Here are recommendations for two films that celebrate the power of bicycles — that students love! 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 after when his family falls behind on payments in drought-stricken Malawi. He becomes determined to help not only his family but a community facing famine — and builds a windmill out of scrap materials and bicycle parts. Students love this story of determination, STEM ingenuity, and of course the almighty bicycle. We offer a free curriculum guide with six classroom-ready lessons across 9 subjects in the both the sciences and humanities and also a discussion guide for The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind.
Common Sense Media rates this film as appropriate for ages 12+ and we recommend our reasources for grades 6 and up.
Learn more about teaching with The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind.
Wadjda
Wadjda tells the delightful story of a convention-defying Saudi girl whose heart is set on the impossible goal of getting a bicycle, from Saudi Arabia’s first woman director Haifaa Al Mansour. Our free Wadjda Curriculum Guide features six lessons that put Wadjda’s life as a young girl in modern Saudi Arabia into context, exploring Saudi geography and culture, as well as gender equity, and introduces the groundbreaking work of filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour.
Common Sense Media rates this film as appropriate for ages 9+. We recommend our Wadjda lesson plans for grades 6 and up.
Learn more about teaching with Wadjda.
Important Dates
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! These films that celebrate the power of bicycles are also a hit with students all year round.
Looking for more global education films? We also recommend Children of Heaven (Iran), Like Stars on Earth (India), Please Vote for Me (China), The Cup (Tibet), The Way Home (South Korea), and Whale Rider (Aotearoa / New Zealand).
