Our Newest Film Guides

As a new year begins, we’re excited to share our newest film guides with you!

 

Our Latest Teaching Resources for Acclaimed Contemporary Films

To start a new year, we’re recapping our ten newest film guides. These acclaimed documentaries and hit feature films shed new light on history, current events, and the important figures and issues of our time. Our free teaching resources can help you put the rapidly-shifting news landscape into context for your students and lead productive discussions on sensitive and sometimes difficult topics.

Joseph Bologue, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, looks confidently at the viewer, wearing a plum-colored 18th century French suit, and holding a violin in his left hand, while in the background nobles of Marie Antoinette's court look on.Chevalier (For Grades 11-12)

Inspired by the incredible true story of France’s first Black classical composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Our Chevalier Discussion Guide sheds new light on the realities of 18th century France and can ignite student interest and engagement in learning more about the French Revolution.

Text across the top reads: Crip Camp. A green bus with wheelchair accessibility is below the text.

Crip Camp (For High School) 

Crip Camp shares with insight, humor, and joy the experiences of a group of disabled teenagers and their journey to adulthood and activism. Our Crip Camp Curriculum Guide and Discussion Guide delve into this rich and powerful story of disability activism, culture, and history.

Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down nominated for 2 Critics Choice Documentary Awards including Best Documentary Feature.Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down (For Grades 8-12) 

This compelling documentary tells the extraordinary story of former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords: her relentless fight to recover following an assassination attempt in 2011. We’ve created a “Gabby Giffords Discussion Guide and a Learning Guide.” También están disponibles en español.

A deep blue-toned photo of Alexey Navalny, a clean-cut middle aged white Russian man in an open collared white shirt and dark blue blazer, He sits at a table with a glass of water, his hands crossed before him, chin tilted down, look up intensely at the viewer. Text on the image says: "Winner: Best political Documentary. Critics Choice Awards. A CNN Film. Navalny. The Most Dangerous Job in the World is Going Against Putin. HBO Max: Now Playing."

Navalny (For High School) 

Navalny unfolds with the pace of a political thriller. This Oscar-winning documentary follows Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in his quest to identify the men who poisoned him in a failed assassination attempt. We offer a Discussion Guide and a flexible Learning Guide that features six key learning sections which cover 9 subjects across the curriculum.

Image of an outdoor movie theater. On the movie screen are the words Rebel Hearts

Rebel Hearts (For High School) 

This heart-grabbing documentary chronicles the bold acts of faith, defiance and activism of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart that turned the Church upside-down. From marching in Selma in 1965 to the Women’s March in 2018, they challenged the notion of what a nun and a woman were supposed to be. Our Rebel Hearts Curriculum Guide includes a hands-on arts lesson based on the pop art of Sister Mary Corita.

Movie poster for Schindler's ListSchindler’s List Special 30th Anniversary Guide (For High School) 

In 2023, we launched a new improved Schindler’s List Curriculum Guide with a brand new antisemitism lesson to teach with this powerful & inspiring Academy Award-winner.

Promotional image for the film Summer of Soul featuring a graphic image of a Black man in a blue suit with a guitar. Text overlay reads: Academy Award Winner! Best Documentary Feature. Summer of Soul

Summer of Soul (For Grades 7-12) 

Summer of Soul is a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record—about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Our Summer of Soul Curriculum Guide provides an engaging introduction to major events in Black history—with an award-winning soundtrack.

Poster for Unzipped, showing a Black woman in a red knit cap and blue denim ovralls making a face at an adorable Black baby girl in a bright flower-print sundress.

Unzipped: An Autopsy of American Inequality (For High School) 

This intimate documentary explores the frontline of America’s heated battles over gentrification, lack of affordable housing, and homelessness. UNZIPPED explodes stereotypes and humanizes the lived experiences of people caught in the cross-fire of America’s growing housing divide. Our Unzipped Learning Guide also explores actionable solutions.

A diverse array of youth at a climate march. Text overlay reads Youth V GovYouth v Gov (For Grades 7-12) 

This compelling climate court case documentary follows 21 courageous youth activists who file a ground-breaking lawsuit against the U.S. government for their right to a safe climate. Our Youth v Gov Curriculum Guide and Discussion Guide provide context to discuss breaking climate litigation news. Redirect your students’ climate anxiety into action-oriented optimism with these powerful teaching tools.

New Schindler’s List Curriculum Guide for Teachers: New Antisemitism Lesson

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Schindler’s List, we’re sharing a special edition Schindler’s List curriculum guide. This updated Schindler’s List Curriculum Guide for teachers includes a revised antisemitism lesson. This free teaching resource also includes lessons on Nazism in Germany, resistance during the Holocaust, the making of Schindler’s List, and more. Join us in celebrating this beloved Oscar-winning film and its enduring message of hope and humanity.

Our new guide features a newly updated lesson: Antisemitism Today. In this lesson, students will learn about different forms antisemitism can take and how antisemitism is related to white supremacy. The lesson also includes an activity on hate crimes in the U.S where students assess and explore data. This lesson can be used in a range of learning areas: Social Studies, Civics, Media Literacy, Data-Focused Instruction, Advisory periods, ELA, etc. 

Our goal is to help educators teach about the increase in antisemitism using a powerful and relevant resource. We created our new Antisemitism lesson to be adaptable. This new lesson can function as a standalone lesson that does not require viewing the film, although viewing it would enhance the experience. You can also pair this lesson with other films like Big Sonia and Navalny.

Antisemitism Today is available as par of our Schindler’s List curriculum guide or as a standalone lesson (scroll down). Download Antisemitism Today now.

Oscar Winning Films at Journeys in Film

Schindler’s List received 7 Academy Award wins and a total of 11 nominations. Our library also includes Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated films Bridge of Spies, Children of Heaven, Crip Camp, Hidden Figures, Navalny, Summer of Soul, The Post and Whale Rider. Each of these movies comes with its own curriculum and discussion guides. Learn more about teaching with Oscar-winning films.

A collage of poster details from Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated films: Children of Heaven, Crip Camp, Hidden Figures, Bridge of Spies, Schindler’s List, The Post, Navalny, Summer of Soul, and Whale Rider.

Coming up in 2024, Journeys in Film will be releasing a powerful new slate of free teaching resources for acclaimed documentaries and feature films. Our new offerings will include resources for short films as well as resources regarding media literacy, journalism, climate science, mental health and wellness and more. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date and receive an email when new resources are available. 

You can also email us at in**@************lm.org and say: “Send Schindler’s List” or
Send Antisemitism Lesson” and we will email the relevant PDF directly to your inbox!

Schindler's List movie poster, top part of image. Poster features a little girl in a red coat that pops against grown ups in coats and the image in black and white. Banner across the top reads 30th Anniversary Teaching Guide. Text on the bottom half reads: Updated Antisemitism Lesson Now Available. Journeys in Film logo across the bottom.

Written by Jennifer Fischer

Translate »