Free Resources for Women’s History Month — The Power of Film
As we know, film is a powerful resource for engaging and inspiring students. These free resources for women’s history month all take advantage of the power of film. They include core-based lesson plans fully prepared and ready for immediate classroom use as they highlight the stories of women who are or were important changemakers, thought leaders, scholars, scientists and much more. We can’t wait for you to bring these powerful resources to your classroom.
Hidden Figures tells the story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. These women, known as “human computers,” worked for NASA in Langley, Virginia. Our FREE curriculum guide for this film features 8 lessons focusing on various topics. It is our most popular resource and features a lesson women in science. Additionally, we offer a free discussion guide available for this film as well.
He Named Me Malala is a dynamic documentary, featuring live action and animated sequences to tell the true life story of Malala Yousafzai. She was only 11 years old when she began detailing her experiences in Pakistan for the BBC. Unfortunately, her father received constant death threats, and terrorists shot and almost killed Malala herself. In spite of their efforts, she survived and continues to advocate for gender equity around the world. Her story, with our corresponding free discussion guide, inspires students. Our extensive curriculum guide explores the history of the Taliban, the geography of Pakistan, and much more.
JANE is a documentary film from National Geographic showcasing the important work of Jane Goodall. She was a pioneer in the field of primatology. We’ve created a free discussion guide for this film.
More Timely Women’s History Resources
Two of our newest resources highlight women whose stories resonate with students because of the relevancy to issues facing many students today. For Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, we’ve created a discussion guide and a learning guide. Both highlight Gabby’s inspirational life and our learning guide is perfect for differentiated learning, hybrid learning and for focused lessons on civics, career pathways, gun violence and much more. Rebel Hearts features three standards-based lessons relevant to U.S. History classes, World Religions and Art.
Additionally, Big Sonia is a documentary about Holocaust survivor Sonia Warshawski. Wadjda tells an uplifting story of a ten year-old girl committed to getting her own bicycle. The film’s director is Saudi Arabia’s first female filmmaker. Whale Rider connects with students as it shares the story of a Maori girl struggling to find her place in her community. Finally, Queen of Katwe is a beautiful narrative film starring Lupita Nyong’o and based on the true life story of young chess champion Phiona Mutesi.
Written by Jennifer Fischer.