This political thriller 2023 Oscar Winner for Best Documentary Feature follows follows the late Russian opposition leader and democracy activist Alexei Navalny in his quest to identify the men who poisoned him in August 2020.  We offer two resources for this acclaimed film: a Navalny Discussion Guide and a Navalny Learning Guide.

Schindler’s List

Schindler’s List, one of the first films we created resources for, dominated the Oscars in 1994. The film received 7 wins and a total of 11 nominations.

Wins include: Best Picture, Best Director (Steven Spielberg), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction (Set), Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score).

Nominations include: Best Actor (Liam Neeson), Best Supporting Actor (Ralph Fiennes), Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Makeup.

Our Schindler’s List Curriculum Guide features 8 lessons. Our updated Antisemitism lesson is now available, in our special edition Schindler’s List 30th anniversary guide or as a standalone lesson (from the same page). It pairs well with our Navalny Learning Guide section on propaganda.

Summer of Soul

Summer of Soul won the 2022 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film. Our Summer of Soul Curriculum Guide introduces students to iconic Black musicians of the 1960s and also explores US History, Music, Current Events, Economics, Film Literacy, Language Arts, Sociology and Speech.

The Post

The Post received two nominations: Best Actress (Meryl Streep) and Best Picture in 2018. Our 8-lesson curriculum guide for The Post features a lesson on fake news.

Whale Rider

The beautiful New Zealand film Whale Rider garnered Māori actress Keisha Castle Hughes a Best Actress nomination in 2004.  Our Whale Rider Curriculum Guide offers resources on exploring Maori culture as well as math, science, media literacy and more.

What to Teach in March

Let’s make March easy! Get classroom-ready resources to teach with film across the curriculum for Women’s History Month, Music in Our Schools Month, Pi Day (yes, you can teach math with film!), Ramadan, World Poetry Day and more!

March Special Event Highlights

Women’s History Month: Free Resources for Women’s History Month + our new Women’s History Resource Collection

Music in Our Schools Month: Chevalier, Defiant Requiem, Landfill Harmonic, Summer of Soul, The Music of Strangers

Ramadan: Teach about Islam with Film

March 14 Pi Day: Teach Math with Film

March 20 International Day of Happiness: Happy (the Happy movie!)

March Monthly Teaching Themes

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month: Crip Camp 

Gender Equality Month + Equal Pay Day falls in March (the date changes each year): Films with Gender Equity-themed lessons – He Named Me Malala, Hidden Figures, Jane, Rebel HeartsThe Neighborhood Storyteller.

National Reading Month: Boost Student Engagement with Film and Book Pairings

March Weekly Teaching Themes

Brain Awareness Week March 10-16, 2025 : Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down – Aphasia, Happy – The Psychology of Happiness, Like Stars on Earth – How the Brain Works, The Dhamma Brothers – Meditation and the Brain

LGBTQ Health Awareness Week March 17-21: Finding Pride, The Invisible Shield

Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination  March 21-27  +  March 21 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: Chevalier, Hidden Figures, Just Mercy, LA92, Summer of Soul, The Dhamma Brothers, Unzipped, Youth v Gov
*History teachers may also find our Black History Lesson collection helpful.

March Special Teaching Days

March 1 Zero Discrimination Day: What Are Prejudice, Stereotyping And Discrimination? (Video), The Invisible Shield (about social inequities and public health)

March 1 Read Across America Day: Boost Student Engagement with Film and Book Pairings

March 3 World Wildlife Day: Jane, River of Gold — or check out our Celebration of Nature Collection which introduces students to Bugs, Chimpanzees and the Natural World of the Amazon, with resources for grades 3 to 7.

March 4 World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development: The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

March 5 (2025)* Equal Pay Day: Hidden Figures, Jane.

*This date changes each year.

March 8 International Women’s Day: Women’s History Resources + 10 Documentary Films That Celebrate Women of Faith

March 14 Hindu Festival of Holi (2025): The Story of God 

March 15 International Day to Combat Islamophobia: Countering Islamophobia Through Film, 10 Documentary Films That Celebrate Women of Faith (includes great films about women in Islam).

March 15 World Consumer Rights Day: River of Gold (about consumer rights to ethically sourced gold)

March 15 International Long Covid Awareness Day: The Invisible Shield

March 19 National Agriculture DayGreener Pastures

March 21 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: Chevalier, Hidden Figures, Just Mercy, LA92, Summer of Soul, The Dhamma Brothers, Unzipped
*History teachers may also find our Black History Lesson collection helpful.

March 21 World Poetry Day: The Prophet

March 21 International Day of Forests: Learn about Forests for Earth Day and Every Day

March 22 World Water Day: River of Gold

March 23 Earth Hour: Environmental Studies Collection

March 23 World Meteorological Day: Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops

March 30 International Day of Zero Waste: Landfill Harmonic

March 30 Doctor’s Day: The Invisible Shield

March 31 International Day of Transgender Visibility: Finding Pride

Teach about Islam with Film

Celebrate Islam with film all year round with these global education films that center Muslim stories plus our free teaching guides.

Children of Heaven

The film poster for Children of Heaven appears over an orange background. Th poser shows silhouettes of a boy and girl under a blue sky full of goldfish. Vertical white text says "Celebrate Islam with Film."

Children of Heaven follows an Iranian brother and sister and their adventures over a lost pair of shoes. The film showcases both modern and tradition Tehran and portrays a loving family trying to do their best.

Our free Children of Heaven Curriculum Guide for grades 4-12 includes an introduction to the Islamic Republic of Iran

He Named Me Malala

The poster for He Named Me Malala appears over a hot pink background. The poster shows Malala as a young girl in a deep pink headscarf over an illustration of an open book whose pages turn into birds and fly away. White vertical text on the side says: "Celebrate Islam with Film."

He Named Me Malala follows events leading up to the Taliban’ attack on Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai for speaking out on girls’ education, followed by the aftermath, including her speech to the United Nations.

Our free He Named Me Malala Curriculum Guide for grades 7-12 includes a lesson about examining Malala’s iconic Nobel Peace Prize address.

The Neighborhood Storyteller

The film poster for The Neighborhood Storyteller appears over a bright green background. The poster shows Asmaa Rashed, a young Syrian woman, in khaki hijab, looking off camera with a serious expression. Vertical white text along the side says: "Celebrate Islam with Film."In The Neigbhorhood Storyteller, a young Syrian woman in a refugee camp in Jordan embarks on a read-aloud project to raise a new generation of successful young women.

Our The Neighborhood Storyteller Teaching Guide features connections to Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out by Muzoon Almellehan with Wendy Pearlman, for educators interested in doing a film-book pairing for grades 5-12.

Wadjda

The film poster for Wadjda appears over a deep purple background. The poster shows a young Saudi girl, bare-headed, tying the purple shoelaces o her hightop sneaker. White vertical text along the side says: "Celebrate Islam with Film".In Wadjda, a young Saudi girl signs up for her school’s Quran recitation competition as a way to raise the funds she needs in order to buy the bicycle of her dreams.

Our free Wadjda Curriculum Guide for grades 6-12 features a lesson with an introduction to the Quran.

The Story of God

The film poster for The Story of God with Morgan Freeman appears over a yellow background. The posters shows Morgan Freeman seated in a relaxed pose in front of a wall covered in religious symbols. Black vertical text along the side says: "Celebrate Islam with Film."National Geographic’s docuseries The Story of God with Morgan Freeman sheds a brilliant light on the remarkable and unmistakable similarities among different faiths.

The section on Islam in our free The Story of God Curriculum Guide for or grades 4-12 includes an introduction to Muslim beliefs and practices, highlights arts of the Islamic world, explores Islamic empires, and examines Islam’s rich contributions to science.

 

Related Resources

Collage of film posters over colorful backgrounds for The Neighborhood Storyteller, Children of Heaven, He Named Me Malala, and Wadjda. On the left side, vertical text says: "Celebrate Islam with Film." The Journeys in Film logo is at the bottom.

Journeys in Film is a Top SML Resource of 2024

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We’re thrilled that our article on Creating a Calm Classroom is part of the Best of Share My Lesson 2024!

Check out these free tools and resources to help students manage big feelings:

Creating a Calm Classroom at Share My Lesson.

More of the Best at Share My Lesson

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Journeys in Film has been honored to place in the top ten most popular resources of the year at Share My Lesson for three years in a row.

Our article about Creating Safe Spaces for Student Engagement with Difficult Topics, by Executive Director Jen Fischer, was a top ten Share My Lesson Resource in 2023.

Our lesson plan for Teaching about Civil Rights with Summer of Soul was the #1 Share My Lesson Partner Content of 2022!

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About Share My Lesson

Created and maintained by the American Federation of Teachers, Share My Lesson is a community of teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel, specialized instructional support personnel, higher education faculty, and parents and caregivers who contribute content, collaborate, and stay up to date on the issues that matter to students and educators everywhere.

About Journeys in Film

Journeys in Film believes in the storytelling power of film to educate the most visually literate generation in history. Since 2003, Journeys in Film has been pioneering the use of film for interdisciplinary lessons in the classroom. We also develop discussion guides for films for powerful films designed to work in multiple settings, such as classroom discussions, after-school clubs, community screenings, college classes, adult education and more. All of the Journeys in Film educational resources are cost-free. Learn more about partnering with Journeys in Film.

 

Teach Holocaust Education with Film

We’re excited to share our new step-by-step guide on how to Teach Holocaust Education with Film. From award-winning documentaries to tools for fostering critical discussions, these resources help educators teach the Holocaust authentically, inspire empathy, and honor the lessons of history.

Holocaust Education Guide Highlights

1. Getting Ready to Teach Holocaust Education: instructional foundations & teaching tools for teaching Holocaust Education with Film.

2. Teaching with Holocaust Education Films: Award-winning films about the Holocaust with classroom-ready lesson plans.

3. Wrapping Up Your Holocaust Education Class: Tools for helping students process big feelings when you teach Holocaust Education.

4. When to Teach Holocaust Education: A Holocaust Education Calendar, of opportunities for sharing Holocaust Education films with your education community.

We hope the resources we have shared here will make it easy for teachers to bring Holocaust Education alive in the classroom and boost student engagement with this important subject.

Read the full article at Share my Lesson: Teaching Holocaust Education with Film.

PS We’re honored that our article was featured in the Share My Lesson newsletter!On the left, text says: "Journeys in Film: Teaching Holocaust Education with Film Have you tried teaching with film? Get ideas for teaching about the Holocaust using films to transform history lessons that drive home the enormity of this historical genocide in age-appropriate ways." On the right there is a colorful photo of Sonia Warshawski, an elderly Jewish-American woman and Holocaust Survivor. Text over the image says, "If I reach one heart, I accomplish something. - Big Sonia."

 

Inspire Your Heart With Art

January 31 is National Inspire Your Heart With Art Day! To celebrate, we’re highlighting our favorite film-based art lessons for elementary and middle school.

Like Stars on Earth: Explore Indian Block Printed Textiles. Grades 5-8.

Please Vote For Me: Make your own Chinese Papercuts Folk Art. Grades 5-8.

The Cup: Learn about Tibetan Mandala Art and make your own! Grades 5-8.

The Love Bugs: Learn how to make a bug kite! Grades 2-4.

The Way Home: Discover Korean Fighter Shield Kites. Grades 5-8.

We hope these lessons will inspire your students hearts with art while teaching empathy, compassion, and global understandig.

 

 

We Are Here For You

A Message from our Executive Director

For many of us and our communities, this year has begun with loss, uncertainty, and other difficult challenges. Journeys works with many educators and film professionals in Los Angeles, where the effects of multiple wildfires are devastating. Others beyond L.A. may also be affected by these events as reminders of experiences with climate disasters, relocation, or housing insecurity. Many vulnerable and systemically oppressed communities are feeling the weight and worry of a world full of hostility. At Journeys, we are feeling all of these things, too.

We want to thank you for your commitment to supporting your students, colleagues, and communities. We know that you are working to create classroom and community spaces that are safe and welcoming, a respite no matter the circumstances. We appreciate that this is incredibly difficult work.

We stand with you in this commitment to classroom safety and community. We will continue to provide free resources that not only meet educational standards, but more importantly, that focus on empathy, compassion, global understanding, and connection.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us regarding our work and your needs. The best way to connect with us is through email. You can reach me directly at je******@************lm.org. We are incredibly grateful to be connected to each and every one of you and appreciate all that you do.

Jennifer Fischer
Executive Director
Journeys in Film

Windows and Mirrors: Building Belonging Through Literary Perspective

When I first learned about the idea of windows and mirrors in literature, I felt a lightning bolt of recognition. As an English teacher, I appreciate when my class has a shared language around the semester’s enduring questions. Learning a concept early on and returning to it as a metaphor throughout the class discussion and textual investigations, we strengthen early knowledge until it becomes part of our natural conversation that builds community and a sense of belonging. 

Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s windows and mirror concept presents a simple way to explain and visualize much of what I had studied and believed but clunkily explained in class:

Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us and in that reflection, we can see our lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirror in books.

I use this metaphor when I begin planning a unit or syllabus, asking myself if I am providing both windows and mirrors to my students, and I consider how they might interact with the variety of texts. It is an imperfect science, of course, but my reading and film lists have grown in diversity of perspectives in affirming ways. 

Students catch the metaphor and make it their own immediately. In class discussion, we take a moment to track our readings and consider individually and collectively whether a text is a window or mirror. If we are leaning heavily towards one or the other, we brainstorm what kinds of stories we might add to balance out the metaphor. 

In classes with older students, we do media audits, recoding and categorizing what we read, watch, listen to, and swipe through, noting how many mirrors and windows are in our feed. This exercise is not about shaming or guilting students for what they enjoy; it is to notice and raise awareness so they can become informed and conscientious transmedia consumers. Teachers can participate with students and model the process. It is also helpful to share (or even display if appropriate) some of the cultural content students reported and challenge them to add something from another’s list. 

A large rectangular mirror in an ornate metal frame hangs on a dark grey wall. The image is sturdy and reassuring.

Adopting and sharing this lens with my students has nurtured a sense of belonging in the classroom. More than once, I have students stay after class to express excitement that we are reading about characters or topics that reflect their world. For some of them it is shocking. However, it is important to note that this content expansion should not happen in a vacuum. It is imperative to include students’ perspectives and opinions when choosing materials. I ask them directly and listen closely for recommendations on subjects or stories that have been impactful or transformative in their lives. I also listen to them through in-class writing, casual conversations, and student-to-student discussions. This process has helped ensure I do not offer a banquet of personal mirrors based on my likes. Instead, we build a class filled with windows that stream in light, allowing us to see ourselves and each other more clearly.

Journeys in Film has created a free printable Windows and Mirrors worksheet that can be used in media audits. Get it from our Teacher Toolkbox.

Lean more about this framework in Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors [pdf] by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop 

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Written by Amy Bowers

Violin Day Teaching Resources

Looking for ways to teach with film for Violin Day on December 13? Celebrate Violin Day with these beautiful films featuring violins and violinists plus our free teaching guides with lesson plans that cover subjects across the curriculum including Music Education, Language Arts, Social Studies, History, Environmental Science and more!

Four Great Films to Teach About Violins and Music

Disney’s hit film Chevalier was inspired by the true story of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the revolutionary Black violinist, composer and fencer at the court of Marie Antoinette. The Chevalier Discussion Guide explores Joseph Bologne’s legacy, as well as the impact of music and the arts on social and cultural revolutions. For high school.

Defiant Requiem, a powerful Holocaust Education film, chronicles how prisoners at Theresienstadt (Terezin) concentration camp used music and the arts as a tool of resilience and resistance. The Defiant Requiem Curriculum Guide includes lessons on Verdi and his requiem, and also on the psychology of art and resilience. For grades 6 and up.

Landfill Harmonic is an inspiring documentary about the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, the Paraguayan classical music group that plays instruments made entirely out of upcycled garbage. The Landfill Harmonic Curriculum Guide includes a lesson all about this amazing youth orchestra. For grades 5-10.

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble presents a vivid portrait of a bold musical experiment and a global search for the ties that bind that brings together musicians and artists from around the world. The Music of Strangers Curriculum Guide features a lesson on ancient instruments and a printable PDF about traditional instruments around the world. For grades 9-10.

Plan Ahead

In addition to Violin Day on December 13, these films are also great choices to teach with for Music in Our Schools Month in March, Classical Music Month in September, and International Music Day on October 1.

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Teach about Syria with Film

Teach about Syria with film. Film is a powerful way to teach about global peoples and cultures. As part of our global education collection, we are pleased to offer free education resources to help you bring films to your classroom to teach about Syria.

The Neighborhood Storyteller

The Neighborhood Storyteller is a valuable resource for introducing students to Syria. This 59-minute documentary follows Asmaa Rashed, a young Syrian mother in Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp as she empowers young girls through transformative reading circles, igniting hope and change. This heartwarming film explores human resilience, the transition from child to adult and the capacity to turn hardships into an opportunity for self-growth.. Our The Neighborhood Storyteller Discussion Guide provides context and background about Syria. It also features connections to Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out by Muzoon Almellehan with Wendy Pearlman, for educators interested in doing a film-book pairing for grades 5-12.

This film is appropriate for grades 5 and up.  Learn more about teaching with The Neighborhood Storyteller.

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble is a powerful global education tool. This stunning documentary follows musicians, artists and storytellers from around the world as they explore the ways art can both preserve traditions and shape cultural evolution. The film highlights Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, an internationally renowned composer, performer, and recording artist. He performs in concerts to raise funds for humanitarian relief for Syrian refugees and has visited refugee camps to share his music. The film also introduces Syrian visual artist Kevork Mourad.  Azmeh and Mourad often perform together to help raise global awareness of the humanitarian crisis facing the people of Syria.  Our curriculum guide for The Music of Strangers features a lesson on The Ongoing Syrian Conflict and Humanitarian Crisis.

The Music of Strangers is rated PG-13. Learn more about teaching with The Music of Strangers.

We hope that educators will find these resources helpful for putting Syrian culture, history and current events in context in your classroom.

Related Resources

Learn more about bringing refugee stories to your classroom with film.

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Boost Student Engagement with Film & Book Pairings

 

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)
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: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb, also available in a Young Readers Edition. Or Malala’s Magic Pencil, the children’s book by Malala Yousafzai and illustrator Kerascoët.
  • 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.
  • 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)

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Can watching movies rewire your brain?

New Stanford research finds that when people lose themselves in a story, they become more empathetic:

“According to findings published Oct. 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, watching Just Mercy increased participants’ empathy for the recently incarcerated and decreased their enthusiasm for the death penalty.”
The Hollywood Reporter, October 23, 2024

You can read the Stanford findings published Oct. 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesFilm intervention increases empathic understanding of formerly incarcerated people and support for criminal justice reform.

We were honored to create the official Just Mercy Curriculum Guide & Student Learning Guide to make it easy to teach with this powerful film. Learn more about teaching with Just Mercy.

Filmmakers, if you want to harness the transformative power of film to increase empathy, talk to us about our customized impact materials and outreach programs.

5 Films That Celebrate Girls

Representation matters: it’s a powerful tool for creating empathy and understanding. Diverse film representation can act as both windows and mirrors for students, providing an opportunity to see into new perspectives and experiences, while also providing mirrors that reflect back affirmation and an expanded sense of possibility. We’re pleased to offer free teaching resources for award-winning documentaries and feature films with young female protagonists who students of all genders can relate to. These positive representations of girls can help to break down stereotypes, foster critical thinking about gender roles, and expand students’ ideas about what it means to be a girl.

He Named Me Malala

This BAFTA-winning documentary explores the events leading up to the Taliban’s attack on Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai for speaking out on girls’ education, followed by the aftermath, including her speech to the United Nations. We offer a He Named Me Malala Curriculum Guide with a lesson about Women’s Education, Health, and Economic Development. We also offer a He Named Me Malala Discussion Guide that explores  Global Status of Girls’ Secondary Education. For grades 7+.

Queen of Katwe

Hit Disney film Queen of Katwe follows the rise of young chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi from a slum in Uganda to become an international chess star. Our Queen of Katwe Discussion Guide deepens the experience of viewing this inspiring true story. For grades 5+.

The Neighborhood Storyteller

In compelling documentary The Neighborhood Storyteller, a Syrian refugee mother in Jordan’s Zaatari camp empowers young girls through transformative reading circles, igniting hope and change. Asmaa Rashed’s read-aloud project uses literature as a catalyst to expand the teenage girl participants’ horizons, nurture self-worth, and inspire them to envision a future filled with opportunities. Our discussion guide deepens engagement with these refugee girls’ stories and includes a section on Girls and Education. This must-watch film inspires students of all genders about the power of finding their own voice and the potential to change the world they live in. For grades 9-12.

Wadjda

This heart-warming feature film follows a young Saudi girl despite cultural norms about girls’ roles in society desperately wants the freedom of a bicycle. Our Wadjda Curriculum Guide introduces social constructions of gender, and also Saudi Arabia’s historic first woman film director Haifaa Al Mansour (the director of Wadjda). For grades 11-12.

Whale Rider

This acclaimed feature film from Aotearoa / New Zealand follows a young Māori girl who is determined to fulfill her destiny despite traditional gender barriers. (Wadjda and Whale Rider make a great global education double bill!) Our Whale Rider Curriculum Guide introduces explores culture and gender. For grades 6-8.

Related Resources

Teach Genocide Education with Film

Genocide education is more urgent and timely than ever. We recommend the following films and teaching guides to support you in mindfully teaching Holocaust education through film. These materials are  variously appropriate for elementary school, middle school and high school; they can also work well for higher education, adult education, public screenings and community group settings.

Instructional Foundations

Our webinar about Anti-Bias Education: Using Media to Foster Critical Thinking and Combat Antisemitism and Islamophobia sets you up for success with Holocaust Education and Genocide education. The session provides an overview of anti-bias teaching tools and as well as strategies for dealing with difficult classroom situations around these topics. This webinar is available free and on-demand through Share My Lesson. Participants can quality for one hour of PD-credit. Learn more about our Anti-Bias Education Webinar.

We also offer Facilitation Guidelines to create safe discussion spaces and lead productive explorations of difficult topics. These guidelines pair well with our film guides for classroom use. The guidelines apply to a wide range of settings and are free for everyone.

First-Person Stories

To help your students understand the impact of the Holocaust, consider using a film that focuses on an individual caught in the maelstrom of Nazism.

Big Sonia is about Holocaust survivor Sonia Warshawski, who was a Jewish teenager living in Poland when the German army invaded in the 1930s. She’s a woman who speaks to students and prison inmates about her story of unimaginable suffering — and she’s also a beacon of hope and resilience. For grades 7 and up.

Defiant Requiem: The Film is about a unique chapter in Holocaust history when prisoners used music and the arts to sustain their spirits and resist oppression at Terezín concentration camp. This film can be difficult to find but it makes a powerful teaching tool when it is available. For grades 6 and up.

Schindler’s List is a powerful Genocide Education tool in its own right. Our Schindler’s List curriculum guide also includes our newly updated lesson about Antisemitism in the contemporary world. The Antisemitism Today lesson works as a standalone teaching resource and can also pair with other Holocaust and Genocide Education resources. You can download Antisemitism Today its own from our Schindler’s List page and also from Share My Lesson. For grades 9 and up.

Expand the Scope

Our guide for The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Project features an engaging lesson on cultural preservation that is relevant to Holocaust and Genocide discussions. For grades 7 and up.

Our Navalny learning guide includes a powerful lesson on online propaganda that pairs well with our Antisemitism Today lesson (above) for bringing Genocide- and Holocaust Education into the present moment. For grades 9 and up.

We hope these resources can support you in honoring those whose lives were lost to genocides, honoring survivors and their families, and committing to education, remembrance and prevention.

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