Here are guides and other suggestions for educators, homeschooling individuals, community groups, and others for what to teach in January!
January Teaching Highlights
January is National Mentoring Month. Queen of Katwe is the perfect film to inspire a new generation of mentors.
January 15-19, 2024 isGLSEN No Name-Calling Week. Like Stars on Earth is a powerful film to start conversations about bullying.
January 1 is the anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and January 20 (2025) is Martin Luther King Day. They make January a great month to share films about the civil rights movement and the struggle for racial equity: Hidden Figures, Just Mercy, and Summer of Soul. Plus check out our Black History Lesson collection.
January 8:On This Day in 2011, Arizona Senator Gabriel Giffords was shot but survived the attempt on her life. Teach her incredible story of resilience, recovery and hope with Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down.
Here are guides and other suggestions for educators, homeschooling individuals, community groups, and others for what to teach in January!
January Teaching Highlights
January is National Mentoring Month. Queen of Katwe is the perfect film to inspire a new generation of mentors.
January 15-19, 2024 isGLSEN No Name-Calling Week. Like Stars on Earth is a powerful film to start conversations about bullying.
January 1 is the anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and January 20 (2025) is Martin Luther King Day. They make January a great month to share films about the civil rights movement and the struggle for racial equity: Hidden Figures, Just Mercy, and Summer of Soul. Plus check out our Black History Lesson collection.
January 8:On This Day in 2011, Arizona Senator Gabriel Giffords was shot but survived the attempt on her life. Teach her incredible story of resilience, recovery and hope with Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down.
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.
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.
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 (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.
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.
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.
Schindler’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.
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.
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.
Youth 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.
Top Ten Downloads of 2023
Prepare for the new year with our TOP resources of 2023, Discover which ones made the list and get ready to level up your teaching game. Check out the top ten downloads of 2023!
10. A three-way tie for Crip Camp, The Post, and Whale Rider
Based on the true story of Harvard Law School graduate Bryan Stevenson’s move to Alabama where he recognizes an urgent need to provide free legal assistance to minorities who have been unfairly sentenced. Our Just Mercy Curriculum Guide & Student Learning Guide (for high school) is a powerful tool for exploring racial inequity in the US criminal justice system. Just Mercy won multiple awards, including the BET Awards, the NAACP Image Awards, and the African American Film Critics Association Awards.
8. Schindler’s List
In 2023 we launched a new improved Schindler’s List Curriculum Guide with a brand new antisemitism lesson (for high school) to teach with this powerful & inspiring Academy Award-winner.
7. Happy
Happy takes us on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in search of what really makes people happy. Our Happy Curriculum Guide presents an opportunity to explore the psychology of happiness with your students, bolster social emotional learning (SEL) and so much more! (For grades 7-12.)
6. Glossary of Film Terms
Our Glossary of Film Terms is useful for Film Literacy and Film Studies classes. It pairs well with our curriculum guides for Big Sonia, He Named Me Malala, Hidden Figures, Schindler’s List, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, The Music of Strangers, and The Post.
5. Queen of Katwe
Based on the real life story of Phiona Mutei’s rise from the largest slum in Kampala, Uganda to become an international chess star on the world stage. Our Queen of Katwe Discussion Guide (for high school) inspires the next generation of chess players, high achievers and mentors. This hit Disney film directed by Mira Nair won four NAACP Image Awards.
4. He Named Me Malala
This critically-acclaimed documentary explores the rise of Malala Yousafzai from a young BBC blogger in Pakistan to become the youngest Nobel Prize winner at age 17 for her human rights advocacy for gender equity in education for girls in Pakistan and around the world. Educators often pair ourHe Named Me Malala Curriculum Guide and Discussion Guide with her autobiography I Am Malala in ELA classes and Social Studies classes. Speech educators also use Lesson 7 as a fabulous stand alone lesson for examining Malala’s iconic Nobel Prize acceptance speech. (For grades 7-12.)
3. Summer of Soul
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. The film features concert footage of iconic 1960s Black musicians including Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, and The 5th Dimension. Our Summer of Soul Curriculum Guide (for grades 7-12) provides an engaging introduction to major events in Black history. This critically-acclaimed film won the 2022 Best Documentary Oscar.
2. The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind
Based on the inspirational true story of William Kamkwamba. Against all the odds, a thirteen-year-old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine. We offer a Curriculum Guide and a Discussion Guide for The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind (for grades 7 to 12) that’s sure to inspire students about engineering, STEM careers, and high achievement. Chiwetel Ejiofor’s feature film directing debut won multiple awards including the Sundance Film Festival Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize.
1. Hidden Figures
Based on the triumphant true story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson, three Black women mathematicians who worked in the 1960s NASA space program. Our Hidden Figures Curriculum Guide (for grades 7 to 12) explores the civil rights movement, the Cold War, and the space race. It’s a powerful tool to address gender equity in STEM fields while teaching across subjects. This hit Disney movie was nominated for three Academy Awards.
Summer of Soul Lesson Named #1 Partner Resource of Share My Lesson 2022
Share My Lesson, a project of the American Federation of Teachers, is a free award-winning, community based site featuring bringing together educators, parents, caregivers, educational resource creators, paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel. It is a vibrant community and rich site of resources including articles, lesson plans, webinars and much more.
Several Journeys in Film lessons and webinars are available on the Share My Lesson website. This year, Lesson 3: 1969, A Unique Year from our Summer of Soul curriculum guide was selected as the #1 partner resource of the year. You can check it out here: https://sharemylesson.com/teaching-resource/summer-soul-1969-unique-year-401164.
You can check out all of the fabulous Journeys resources on the Share My Lesson site, including free on-demand webinars for Share My Lesson and more: https://sharemylesson.com/partner/journeys-film.
More January Teaching Ideas
