What to Teach in April

Here are guides and other suggestions for educators, homeschooling individuals, community groups, and others for what to teach in April!

Celebrate Earth & The Environment

April is Earth Month! Plus April 21 – 27 is Earth Week, April 22 is Earth Day and April 26 is Arbor Day. We have collections of teaching resources that can help you celebrate the environment all month long across the curriculum: Teach With Film for Earth Month.

April Teaching Highlights

Vibrant Earth celebratory background art with a globe, hearts and vegetables. Text reads: Happy Earth Month. #TeachWithFilm for Earth Month!
For Arab American Heritage Month, Wadjda is a film from Saudi Arabia that students love. We also recommend The Neighborhood Storyteller, a short documentary about Syrian refugee Asmaa Rashed.

For Genocide Awareness Month, we recommend our Holocaust Education films: Big Sonia, Defiant Requiem, and Schindler’s List, and our Facilitation Guidelines for leading sensitive group discussions of difficult topics.

Summer of Soul is a fantastic film to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month.

For Mathematics & Stats Month, enjoy the math lessons in our film guides for Children of Heaven, Hidden Figures, Like Stars On Earth, Please Vote For Me, The Cup, The Way Home, Walden, and Whale Rider.

For Poetry Appreciation Month, check out Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, the animated feature film about a poet based on the poetic writing of Kahlil Gibran.

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Teach April Holidays With Film

Passover takes place April 12-20, 2025: introduce your students to Judaism with The Story of God, and share Steven Spielberg’s moving Passover Story from the making of Schindler’s List.

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Teach about Public Health in April

  • National Interprofessional Healthcare Month
  • World Minority Health Month
  • National Public Health Week April 1-7
  • Black Maternal Health Week April 11-17;
  • National Infant Immunization Week April 22-29
  • World Immunization Week April 24-30

The Invisible Shield is a powerful teaching tool for exploring the importance of public health and public health workers, the critical role of immunizations in public health, and the urgency of addressing public health inequities to make healthcare available for all.

More April Teaching Ideas

For School Library Month, National Library Week (April 6-12, 2025), National School Librarian Day (April 4), and World Book and Copyright Day (April 23), check out these tips to Bring Books and Films Together to Inspire and Engage Students. Plus also check out our article on Educational Film Distribution: What Librarians and Teachers Need to Know.

Celebrate Stress Awareness Month + National Psychology Week with films about stress and mental wellness: Big Sonia, Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, Happy, and The Dhamma Brothers.

Volunteer Month is a great time to teach with our film guides featuring Service Learning & Community Service Lessons: Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops, He Named Me Malala, and Landfill Harmonic.

Week of the Young Child (April 5-11, 205) is a great time to screen Children of Heaven.

Discover the magic of forests for National Parks Week (April 19-25, 2025): Learn about Forests.

April 3: Pioneering primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall was born on this day in 1934. Celebrate with her biographical documentary Jane. Learn more about teaching with this film with our article at Share My Lesson: Inspiring a Love of Nature and Learning: Celebrating Jane Goodall.

April 5 is International Day of Conscience. We have a large selection of human rights-themed films that are perfect to teach on this day. Among our favorites, we recommend: Crip Camp, He Named Me Malala, Rebel Hearts, and Summer of Soul.

April 7 is World Health Day. Teach about Coal and Public Health with From the Ashes. Explore the intersection of soil health, food quality and individual health with Greener Pastures. Celebrate the heroic public health system with The Invisible Shield.

International Day of Pink on April 9 (2025) is a great day to teach with Finding Pride.

Celebrate International Day of Human Space Flight on April 12 with Hidden Figures and One Strange Rock.

April 20 is Chinese Language Day. Students will enjoy our Chinese-language film Please Vote For Me with cross-curriculum lessons for grades 4-12.

April 21 is World Creativity and Innovation Day. Celebrate innovation with The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind.

April 23 is English Language Day. We are pleased to offer over two dozen film guides with English Language Arts lessons. A great place to start is the oral history assignment for Big Sonia (grades 7-12), the Crip Camp lesson on language power and ableism (high school) , the lesson based on Malala Yousafzai’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech at age 17 for He Named Me Malala (grades 7-12), and rich, engaging lessons combining language arts, music, and social studies for The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble (grades 7-12).

April 23 is Spanish Language Day. We offer film guides in Spanish for Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, River of Gold, and The Love Bugs. The lessons for The Love Bugs are appropriate for Grades 3-5.

Celebrate Syria Independence Day on April 27 with The Music of Strangers.

April 25 is International Girls in ICT Day (Information and Communication Technology) inspires your students of all genders about ICT careers with Hidden Figures.

April 28: Oskar Schindler of Schindler’s List was born on this day in 1908. Introduce your students to this remarkable and complex man with Who was Oskar Schindler.

April 28 is World Day for Safety and Health at Work: Explore the impact of the coal industry on coal miners with From the Ashes.

April 30 is International Jazz Day. Wrap up April with the joyful sounds of Summer of Soul.

Journeys in Film is a Top SML Resource of 2024

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We’re thrilled that our article on Creating a Calm Classroom is part of the Best of Share My Lesson 2024!

Check out these free tools and resources to help students manage big feelings:

Creating a Calm Classroom at Share My Lesson.

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Journeys in Film has been honored to place in the top ten most popular resources of the year at Share My Lesson for three years in a row.

Our article about Creating Safe Spaces for Student Engagement with Difficult Topics, by Executive Director Jen Fischer, was a top ten Share My Lesson Resource in 2023.

Our lesson plan for Teaching about Civil Rights with Summer of Soul was the #1 Share My Lesson Partner Content of 2022!

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About Share My Lesson

Created and maintained by the American Federation of Teachers, Share My Lesson is a community of teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel, specialized instructional support personnel, higher education faculty, and parents and caregivers who contribute content, collaborate, and stay up to date on the issues that matter to students and educators everywhere.

About Journeys in Film

Journeys in Film believes in the storytelling power of film to educate the most visually literate generation in history. Since 2003, Journeys in Film has been pioneering the use of film for interdisciplinary lessons in the classroom. We also develop discussion guides for films for powerful films designed to work in multiple settings, such as classroom discussions, after-school clubs, community screenings, college classes, adult education and more. All of the Journeys in Film educational resources are cost-free. Learn more about partnering with Journeys in Film.

 

Women’s History Month: Teach With Film

Free Resources for Women’s History Month

These free resources to support you through Women’s History Month that 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 changemakers, thought leaders, scholars, scientists and much more. They also work for Gender Equity Month (March), International Women’s Day (March 8), and all year round.

Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures tells the story of  Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. These women, known as “human computers,” worked for NASA in the 1960s. Our FREE Hidden Figures teaching guide features 8 lessons across the curriculum. It is our most popular resource and features a lesson women in science.  We also offer a free Hidden Figures discussion guide that’s great for film clubs and community groups. Hidden Figures is a great choice for Gender Equity Month and Equal Pay Day on March 31.

He Named Me Malala

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. terrorists shot and almost killed her — but she survived and continues to advocate for gender equity around the world. Her story, with  our corresponding free discussion guide, is an inspiration to students of all genders. Our extensive curriculum guide explores the history of the Taliban, the geography of Pakistan, and more.

JANE

JANE is a documentary film from National Geographic showcasing the life and important work of revolutionary biologist Jane Goodall. She was a pioneer in the field of primatology. We’ve created a free discussion guide for this film. JANE is another great choice for studying women in STEM alongside Hidden Figures that gets students of all genders excited about STEM careers. JANE likewise works well for Gender Equity Month.

More Popular Women’s History Resources

Two of our recent resources highlight women whose stories resonate with students because of the relevancy to issues facing many students today.

Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down

This award-winning documentary explores the incredible real life story of gun violence survivor Gabby Giffords. Learn about her relentless fight to recover following an assassination attempt and her new life as one of the most effective activists in the battle against gun violence. 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

This critically-acclaimed documentary tells the story of Los Angeles’s Sisters of the Immaculate Heart, nuns who challenged the patriarchal conventions of the Catholic Church 50 years ago and are still taking a stand today. Rebel Hearts features three standards-based lessons relevant to U.S. History classes, World Religions and Art.

Big Sonia

Big Sonia tells the story of Holocaust survivor Sonia Warshawski, a vibrant woman in her nineties who speaks to students and prison inmates about her experiences. This outstanding documentary also pairs well with our Antisemitism Today lesson, available from our Schindler’s List page.

Wadjda

Wadjda tells an uplifting story of a ten year-old girl who challenges convention to get her own bicycle. Our Wadjda Curriculum Guide introduces students to the film’s director, Saudi Arabia’s history-making first female filmmaker Haifaa al-Mansour. It also explores the lives of women and girls in Saudi Arabia.

Whale Rider

Whale Rider shares  the story of a Maori girl struggling to find her place in her community, whose ambitious dreams are in conflict with tradition. Our Whale Rider Curriculum Guide includes a lesson on Culture and Gender.

Queen of Katwe

Finally, Queen of Katwe is a beautiful narrative film starring Lupita Nyong’o, based on the true life story of young chess champion Phiona Mutesi. This hit Disney movie celebrates the human spirit and the power of chess.

We can’t wait for you to bring these powerful resources to your classroom. Happy Women’s History Month!

Update: Check out our newest film that celebrates a remarkable woman, The Neighborhood Storyteller about Asmaa Rashed. This young Syrian mother in Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp empowers young girls through transformative reading circles, igniting hope and change.

Don’t miss out on our newest teaching guides. To get notifications about latest resource launches, sign up for our newsletter.

What to Teach in January

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 is GLSEN 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.

January 24 is International Education Day. Celebrate with films about educators + education: He Named Me Malala, Like Stars on Earth, Please Vote for Me, Queen of Katwe and The Neighborhood Storyteller.

January 27 is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Educate your students about the Holocaust with these resources, including our guides for Big Sonia, Defiant Requiem, and Schindler’s List; the cultural preservation lesson in The Music of Strangers, and our standalone lesson on Antisemitism Today (available from Share My Lesson and from our Schindler’s List page.) Learn more in our article on Holocaust Education: 7 Essential Teaching Tools.

Film strip style image with, from left: Journeys in Film logo, Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down movie poster, Rebel Hearts movie poster, He Named Me Malala movie poster, Like Stars on Earth movie poster, Summer of Soul movie posterMore January Teaching Ideas

January 5 is National Bird Day. Discover the fauna of the Amazon with River of Gold

January 6 is National Technology Day. Celebrate with two of our favorite STEM-themed films: Hidden Figures and The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind.

January 16 is National Religious Freedom Day. Explore films from our religions literacy collection spanning religions from across the globe including: The Story of God, Big Sonia, Children of Heaven, Defiant Requiem, Like Stars on Earth, Rebel Hearts, Schindler’s List, The Cup, The Dhamma Brothers, The Way Home, Wadjda and Whale Rider

 We also recommend this article from Religion Matters: Exploring World Religions Through Art: Hands-on Activities for Students of All Ages.

January 19 is National Popcorn Day, a great day to bring film into your classroom!

January 22-26, 2024 is National Gun Violence Survivors Week. Hold productive conversations about gun violence with Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down + our Facilitation Guidelines for Group Discussions.

January 24 is World Day for African and Afrodescendant Culture. Celebrate with global films about Black Excellence, like Chevalier, Queen of Katwe, Summer of Soul, and The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind. Our Black History Lesson collection also includes lesson on US Black History and Global Black History.

Jan 26 is International Day of Clean Energy. Check out the section on Energy Alternatives in our From the Ashes Discussion Guide. Pair it with Youth v Gov!

January 29 is Canadian National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia. We have five films to help you teach about Islam and counter Islamophobia.

January 31 is National Inspire Your Heart With Art Day. Many of our teaching guides include hands-on art activities to inspire and engage your students. Some of our favorites include Please Vote For Me: Chinese Papercuts, Rebel Hearts: Corita Kent’s Pop Art, The Cup: The Art of the MandalaThe Love Bugs: Make a Bug Kite (great for grades 3-5!), and The Way Home: Korean Fighter Shield Kites.

 

Big Sonia, Summer of Soul, Rebel Hearts, Queen of Katwe

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.

This film is appropriate for grades 5 and up.  Learn more about teaching with The Neighborhood Storyteller.

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.

Related Resources

Learn more about bringing refugee stories to your classroom with film.

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Can watching movies rewire your brain?

New Stanford research finds that when people lose themselves in a story, they become more empathetic:

“According to findings published Oct. 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, watching Just Mercy increased participants’ empathy for the recently incarcerated and decreased their enthusiasm for the death penalty.”
The Hollywood Reporter, October 23, 2024

You can read the Stanford findings published Oct. 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesFilm intervention increases empathic understanding of formerly incarcerated people and support for criminal justice reform.

We were honored to create the official Just Mercy Curriculum Guide & Student Learning Guide to make it easy to teach with this powerful film. Learn more about teaching with Just Mercy.

Filmmakers, if you want to harness the transformative power of film to increase empathy, talk to us about our customized impact materials and outreach programs.

Teach Genocide Education with Film

Genocide education is more urgent and timely than ever. We recommend the following films and teaching guides to support you in mindfully teaching Holocaust education through film. These materials are  variously appropriate for elementary school, middle school and high school; they can also work well for higher education, adult education, public screenings and community group settings.

Instructional Foundations

Our webinar about Anti-Bias Education: Using Media to Foster Critical Thinking and Combat Antisemitism and Islamophobia sets you up for success with Holocaust Education and Genocide education. The session provides an overview of anti-bias teaching tools and as well as strategies for dealing with difficult classroom situations around these topics. This webinar is available free and on-demand through Share My Lesson. Participants can quality for one hour of PD-credit. Learn more about our Anti-Bias Education Webinar.

We also offer Facilitation Guidelines to create safe discussion spaces and lead productive explorations of difficult topics. These guidelines pair well with our film guides for classroom use. The guidelines apply to a wide range of settings and are free for everyone.

First-Person Stories

To help your students understand the impact of the Holocaust, consider using a film that focuses on an individual caught in the maelstrom of Nazism.

Big Sonia is about Holocaust survivor Sonia Warshawski, who was a Jewish teenager living in Poland when the German army invaded in the 1930s. She’s a woman who speaks to students and prison inmates about her story of unimaginable suffering — and she’s also a beacon of hope and resilience. For grades 7 and up.

Defiant Requiem: The Film is about a unique chapter in Holocaust history when prisoners used music and the arts to sustain their spirits and resist oppression at Terezín concentration camp. This film can be difficult to find but it makes a powerful teaching tool when it is available. For grades 6 and up.

Schindler’s List is a powerful Genocide Education tool in its own right. Our Schindler’s List curriculum guide also includes our newly updated lesson about Antisemitism in the contemporary world. The Antisemitism Today lesson works as a standalone teaching resource and can also pair with other Holocaust and Genocide Education resources. You can download Antisemitism Today its own from our Schindler’s List page and also from Share My Lesson. For grades 9 and up.

Expand the Scope

Our guide for The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Project features an engaging lesson on cultural preservation that is relevant to Holocaust and Genocide discussions. For grades 7 and up.

Our Navalny learning guide includes a powerful lesson on online propaganda that pairs well with our Antisemitism Today lesson (above) for bringing Genocide- and Holocaust Education into the present moment. For grades 9 and up.

We hope these resources can support you in honoring those whose lives were lost to genocides, honoring survivors and their families, and committing to education, remembrance and prevention.

Discussion Guides Make Screening Films Easy

Simplify your film screenings with film Discussion Guides from Journeys in Film! Our free Discussion Guides for award-winning films provide questions to encourage critical thinking, powerful discussion, and expanded understanding. Our Discussion Guides make hosting rousing discussions around film screenings to boost impact and engagement simple and easy.

Discussion Guide Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the Journeys in Film Discussion Guides for?

The Journeys in Film Discussion Guides are flexible by design to work in a wide range of situations: K12 classrooms and homeschooling, higher education, parenting / family film viewing, after school activities, library programs, community group and service club events, film clubs and doc clubs, and more.

How do educators use the Journeys in Film Discussion Guides?

Our film Discussion Guides are easy to use and require little to no advance preparation. They are great for sub days and end of term. They can also be incorporated into regular classroom use. They’re a flexible resource to keep tucked up your sleeve.

Can I use the Journeys in Film Discussion Guides on my own?

Yes! The questions in our Discussion Guides can serve as prompts for personal reflection, a viewer response journal, or for freewriting or creative writing.

Who makes the Journeys in Film Discussion Guides?

We work with teams of instructional designers, area experts and cultural consultants to create film-specific Discussion Guides with knowledge, care and attention. We do not use A.I. in the creation of our guides.

What kind of films does Journeys in Film create guides for?

We work with premier filmmakers to create Discussion Guides for award-winning social impact films. We develop Discussion Guides for films that don’t necessarily lend themselves to academic standards, but cover topics and themes that are valuable for classroom discussions and in other settings, such as after school clubs, community screenings, and university classes. Our film partners range from indie filmmakers to major studios like Disney.

Journeys in Film offers discussion guides for:

Why do some films have two guides?

Journeys in Film creates different kinds of guides to serve the needs of different kinds of learning environments. 

  • We also create Curriculum Guides, featuring teaching-ready lesson plans for classrooms, homeschooling and individual learners.
  • For select films, we also create Learning Guides or Extended Discussion Guides, a type of film guide that digs even deeper into the material of a film and includes additional resources and extension activities.

Make sure you scroll all the way down each film page to see the full range of guides available.

Does Journeys in Film offer Discussion Guides in other languages?

Yes! We offer the following Discussion Guides in Spanish:

Can teachers and Book Clubs use the Journeys in Film Discussion Guides to discuss film and book tie-ins?

Yes! We recommend the following Discussion Guides for films that are based on books or have literary connections:

  • Bridge of Spies and Strangers on a Bridge by James B. Donovan;
  • Chevalier and African Europeans: An Untold History by Olivette Otele;
  • Greener Pastures and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck;
  • He Named Me Malala and Malala Yousafzai’s memoir I am Malala;
  • Meshes of the Afternoon and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman;
  • Navalny and Alexei Navalny’s posthumous memoir Patriot;
  • Queen of Katwe and The Queen of Katwe: One Girl’s Triumphant Path to Becoming a Chess Champion by Tim Crothers;
  • The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, also available in Young Reader and Picture Book editions;
  • The Neighborhood Storyteller and Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out by Muzoon Almellehan and Wendy Pearlman.
How much do Journeys in Film Discussion Guides cost?

Like all of our resources, our Film Discussion Guides are free for everyone.

Journeys in Film Discussion Guides are free? Really?

Yes.

Where can I find the Journeys in Film Discussion Guides?

Check out our Discussion Guides along with all our film resources in the Journeys in Film Library.

Many of our Discussion Guides are also available through Share My Lesson.

What if I want Journeys in Film to make a Discussion Guide for my film?

Learn more about how Journeys in Film partners with filmmakers and then get in touch with us.

Does Journeys in Film offer Discussion Guides for Documentaries?

Yes! We offer discussion guides for award-winning documentaries from around the world. See the full Journeys in Film Discussion Guide Index below.

Does Journeys in Film offer Discussion Guides for Narrative Films?

Yes. We offer Discussion Guides for narrative films like Bridge of Spies, Chevalier, Hidden Figures, Queen of Katwe, and The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind.

Does Journeys in Film offer Discussion Guides for Docu-series?

Yes. We offer Discussion Guides for docu-series like Genius, The Invisible Shield, The Story of God, and The Story of Us.

Does Journeys in Film offer Discussion Guides for films under one hour?

Yes. We offer Discussion Guides for several films under one hour, including Finding Pride, Meshes of the Afternoon, The Neighborhood Storyteller, and Unzipped. Check out the Discussion Guide Index by Running Time at the bottom of this article to find discussion guides for films based on length.

Does Journeys in Film offer Discussion Guides for elementary school use?

Yes, We offer Discussion Guides for films and series suitable for ages 8-12. See the Discussion Guide Index by Age Group below.

Does Journeys in Film offer Discussion Guides for middle school use?

Yes, We offer Discussion Guides for films and series suitable for ages 12-15. See the Discussion Guide Index by Age Group below.

Does Journeys in Film offer Discussion Guides for high school and higher education use?

Yes. Almost all of our films are appropriate for ages 14+. See the full Journeys in Film Discussion Guide Index below or individual film listings in the Journeys in Film Library.

Journeys in Film Discussion Guide Index by Age Group

Ages 8 and up

Jane — documentary, 1 hour 30 minutes.

Ages 10 and up

Hidden Figures — narrative film, 2 hours 7 minutes.
Queen of Katwe — narrative film, 2 hours 4 minutes.
The Neighborhood Storyteller — documentary, 49 minutes.

Ages 11 and up

Golden Age Karate —  documentary short, five minutes.
Greener Pastures — documentary, 1 hour 25 minutes. *Also available in Spanish: Greener Pastures Guía de discusión.
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind — narrative film, 1 hour 53 minutes,.

Ages 12 and up

From The Ashes — documentary, 1 hour 22 minutes.
He Named Me Malala — documentary, 1 hour 28 minutes.
The Invisible Shield— docu-series, 4 episodes, 54 minutes each.

Ages 13 and up

A Towering Task — documentary, 1 hour 53 minutes.
Bridge of Spies — narrative film, 2 hours 22 minutes.
Chevalier — narrative film, 1 hour 47 minutes.
Finding Pride — short video collection, each video is 2-10 minutes.
Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down —  documentary, 1 hour 37 minutes. *Also available in Spanish: Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down Guía de discusión.
Navalny — documentary, 1 hour 38 minutes..
The Story of God with Morgan Freeman — docuseries, six episodes, 42 minutes each.

Ages 14 and up

Meshes of the Afternoon —  short film, 14 minutes.
The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman — docuseries, six episodes, 60 minutes each.
Unzipped: An Autopsy of American Inequality — documentary, 51 minutes.
Youth v Gov — documentary, 1 hour, 50 minutes.

Ages 15 and up

Crip Camp — documentary, 1 hour 42 minutes.
Genius — docu-series, 10 episodes, 45-60 minutes each.

Adult / Mature Audiences

Safe Place — documentary short, 20 minutes, mature audiences.

Journeys in Film Discussion Guide Alphabetical Index by Running Time

Under 15 Minutes

Finding Pride — short video collection, each video is 2-10 minutes, ages 13+.
Golden Age Karate —  documentary short, five minutes, ages 11+.
Meshes of the Afternoon —  short film, 14 minutes, ages 14+.

15-29 Minutes

Safe Place — documentary short, 20 minutes, mature audiences.

30-59 Minutes

Genius — docu-series, 10 episodes, 45-60 minutes each, ages 15+.
The Invisible Shield— docu-series, 4 episodes, 54 minutes each, ages 12+.
The Neighborhood Storyteller — documentary, 49 minutes, ages 10+.
The Story of God with Morgan Freeman — docuseries, six episodes, 42 minutes each, ages 13+.
Unzipped: An Autopsy of American Inequality — documentary, 51 minutes, ages 14+.

1 Hour to 2 Hours

A Towering Task — documentary, 1 hour 53 minutes, ages 13+.
Chevalier — feature film, 1 hour 47 minutes, ages 13+.
Crip Camp — documentary, 1 hour 42 minutes, ages 15+.
From The Ashes — documentary, 1 hour 22 minutes, ages 12+.
Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down —  documentary, 1 hour 37 minutes, ages 13+.
Greener Pastures — documentary, 1 hour 25 minutes, ages 11+.
He Named Me Malala — documentary, 1 hour 28 minutes, ages 12+.
Jane — documentary, 1 hour 30 minutes, ages 8+.
Navalny — documentary, 1 hour 38 minutes., ages 13+.
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind — feature film, 1 hour 53 minutes, ages 11+.
The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman — docuseries, six episodes, 60 minutes each, ages 14+.
Youth v Gov — documentary, 1 hour, 50 minutes, ages 14+.

Over 2 Hours

Bridge of Spies — feature film, 2 hours 22 minutes, ages 13+.
Hidden Figures — feature film, 2 hours 7 minutes, ages 10+.
Queen of Katwe — feature film, 2 hours 4 minutes, ages 10+.

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Don’t miss the launch of our new film Discussion Guides. To receive notifications about our new releases, sign up for the Journeys in Film newsletter.

Make Teaching Easy with Classroom-Ready Lesson Plans

Simplify your school year with classroom-ready lesson plans from Journeys in Film! Our free curriculum guides for award-winning films contain ready-to-teach lessons for elementary, middle school, and high school instruction.

Our lesson plans are created by teams of area experts and instructional designers to boost student engagement and teach critical thinking across the curriculum. The lesson plans feature handouts, classroom activities, and experiential lessons. The lessons align with Common Core standards and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Featured Lesson Plans

Anti-Bias Education

Teach about contemporary antisemitism to grades 9-12 plus higher ed. Lesson Eight of our Schindler’s List Curriculum Guide explores contemporary Anti-semitism and its connections with white supremacy. This lesson is also available as a standalone download from our Schindler’s List page. This is a powerful resource for teaching anti-bias education, social emotional learning and media literacy which we highly recommend to Social Studies teachers.

Civics

Teach about the principles of elections and democracy to grades 6-8. Lesson Two of our Please Vote for Me Curriculum Guide explores the values that are essential for a functioning democracy and what happens when elections are not well run. This non-partisan teaching tool is a great educational resource for election years that can be adapted to use with students of different ages.

Mathematics

Yes, you can teach math with film! Teach how to calculate percentages for grades 6-8. Lesson Four of our Like Stars on Earth Curriculum Guide explores fractions, decimals, and percents to demystify how teachers calculate the student averages for grading their classes. 

Science

Teach science to grades 5-7. Lesson Eight of our Whale Rider Curriculum Guide is all about the science of how whales communicate with echolocation. The lesson includes a fun science activity that will get students on their feet and engaging with these science principles. 

Visual Arts

Teach visual arts to high school students. Lesson Three of our Rebel Hearts Curriculum Guide features a hands-on visual arts lesson for grades 9-12, inspired by the dynamic pop art of Corita Kent. 

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Making Professional Development Easy with Journeys in Film Webinars

Deepen your skills for teaching with film with Journeys in Film Professional Development Webinars. These teacher training sessions are available free, online and on-demand. Earn one hour of PD credit upon successful completion of each webinar. Participants will gain tools to boost student engagement and teach critical thinking across the curriculum.

Teacher Professional Development Webinars

Anti-Bias Education

Learn about teaching critical thinking with film to combat Antisemitism and Islamophobia.

This webinar highlights key aspects of anti-bias education and shares film-related resources specific to Antisemitism and Islamophobia. Featured resources include our new lesson about Antisemitism within the context of the rise of white supremacy. The webinar also explores films and film-related resources that offer students a broader understanding of Islam and the Muslim world.

Learn more about this webinar: Anti-Bias Education. For Grades 6-12.

Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops

Learn how to inspire students with film to build a sustainable future, with a specific focus on Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops. This invigorating panel discussion with climate educators and scientists demonstrates the power of using this series of five short films to engage and inspire students to build a sustainable future through increased understanding of forests, permafrost, the atmosphere, albedo, and regreening.

Learn more about this webinar: Using Film to Inspire and Educate. For Grades 6-12.

Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down

Learn how to use the power of film and biographical stories to increase student learning and engagement around sensitive subjects, with a specific focus on award-winning documentary Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down. This webinar offers tangible resources and tools for tackling challenging topics such as gun violence in the classroom. It also explores the power of this resource to teach a wide array of important themes, including civics, community service learning, mental health, media responsibility, and career pathways.

Learn more about this webinar: Student Engagement Through The Power of Film. For Grades 5-12.

Hidden Figures

Learn how Hidden Figures can excite & engage your grade 3-12 students about 9 different subjects. This webinar uses Hidden Figures as an example to guide educators to resource techniques in teaching with film while addressing Common Core objectives. Grounded in the inspiring true story of the Black women mathematicians who worked in the NASA space program, participants explore our Hidden Figures lessons on the Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War, and the Space Race as tools to address gender equity in STEM fields when teaching across subjects for their own classroom.

Learn more about this webinar: Using Film to Teach Across the Curriculum. For Grades 3-12.

Just Mercy

Learn about exploring Inequity in Criminal Justice with Just Mercy. This narrative film is based on the true story of Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson and his crusade as a young lawyer to exonerate Walter McMillian, a Black man unjustly convicted for murder. The webinar explores strategies for culturally responsive teaching to support working with students on difficult and crucially important topics like inequities in criminal justice.

Learn more about this webinar: Teaching with Just Mercy. For Grades 9-12.

Summer of Soul

Teach Black History all year round! Learn about celebrating Black History through music & film with Oscar-winner Summer of SoulDirected by Ahmir Questlove Thompson, Summer of Soul is a powerful, transporting film about the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 featuring performances by Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and more. Bring Black Joy and Black Excellence to your classroom to engage students in celebrating Black History through music and film.

Learn more about this webinar: Celebrating Black History Through Music and Film. For Grades 6-12.

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

Learn about teaching STEAM classes with film, with a special focus on The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind. This Netflix film is based on the true story of William Kamkwamba, a brilliant teenager whose creativity, persistence and courage provided a solution to devastating drought for his family and eventually for his village and many others in his country of Malawi and beyond. The webinar presents an overview of the interdisciplinary resources available for the film to support science, physics, language arts and social studies teachers in exploring the geographical and environmental context of Malawi, the history and engineering of wind power and the factors that influenced William’s journey: religion, politics, the environment, and education. William Kamkwamba himself joins the presentation for the Q&A.

Learn more about this webinar: Engineering and Activism. For Grades 3-12.

Teach with Film for Casual Pi Day July 22

Happy Casual Pi Day or Pi Approximation Day! The fraction 22/7 is an approximate value of Pi, so Casual Pi Day falls on July 22; the numerator 22 represents the date, while the numerator seven represents the month. It’s a great day to highlight our lessons for teaching math with film. Our free film teaching guides feature classroom-ready lesson plans across the curriculum suitable for grade 4 all the way to grade 12 — including math lessons!

Hidden Figures

Our most popular math lesson is part of our Hidden Figures Curriculum Guide, about The Math of Space Travel: Orbits and Conic Sections, for grades 9 to 12. You can download the full Hidden Figures guide from our library, or get this lesson on its own from Share My Lesson.

Children of Heaven

Children of Heaven features two math lessons:  Lesson 8: Keeping Secrets and Lesson 9: Iran: The Land of Earthquakes.

Like Stars on Earth

Like Stars on Earth Lesson 4 explores the math of Determining Your Grade.

Please Vote for Me

Please Vote for Me Lesson 4 introduces students to Integer Calculations with Chinese Number Rods.

The Cup

The Cup Lesson 9 looks at the math of The Value of Money.

The Invisible Shield

Learn about the role of data & vital statistics in public health with The Invisible Shield! Discover how data can drive health interventions that save lives. Get students excited about a range of math-based public health careers.

The Way Home

The Way Home Lesson 9 teaches students about Using Graphs.

Whale Rider

Whale Rider Lesson 9 shows students how to Count the Uncountable with Fermi problems, using examples from the film.

Get your free math lesson plans from our library and liven up your math classes today!

Teach with Film in July

Whether you’re teaching summer school or summer camp or your school is still in session in July,  we have suggestions for easy, classroom-ready lesson plans and discussion guides to help you teach with film. Plus great films for summer film programs and summer activities!

July Teaching Highlights

July is Disability Pride Month and July 26 is National Disability Independence Day. Celebrate Disability Rights and Disability Pride with Crip Camp.

July 8 is National Video Game Day. Discover the joy of learning with educational video games, with Walden, a game, from the USC Game Innovation Lab.

July 20 is World Chess Day. Celebrate the game of kings with hit Disney film Queen of Katwe.

July 28 is World Nature Conservation Day. Explore the wonder of creatures great and small with our Celebration of Nature Lesson Collection

More July All-Month Events

July is Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Mental Health Awareness Month. Teach Mental Health Awareness with Film

June is also National Parks & Recreation Month. It’s a great time to Learn about forests with film.

Special July Teaching Days

July 1 is National Zip Code Day. Teach with UNZIPPEDwhich tackles income inequality as experienced by three families living in the same zip code. 

The Civil Rights Act was enacted on July 2, 1964. Check out our standalone lessons about civil rights and the civil rights movement in our Black History Lessons Collection

July 4 marks the anniversary of the death of Polish physicist, Marie Curie, who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity, which substantially contributed to cancer treatment methods. Introduce students to more inspirational women of science with Hidden Figures, Jane, and The Love Bugs

July 9 is the birthday of actor Tom Hanks! We’re pleased to offer guides for two of Hanks’ award-winning collaborations with Steven Spielberg: Bridge of Spies and The Post

July 23 is International Self-Care Day. Check out our free experiential lessons on meditation and mindfulness — for your students or for yourself! 

July 26 is National Disability Independence Day, a great day to watch Crip Camp

Teach about Iran 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 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.

Common Sense media rates Children of Heaven as appropriate for ages 10+.  Learn more about teaching with Children of Heaven.

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.

Related Resources

Learn more about Teaching About Islam with Film.

What to Teach in May

Here are teaching ideas paired with free teaching resources for teachers and homeschoolers about what to teach with film in May!

May Teaching Highlights

Mental Health Awareness Month

May 5 – 12 is also Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week. We recommend these powerful lesson plans and experiential activities to support mental health and wellness all month long: Teach about Mental Health Awareness with Film for grades 4-12.

Holocaust Remembrance Day / Yom Hashoah May 6, 2024

May 8 is also Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives During the Second World War. Educate your students about the Holocaust with  our guides for Big SoniaDefiant Requiem, and Schindler’s List; the cultural preservation lesson in The Music of Strangers; and our standalone lesson on Antisemitism Today (available from Share My Lesson and from our Schindler’s List page.) Learn more about our Holocaust Education resources.

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia
May 17

May 22 is also Harvey Milk Day. These are great days to teach with Finding Pride from the It Gets Better Project.

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More May Monthly Teaching Events

Better Hearing and Speech Month is a great time to teach about aphasia with Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down and nonspeaking with The Way Home.

For Jewish Heritage Month, we recommend films about two of our favorite Jewish-Americans: Big Sonia, about Holocaust survivor / Holocaust educator Sonia Warshawski; and  Genius (Season One), about Albert Einstein! We also have lessons to introduce students to Jewish belief and traditions in The Story of God.

Celebrate bikes for National Bike Month, National Ride a Bike Day on May 5 and National Walk Bike and Roll to School Day on May 8 with our films about the power of bicycles: The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind and Wadjda. Learn more: Films that Celebrate the Power of Bicycles.

May 5-11 is Be Kind to Animals Week! Celebrate animals with JANE, about Dr. Jane Goodall’s lifelong work with chimpanzees.

May 6-12 is National Nurses Week and May 12-18 is National Women’s Health Week.  Teach about the importance of nurses in the public health system, and the invisible work of public health in promoting health and longevity with The Invisible Shield. It’s a great tool for getting students excited about public health careers.

A simple black bicycle stands in a field of tall, dry grasses under a blue sky. Text across the top says "Teach with Film for Bicycle Month.

 

May Special Teaching Days

May 3 is World Press Freedom Day. Teach powerful lessons about freedom of the press and media responsibility with our lesson plans for Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, Navalny and The Post. Get more resources in our article at Share My Lesson: Freedom of the Press in a Changing Media Landscape.

May 5 is Cinco de Mayo. Teach in Spanish with our Spanish-language teaching guides for Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, River of Gold, and The Love Bugs.

Looking for Portuguese-language teaching resources for Portuguese Language Day on May 5? Our River of Gold curriculum guide is also available in Portuguese!

May 12 is International Nurses Day! Celebrate nurses as the healthcare heroes they are with The Invisible Shield

International Day of Families on May 15 is a wonderful day to teach with films that explore the rich diversity of global families and family ties. We recommend coming of age dramas Children of Heaven, The Way Home, Wadjda, and Whale Rider. There is also a powerful section for discussing family traditions in our Greener Pastures Discussion Guide.

Albert Einstein’s work at the beginning of the 20th century changed the way we think about time and light. For International Day of Light  on May 16, introduce students to Einstein’s life and work with National Geographic’s Genius.

May 17 is the 70th anniversary of Brown v Board of Education, the landmarks U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1954 which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional. Teach about this milestone in Black History with our Hidden Figures lesson on Segregation and Civil Rights History.  You may also find our collection of Black History Lessons helpful.

May 21 is World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The Music of Strangers: YoYo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble is a great global education teaching tool to engage students about cultural diversity and cultural preservation. Unzipped also presents a great opportunity for discussing the power and importance of diverse communities.

May 21 is World Meditation Day. May 23 is also Vesak, the Buddhist celebration of the birth of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Introduce your students to Buddhism and meditation with The Cup, The Dhamma Brothers, and The Story of God.

May 22 is International Day for Biological Diversity. For high school students, teach about the biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest with River of Gold. For elementary school students, explore nature with our Celebration of Nature collection for Grades 3-7.

May 26 is the Centennial of the enactment of the U.S. Immigration Act of 1924. Teach about immigrants and refugees with He Named Me Malala, The Neighborhood Storyteller, The Cup, and The Music of Strangers.

Collage of film posters for Big Sonia, He Named Me Malala, Wadjda and The Cup. Text says: "What to Teach in May."

Teach with Film for World Health Day 2024

April 7 is World Health Day. The World Health Day theme for 2024 is ‘My health, my right’, to champion the importance of healthcare for all, as well as safe and healthy living conditions including safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination. 

We recommend the following films plus our free teaching guides for teaching about the intersection of individual health, public health, and human rights:

We are also pleased to offer free teaching resources for films about human rights and freedom from discrimination:

These teaching materials are available for free to help you teach about the complex social issues that affect individual health and public health — today and all year round.

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