Category: Articles

Celebrate Families with Film
May 15, 2024

Films can be powerful classroom tools to explore the rich diversity of global families and family ties. We recommend coming of age dramas Children of Heaven, The Way Home, Wadjda, and Whale Rider. There is also a powerful section for discussing family traditions in our discussion guide for award-winning documentary Greener Pastures. Children of Heaven, about a young brother and sister on a quest for new shoes, is rated PG-13 and recommended for...

What to Teach in June
May 1, 2024

Whether you're planning ahead for what to teach in June or you're looking for last-minute June teaching ideas, we have suggestions for easy, classroom-ready lesson plans and discussion guides to help you teach with film. June Teaching Highlights June is Pride Month. Support LGBTQ students, colleagues and community members with Finding Pride. June is Gun Violence Awareness Month & June 7 is Gun Violence Awareness Day. Start productive...

Holocaust Education: 8 Essential Teaching Tools
May 1, 2024

Holocaust education is, sadly, more urgent and timely than ever. We recommend the following film and teaching guide pairings to support you in mindfully teaching Holocaust education through film this month and all year round. 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...

Films that Celebrate The Power of Bicycles
May 1, 2024

May is a great time to celebrate bicycles in the classroom! May is National Bike Month, plus May 5 is National Ride a Bike Day and  May 8 is National Walk Bike and Roll to School Day! Our global education film collection includes two films that students love about the power of bicycles: The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind and Wadjda. The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind In The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, 13-year-old son William is forced to leave school...

Teach Mental Health Awareness with Film
April 30, 2024

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 for grades 3-12. Mental Health Awareness Month  in May and Children's Mental Health Awareness Week May 5 – 12 are great times to teach with these films and they're also great all year...

What to Teach in May
April 26, 2024

Here are teaching ideas paired with free teaching resources for teachers and homeschoolers about what to teach with film in May! May Teaching Highlights Mental Health Awareness Month May 5 - 12 is also Children's Mental Health Awareness Week. We recommend these powerful lesson plans and experiential activities to support mental health and wellness all month long: Teach about Mental Health Awareness with Film for grades 4-12. Holocaust...

5 Powerful Documentaries with Spanish-Language Film Guides
April 22, 2024

Teach with film in Spanish! We're delighted to offer a range of film teaching guides in Spanish for compelling social impact films. Our Curriculum Guides / Guías Curriculares, Guías del Currículo y Plans de Estudio feature classroom-ready lesson plans across the curriculum, with handouts and activities all in Spanish. Our Discussion Guides / Guías de Discusión are designed to deepen the conversation around a film's subject and themes...

Get Students Excited about Service Learning with Film
April 14, 2024

Looking for service learning lessons and community service projects for your classroom? Film is a powerful tool to excite students about service learning: it provides an intimate and engaging look at the work of contemporary activists, many of whom are young people themselves, who are making a difference in the world. Our films show students that positive change is possible and the have the power to make an impact on the world around them in both...