Lesson Plan
PBS

President Theodore Roosevelt: Foreign Policy Statesman or Bully?

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Can a negative perception of a president's foreign policy harm his or her historical legacy? A project that winds the clock back to the date of Theodore Roosevelt's death puts students at the editorial desk of a fictional newspaper....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Great Escape

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students view a television program that explores the influence and importance of film's contribution to the rise of global culture. They discuss and write about the movies' influence in their own lives and compare and contrast different...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students research one of the six wives of Henry VIII in groups to provide expert presentations. In this European History lesson, students view a film and take notes on Henry VIII's wives. Students evaluate the information from the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Baga Drum

For Teachers K - 6th
Students examine a Baga Drum in order to explore the history of the Baga people of West Africa. In this art history lesson plan, students recognize figures used in Baga Drum design that represent aspects of Baga culture. They also design...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Broadcast from the Past

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Pupils will be responsible for presenting (either performing live or videotaping and playing) a newscast dealing with an aspect of the Civil Rights Movement that connects to the unit topic of media and social justice. During the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Modern Day Minstrel - Lesson 1

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners identify and describe the various roles that musicians fulfill. They recognize various genres of music. They identify and interview musicians in the community and invite them to come in and talk about their roles as musicians.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Fog of War

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students view the film Fog of War and discuss the most striking elements of the film. They focus on chosen lessons from robert McNamara's life such as: empathy, rationality and proportionality.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Waging A Living

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers view a video clip about minimum wage. They discover the history of wage policy in the United States and the difference between the minimum wage and living wage. They write a paper on how to increase the wages.
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Movies for a Nickel! The Nickelodeon

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students identify and participate in this activity to identify and learn about the early history of the film industry, and consider the impact of movies on society ever since. Then they use the websites listed to study various aspects of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Soldados: Soldiers' Stories

For Teachers All
This lesson will help students practice conducting an oral history interview, increase knowledge about what it is like to be a soldier, gain knowledge about the Vietnam War and gain knowledge about the Chicano experience in the U.S.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

REEL POLITICS: HOW HOLLYWOOD EXERCISES ITS FREEDOM OF SPEECH

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students list the five best films of the year, in their opinion; brainstorm a list of criteria for a "good" film. They compare their own lists with the nominees in this year's Academy Awards; consider patterns in Academy Award winners of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Welcome to The Immortal Emperor

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students watch a flim while collecting information about China in the third Century BC and about its First Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi. They examine the tools use by archeologist and investigate the human quest for immortality in this series...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Propaganda

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students discuss wartime propaganda after viewing the World War II film "Christmas Under Fire." They answer discussion questions, identify passages of propaganda from a transcript of the film, and write a brief from the Ministry of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The War Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars view video clips of the film "The War". Several classroom activities are included and address major themes found in the film. The lessons incorporate video clips from the film as well as additional resources provided.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life, Camera, Action

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the history, politics and culture of Somalia. They analyze media coverage and portrayal of the country. They focus on the role of media in reporting on Somalia and the current debate over the film Black Hawk Down.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

New Frontiers

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students compare/contrast the expeditions of Dr. Horatio Jackson and Lewis and Clark. They read and discuss journals from both trips, watch segments from the Ken Burns film about Lewis and Clark, conduct Internet research, and complete...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

State of the Planet's Wildlife

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners view and discuss a video about the challenges facing wildlife on the planet Earth. They define key terms, watch the video, and answer discussion questions about the film.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WWI and Russian Revolution

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students view and discuss footage of Tsar Nicholas II reviewing troops on the Eastern Front in 1916 and examine how different groups would have reacted to this footage of the Tsar. They watch the video and in small groups answer...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Made

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students view the Film American Made and view the experiences of a Sikh family in the Western part of America.  In this life in America lesson, students explore the life of Americans who might by looks be thought to be...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1765 to the Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners research philanthropists of the American Revolution. In this philanthropy lesson plan, students watch the video Johnny Tremain and analyze the characters and determine their motives. Learners read the Declaration of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can We Be Both Conservationists and Consumers?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore their role as consumers and conservationists and what roles they play in today's economic climate. They explore resource allocation issues. Students analyze data and draw comparisons between historical and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Has Transportation Changed Since the 1899 Harriman Alaska Expedition?

For Teachers K
Students recognize modes of transportation. They research historical data from a variety of primary and secondary sources including the Harriman expedition journals, related web sites, and photographs from the expedition. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Blues . Music Education

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
For this lesson students will learn about finding the blues in a variety of musical styles. They will investigate instances of the blues form heard in mainstream pop music, along with exploring the musical styles of two new artists who...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fish Stories

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students conduct background research about a Pacific Rim country to develop a premise for a documentary film about the fate of traditional fishing industries in the area.