In honor of School Library Month in April and School Library Week April 7 to 13) we’re highlighting some of our favorite films that inspire a love of learning while they celebrate the critical importance of mentors and educators. These four films from our Global Education Series also encourage cross-cultural understanding, empathy, and knowledge of the people and environments around the world. They are great choices to fire up students and teachers alike, this month and all year long.
Like Stars on Earth
Acclaimed family film Like Stars on Earth (original title: Taare Zameen Par) explores the life and imagination of an artistically-gifted boy who struggles with dyslexia until his new art teacher helps him to thrive. It’s a heartwarming story about how a teacher can transform the life of a student and what students can achieve when they receive the support they need. We offer a Like Stars on Earth Curriculum Guide with nine classroom-ready lessons across ten subjects. For grades 4-12.
He Named Me Malala
Acclaimed documentary He Named Me Malala charts the journey of Malala Yousafzai as an 11-year-old blogger detailing her experiences in the Swat Valley of Pakistan for the BBC, the assassination attempt against her at 15, and her determined rise as an education and human rights advocate. We offer a Curriculum Guide and a Discussion Guide for this film, that both explore Malala’s inspirational story and celebrate the importance of education. Many educators pair this film with Malala’s biography I Am Malala in English Language Arts and Social Studies classes. For grades 7-12.
The Neighborhood Storyteller
In award-winning documentary The Neigbhorhood Storyteller, a young Syrian mother in Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp empowers young girls through transformative reading circles, igniting hope and change. The film celebrates the importance of reading and sharing stories to find one’s voice. Our Discussion Guide explores the topics of Girls and Education, as well as Reading, Literacy and Storytelling. The Guide also features a Literary Connection with Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out by Muzoon Almellehan with Wendy Pearlman, and includes discussion questions about the connections between the book and the film. For grades 9-12 and higher education.
Queen of Katwe
Hit Disney Movie Queen of Katwe is based on the inspiring true story of Phiona Mutesi, a young girl selling corn on the streets of rural Uganda whose world rapidly changes when she meets Robert Katende who introduces her to the game of chess. With the support of her family, her community and Katende as her coach and mentor, she is determined to pursue her dream of becoming an international chess champion. Our free Discussion Guide helps students learn more about Phiona Mutesi and Robert Katende, and explores the power and potential of mentoring young people. The film is based on the book The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl’s Rise from an African Slum by Tim Crothers, for a powerful film and book pairing. For grades 9-12.
Bring Refugee Stories To Your Classroom
The global plight of migrants, refugees and displaced persons is a growing and urgent contemporary issue that teachers increasingly seek to address in their classrooms. Our teaching materials are designed to support students to practice compassion and humility and make meaningful attempts to understand why refugees flee their homes, what their lives are like, and how everyday people can get involved to help. We warmly recommend the following film guides with lessons across the curriculum to provide a personal perspective on refugees’ experiences to engage and inspire your students.
He Named Me Malala
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 life as a displaced person.
The Cup, a feature film about a young Tibetan Buddhist monk living as a refugee in India who develops a passion for the World Cup. Our The Cup Curriculum Guide includes a social studies / current events lesson about refugees. For grades 4-12.
April is Stress Awareness Month. Films can be powerful tools for alleviating stress and also for teaching about stress awareness, resilience, emotional regulation and coping strategies! We recommend the following lessons in our film guides to help you teach about stress and mental wellness with film.
Award-winning documentary Happy explores The Psychology of Happiness. The Happy Curriculum Guide is a great tool to bolster social emotional learning (SEL).
The Discussion Guide for Youth v Gov, about the young people suing the US government for the right to a safe climate, includes a great section for launching discussions about Climate Anxiety and coping strategies, as well as empowering sections on Climate Justice and Climate Activism.
For Grades 8-12 + Higher Education
Our Learning Guide for Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, about gunshot survivor turned gun violence activist Gabby Giffords, includes a section on the impact of gun violence on Mental Health which features prompts for personal reflection and for discussion, as well as extension activities.
For Grades 9-12 + Higher Education
Greener Pastures follows four midwestern farming families in an underdog story of perseverance and determination. The Greener Pastures Discussion Guide is a great springboard for discussing stress, mental health, and resilience.
For Grades 10-12 + Higher Education
Defiant Requiem, about how prisoners at Therienstadt (Terezin) concentration camp used art and music as tools of survival and resistance, features a lesson on Art and Resilience.
The Dhamma Brothers, about a meditation program in an Alabama prison, includes an experiential lesson, Introduction to Meditation, which pairs well with the mediation section in The Story of God. The Dhamma Brother curriculum guide also features lessons on the mental and physical effects of meditation.
Teach with Film for World Health Day 2024
April 7 is World Health Day. The World Health Day theme for 2024 is ‘My health, my right’, to champion the importance of healthcare for all, as well as safe and healthy living conditions including safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination.
We recommend the following films plus our free teaching guides for teaching about the intersection of individual health, public health, and human rights:
Wadjda and Whale Rider, about gender equity in contemporary society.
These teaching materials are available for free to help you teach about the complex social issues that affect individual health and public health — today and all year round.
Teach Math with Film for Math and Stats Month
Did you know you can teach math with film? For Mathematics and Statistics Month in April, we’re highlighting some of our favorite math teaching tools. Our free film teaching guides feature classroom-ready lesson plans across the curriculum suitable for grade 4 all the way to grade 12 — including math lessons!
Our most popular math lesson is part of our Hidden Figures Curriculum Guide, about The Math of Space Travel: Orbits and Conic Sections, for grades 9 to 12. You can download the full Hidden Figures guide from our library, or get this lesson on its own from Share My Lesson.
Children of Heaven features two math lessons: Lesson 8: Keeping Secrets and Lesson 9: Iran: The Land of Earthquakes.
Please Vote for MeLesson 4 introduces students to Integer Calculations with Chinese Number Rods.
The CupLesson 9 looks at the math of The Value of Money.
The Way Home Lesson 9 teaches students about Using Graphs.
Whale Rider Lesson 9 shows students how to Count the Uncountable with Fermi problems, using examples from the film.
Get your free math lesson plans from our library and liven up your math classes today!
7 Essential Teaching Tools for Genocide Education
April is Genocide Awareness Month in the US and Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month in Canada. We recommend the following film and teaching guide pairings to support you in teaching genocide education this month and all year round.
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 7-12.
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 9-12.
Schindler’s List includes our newly updated lesson about anti-semitism 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 on its own from our Schindler’s List page and also from Share My Lesson. For grades 9-12, Higher Education and Adult Education.
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 work well in a wide range of settings and are free for everyone.
In addition, we recommend our webinar about Anti-Bias Education: Using Media to Foster Critical Thinking and Combat Antisemitism and Islamophobia. 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.
Teach about Public Health with Film in April
April is full of opportunities to engage your students about public health:
The Invisible Shield is a powerful teaching tool for exploring the importance of public health and public health workers, the critical role of immunizations in public health, and the urgency of addressing public health inequities to make healthcare available for all.
The free Journeys in Film discussion guide for The Invisible Shield offers questions to encourage critical thinking, powerful discussion, and expanded understanding of public health. This 4-part docuseries is a great way to get students excited about careers in STEM fields and public health. For grades 11-12, higher education, community groups, and general public use.
The Invisible Shield series and learning guide were made possible by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
In Memoriam: Alexei Navalny
Alexei Navalny was the subject of the 2022 Oscar-winning documentary NAVALNY, part of the Journeys in Film collection.
We are deeply saddened to learn that Russian anti-corruption campaigner and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is dead. Navalny died as a political prisoner in a Siberian penal colony on February 16, 2024.
Journeys in Film had the privilege of creating teaching resources for Oscar-winning documentary NAVALNY which chronicles Alexei Navalny’s life. NAVALNY speaks to a world transformed by Russia, its war in Ukraine, and the growing and treacherous threat of authoritarianism around the world.
Our Navalny Learning Guide and our Navalny Discussion Guide, like all of our education resources, are available to the public for free. Educators and community groups may find these materials helpful to accompany viewings of the film as you discuss current events.
As Putin’s brand of authoritarianism wreaks havoc on the world, the urgency of the message of NAVALNY is more critical than ever. For this is not just the story of Alexei Navalny and Russia, but a rallying cry to remind the world of the importance of free speech and a free press to counter dictatorship and uphold democracy. “Evil is only able to proliferate if good people do nothing, so don’t be inactive,” Navalny warns at the end of the film.
Our hearts go out to the Navalny family and their loved ones.
