Curated OER
Watershed Documentary
High schoolers research and produce an iMovie documentary about the human and natural history of a stream basin (watershed).
Creative Visions Foundation
Finalizing Films and Writing a Reflection
Wrap up a documentary creation project with the final lesson in this series. Class members reflect on their learning and compose responses to four questions relating to what they learned, whey they would do differently, and how the group...
Creative Visions Foundation
Writing and Developing Storyboards
Storyboarding is an essential part of planning a film. Introduce your class to storyboarding and allow groups time to plan out their documentaries in this sixth lesson in a series about creating documentaries. Class members review an...
Curated OER
War Story Documentary
Students research and create an aspect of a war. They practice on writing a bibliography and essays.
PBS
Exploring Parent-Child Relationships Through Letter Writing
The PBS film, Bronx Princess, launches a study of complex parent-child relationships. Using the provided reading guide, viewers respond to clips from the film and compare Rocky and Yaa’s relationship to other parent-child relationships....
Teaching Tolerance
Film Festival
Everybody's a critic—even your pupils! Using the included resources as a guide, screen films related to social justice and ask film enthusiasts to critique them. Publish the reviews for your school community or develop a film festival...
Curated OER
War Story Documentary
Students review research skills and determine an aspect of war to research. They research an aspect of a war experience and bring history to life through iMovie.
Channel Islands Film
Arlington Springs Man: Lesson Plan 1
Learning to craft quality questions is a skill that can be taught. Class members use the Question Formulation Technique to learn how to create and refine both closed-ended and open-ended questions. They then view West of the West's...
Channel Islands Film
First Contact: Lesson Plan 4 - Grades 5-6
After watching Treasure in the Sea, a documentary about Channel Islands National Park and the video First Contact, about the voyage of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo to the Channel islands, groups research and then compare the...
Curated OER
Watershed Documentary
Students conduct research and collect data about a local watershed area. They create an iMovie showing the human and natural impacts on the creek and watershed areas.
Channel Islands Film
Eminent Domain
After viewing the documentary The Last Roundup, a documentary about the transitioning of Santa Rosa from a privately own island to a National Park, class members debate the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment that permits the...
National Wildlife Federation
An Inconvenient Truth in the Classroom
Global warming — what a hot topic! A thorough unit challenges learners to research, read, explore, and write about carbon, its role and increasing nature in our atmosphere, and how global warming is affecting lives and environments...
Channel Islands Film
Magic Isle: Lesson Plan 1
What are the factors that limit growth and expansion? As part of their study of Catalina Island, class members view the West of the West's documentary Magic Isle and research William Wrigley and the Santa Catalina Island Company. After...
Curated OER
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program
Here’s the overview for a series of lessons about the Japanese American internment introduced by the resource entitled “A Fence Away From Freedom.” Included are the link to the Smithsonian website on which the lessons are based, a list...
Curated OER
The Internment of Japanese-Americans During World War II
Eleventh graders research the daily life of Japanese-Americans in internment camps during World War II and write radio documentaries using what they learn.
Curated OER
On the Oregon Trail
Students work with primary documents and latter-day photographs to recapture the experience of traveling on the Oregon Trail. Working in groups, they write a scene for the movie that is historically accurate and based on the kinds of...
Curated OER
Changing Places
Students investigate the Chinese-American immigration experience. In this assimilation instructional activity, students watch "Becoming American: The Chinese Experience" and then participate in classroom activities regarding the topic....
New York State Education Department
Global History and Geography Examination: June 2017
Learners respond to multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions to demonstrate their understanding of global history and geography.
Curated OER
Global Eyes
Twelfth graders consider global issues and their effects. They identify the themes of human needs, human rights, and the environment, select a topic and research articles for a Global Current Events Portfolio. Working in small groups,...
Curated OER
Inquiring About the Titanic
Students observe pictures of the Titanic sailing and at the bottom of the ocean. They hypothesize the cause of the Titanic tragedy and engage in deeper questioning while one student writes responses on the board. They then work in groups...
Curated OER
Screening the Silver Screen
Students write New York Times Movie Guide Reviews using descriptive and persuasive language.
Curated OER
20th Century II: The 1940's - The War
Students watch the movie The Tuskegee Airmen. Write a one page typed paper that describes the obstacles the African-American servicemen, particularly these aviators, had to over come to defend their country. They use specific scenes from...
Curated OER
Sacred Giving: How?
Students explain how tzedakah is performed and what it's purpose is in the Jewish tradition. In this tzedakah lesson plan, students learn about the Jewish traditions and how they are carried out through the commandments. Students write a...
Curated OER
Introduction to the Lewis and Clark Expedition Corp of Discovery
Students travel with the Corps of Discovery. In this Lewis and Clark Expedition lesson, students watch the PBS video about the expedition and then research the details of the expedition and review the expedition routes.