Celebrate Islam with film all year round with these global education films that center Muslim stories plus our free teaching guides.
Children of Heaven
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Free On-Demand Webinar: Anti-Bias Education: Using Media to Foster Critical Thinking and Combat Antisemitism and Islamophobia
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.
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.
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.
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.
Film is a powerful way to teach about global peoples and cultures. As part of our global education collection, we are pleased to offer two curriculum guides to help you teach about Iran with film.
Children of Heaven
Children of Heaven is a valuable resource for introducing students to The Islamic Republic of Iran. This contemporary Iranian film, shot in and around Tehran, follows two siblings who must work together to find a creative solution to deal with a missing pair of shoes. It’s a heartwarming film about families, compassion, moral responsibilities and issues of limited resources. Our Children of Heaven curriculum guide features a social studies lesson about the geography and culture of Iran for grades 6-8. This lesson is also available on its own from Share My Lesson. The full curriculum guide also features a country profile of Iran.
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 includes an exploration of the life and work of Iranian musician Kayhan Kalhor. After the Iranian Revolution, Kalhor moved to Europe and Canada, and eventually immigrated to the United States. His work reflects both the folk melodies of Kurdish Iran and classical Iranian music. Our curriculum guide for The Music of Strangers features a lesson on the pivotal historic event of the Iranian Revolution, and its lasting effects on Iranian culture.
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 Iranian culture, history and current events in context for your classroom discussions.
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.
Celebrate Islam with film all year round with these global education films that center Muslim stories plus our free teaching guides.
Children of Heaven
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
National Geographic’s docuseries The Story of God with Morgan Freeman sheds a brilliant light on the remarkable and unmistakable similarities among different faiths.
In 
National Geographic’s docuseries 