Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Movies That Rock": Moulin Rouge

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Upper graders explore musical film and the Bohemian lifestyle common in Europe during the turn of the century through the musical Moulin Rouge. After listening to (or viewing) songs from the movie, they discuss the Bohemian era and how...
Unit Plan
Broadway GPS

The Lion King—The Broadway Musical Study Guide

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Musicals have been adapted from stage plays, novels, and movies. With The Lion King, Disney transforms its animated film into show-stopping, live-action musical theatre. The guide Disney provides to accompany a study...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Independent Studies Movies

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
History comes alive as groups work cooperatively to create short iMovies about a specific historical period of their choice. Ideal for late elementary grades, the lesson includes a video demonstration and a short materials list.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's your favourite film?

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students poll other students on their favorite films today and of all time. A rubric is devised to tally the results. The results are shared with the class. In the end, Students taking the poll vote themselves.
Lesson Plan
Teach With Movies

Title: "Pygmalion" - Topics: Drama/England; World/England

For Teachers 7th - 12th
“What do you mean that my language is improper?” Prior to My Fair Lady was Pygmalion. Fair Eliza’s struggles with English, which according to George Bernard Shaw “is not accessible even to Englishmen,” come alive in the 1938 film version...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scripting The Great Train Robbery

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Take writing prompts to another level in this activity, which allows pupils to create scenes of dialogue based on the 1903 silent film, The Great Train Robbery. Useful for a language arts/history cross-curricular activity, the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Historical Interview Project

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students practice effectively interviewing a subject and then use that interview to create a movie.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To Be a Drum

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students use a scene from a book and make it come alive in movie clips.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

America in Film and Fiction

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students begin the lesson by reading a book on film study. After watching the movie "Citizen Kane", they work together to identify the issues concerning the United States before World War II. As a class, they discuss how the ideas and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Community and Culture

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the rise of jazz music. In this Duke Ellington activity, 4th graders watch video segments regarding Ellington's life and showcasing a performance of Ellington and his band. Students discuss the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Songcatcher

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Pupils read Sharyn McCrumb's and Maggie Greenwald's versions of "Songcatcher" and use them as a springboard to explore the heritage and traditions of Appalachian folk music. They review Internet sources, conduct research and write reports.
Lesson Plan
Film Space

Whale Rider

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Ready for an educational movie day? Use a resource based on the movie Whale Rider to learn more about the Maori culture. Class members answer a variety of questions and listen to music from the soundtrack to further analyze and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rights and Responsibilities: Grass Born to Be Stepped On

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research an event in history in which rights and responsibilities are involved. They create a movie of the information they find.
Unit Plan
San Francisco Symphony

Going West

For Teachers K - 2nd
Now this sounds like a fun lesson! Youngsters learn about pioneer life and the Westward Movement. First, they listen to the Copland's "Appalachian Spring," and then they discuss the elements of music found in the piece. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living Yesterday's History Today

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students describe and contrast life as it was in colonial days. They plan, compose, and produce a student movie. They reflect on what they have learned. They share their experience with others in digital format.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Soundtrack of One's Life

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students gather important information about a historical figure. They write a short biography, including illustrations. Students collect songs from the time period when the person lived. They create a play list in iTunes. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Around the World in 180 Days

For Teachers 1st - 8th
Where did I come from? How did I come to be in this classroom? Using curriculum from Kidspiration, class members research the homelands of their ancestors, as well as the journeys that began from many parts of the world and ended with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The John Travolta Syndrome

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students examine the influence of music and film on contemporary fashion. In this popular culture lesson plan, students research select films featuring John Travolta. Students research selected time periods in American history as well....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stories of the American Experience

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify a veteran to interview. This could be a family member of one of students or someone contacted through an organization in the community. They use a storyboard to plan their movie about their subject.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Ballad of the Sad Café

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students view the film "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe" and analyze it for stereotypes of mountain and hillbilly communities. They identify and discuss Appalachian values represented in the film and write a report on their observations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Vocational: Fashion History

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research and present reports on 20th century fashions and their influences. After watching a video about fashion, they complete worksheets based on the film. In another activity, students make doll-sized clothing items using...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Jazz is About Freedom": Billie Holiday's Anti-lynching Song Strange Fruit

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Working in small teams, learners analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dancing and Singing Through the Bill of Rights

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study the Bill of Rights. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students read and analyze the Bill of Rights before performing The Amendment Song, and a dance associated with the concepts. They work in small groups using a Frayer...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Henri

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars examine the conflict between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland in the film, "Henri." They study of the film as a work of Irish fiction and relate the film to other works of fiction.