Media Awareness Network
Images of Learning: Elementary
Tired of 20-somethings portraying high school middle schoolers? Tired of athletes and principals always being the villains? Class members examine the student and teacher stereotypes presented TV shows and films that are et in schools.
Anti-Defamation League
The Movies, the Academy Awards and Implicit Bias
"And the award goes to. . . " High schoolers investigate bias in the movie industry by reading articles, watching a short video, and examining data about the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) membership, nominees, and...
Global Oneness Project
Exploring the Creative Process
Launch a discussion of the creative process with a short video that features the daily ritual of Slobodan Dan Paich, a San Francisco artist. Slobodan models his approach to tea painting and shares his reflections on the creativity.
Curated OER
Protecting Our Native Forests
Students explore environmental awareness by utilizing computer technology. In this ecosystem conservation lesson plan, students read assigned text which describes the current ecological conditions of Hawaii. Students collaborate in...
Missouri Department of Elementary
The Clique
Mean girls and bully packs are favorite topic for films and TV shows that focus on the destructive power of cliques. High school freshmen are asked to reflect on both the positive and negative aspects of cliques by reading a short...
Curated OER
Allusion and Illusion: Definitions and Examples
Illusions and allusions certainly sound similar but there is a world of difference in their meanings. The narrator of this short video distinguishes between these terms, defines them, and offers examples that are sure to engage viewers....
Global Oneness Project
Cultural Heritage: Recording a Native Language Dictionary
How do you rebuild a language that has been banned for years? A short video introduces high schoolers to Marie Wilcox, A Wukchumni Native American from Central California who, for over 20 years, worked on comprising a dictionary of the...
Curated OER
Science of Special Effects
This is a creative, multidisciplinary, well-designed lesson provided by Scientific American related to special effects. Students make their own animated short films and use math and computer skills.
Global Oneness Project
Our Shared Humanity
Ann Shin's award-winning documentary, My Enemy, My Brother introduces viewers to Zahed Haftlang and Najah Aboud, two child soldiers on opposite sides during the Iran-Iraq war. After viewing the film, class members are asked to reflect on...
Curated OER
The New Fant-"Asia": Contrasting Animated and Live-Action Filmmaking
Young scholars consider different stories and story-telling techniques of animated and live-action filmmaking, write proposals for animated films, and storyboard individual scenes.
Curated OER
Hollywood Candidate
Students consider how a political candidate creates a campaign image. They, in groups, create short biographical films promoting various candidates currently running for office in the United States.
Curated OER
Racism And Discrimination
Students watch and analyze the short film "Broken Dreams" and discuss the causes and effects of racism and discrimination. They answer discussion questions related to the film, then create a leaflet entitled "Racism and Discrimination."
Curated OER
Poetry and Photography
Students determine how to use photographs to depict the feelings and meaning of poetry. In this poetry expression lesson, students work in teams as production companies to design a short film of photos. They use the film as a medium to...
Curated OER
Aaliyah Biography
In this biographical reading / writing worksheet about the singer Aaliyah, students first read a one page biographical essay. Students then compose 11 short answer responses to the following questions.
Curated OER
Keeping our Water Clean
Second graders discuss how our actions impact the quality of water. In this environmental science lesson, 2nd graders watch a short film and discuss the problem of polluted water. Students are then divided into groups and record their...
Curated OER
Hector's World: It's a Serious Game
Students investigate child safety by viewing an educational video. In this Internet privacy lesson plan, students view a short film based on children giving personal information out on the web. Students answer discussion questions after...
Curated OER
Streetfilms' Moving Beyond the Automobile
This is an exceptional series that you can use in an environmental or engineering unit. There are four lessons: "Sustainable Transportation," "Designing for Safety," "Changing the Landscape," and "Engaging in Policy." Each instructional...
National Geographic
Measuring Elevation Past and Present
After viewing a short video about a climb up Mount Everest, high schoolers read about triangulation for measuring distant elevations. Have your class work in groups to construct an inclinometer and then use it to measure the height of...
Curated OER
My Hero Learning Circle
Students participate in a collaboration activity. In this My Hero Project lesson, students discover what a hero is to someone halfway around the world and themselves. Over the 16-week session, circles, made up of between 6-9 classes from...
Incredible Art
Starry Night Interpretation
Young artists are encourage to develop greater imaginative freedom and post their impressions of Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night in a series of activities based around the famous painting. Class members watch a film biography of van...
Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Day 1
"Now is the summer of our happiness/Made winter by this sudden, fierce attack!" Luke Skywalker meets Hamlet in a 10-instructional activity unit based on Ian Doescher's William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope. Using Star Wars®...
Curated OER
Famous First Graders Unit
Class members become reporters, photographers, and movie producers to interview each other as they become "Famous First Graders." Learners work as a team to interview the famous person and then produce a short movie. They create...
Global Oneness Project
The Power to Persevere
Joris Debeij's film, Making It in America, takes a look at Alma Velasco, a Salvadoran immigrant who was granted political asylum in the United States. The lesson gives a face to immigrants and their struggles to embrace the American Dream.
Global Oneness Project
The Nature of Happiness
The U.S. Constitution states that the pursuit of happiness is an inalienable right. The United Nations' Global Happiness Index ranks countries according to the happiness of its citizens. As part of a discussion of the nature of...