Lesson Plans Based on Movies & Film!

[ Suggested Ages are in brackets at the end of each entry ]

Snippet Lesson Plans are based on short subjects or film clips. They are ideal for classroom use because the video segments are less than 40 minutes in length.

Diversity in America

1. Diversity Generally

A Gentleman's Agreement    U.S./1945 - 1991 & Diversity [12+] Matewan    U.S./1913 - 1929, Diversity & West Virginia; Religions/Christianity [12+]

South Pacific    Drama/Musicals; U.S./1941 - 1945 & Diversity [10+]

2. The African/American Experience and the Civil Rights Movement

The Adventures of Huck Finn    U.S./1812 - 1860, Diversity & Missouri; Literature/U.S. [6+] Amistad    U.S./1812 - 1860 & Diversity [14+] The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman    U.S./1865 - 1991 & Diversity [10+] Baseball: Inning 8. A Whole New Ball Game: 1960 - 1970 U.S./History & Culture, Diversity; Sports; U.S./History & Culture [10+] Baseball: Inning 9. Home: 1970 - 1994 Sports; U.S./History & Culture [10+] Brian's Song    Sports/Football; U.S./1945 - 1991 & Diversity [10+] The Color Purple Literature/U.S. & Literary Devices: motif, theme, symbol, characterization; U.S./1865 - 1913, 1913 - 1929; & Diversity/African-American [15+] Conrack    U.S./1945 - 1991, Diversity & South Carolina [10+] Edge of America Sports/Basketball; U.S./1945-1991; Diversity/Native American & African American and New Mexico [12+] Einstein: Light to the Power of 2       Science-Technology; U.S.- 1945 - 1991 & Diversity; Biography [8 - 13] Force More Powerful-- Short Subject       World/India, Poland, Denmark, Chile, South Africa; 1800s - the Present; U.S./1945 - the Present; Civil Rights Movement, Tennessee [12+; Six sections, each between 20 and 30 minutes in length] Snippet Lesson Plan on the Civil Rights Movement - The Nashville Sit-ins, 1960 (U.S./1945 - 1991 & Diversity) [12+; snippet: 25 minutes; lesson: two class periods] Gandhi    Biography; World/India, South Africa, England & 1800s - Cold War Era; U.S./Diversity; Religions [10+] Ghosts of Mississippi    U.S./1945 - Present, Diversity, the Law & Mississippi; [12+] Guess Who's Coming to Dinner    U.S./ 1945 - 1991 & Diversity [10+] The Help (US 1945-1991, Diversity & Mississippi; SEL: Self-Esteem, Friendship, Courage; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Respect) [13+] The Jackie Robinson Story    Biography; Sports/Baseball; U.S./1945 - 1991 & Diversity [8+] The Long Walk Home    U.S./1945 - 1991, Diversity & Alabama [12+]

Native Son    U.S./1945 - 1991, Diversity & Illinois; Literature/U.S.; Character Development: Justice; Friendship [15+] A Raisin in the Sun    U.S./1945 - 1991, Diversity & Illinois; Drama/U.S [12+] Partners of the Heart    Medicine; U.S./1917 - 1991, Diversity, Tennessee & Maryland [10+] Remember the Titans    U.S./1945 - 1991, Diversity & Virginia; Sports/Football; [11+] Roots Vol. I    U.S./1629 - 1750 & Diversity; World/Africa [12+] Roots Vol. II    U.S./1629 - 1750 & Diversity [12+] Roots Vol. III    U.S./1750 - 1812 & Diversity [12+] Roots Vol. IV    U.S./1812 - 1860 & Diversity [12+] Roots Vol. V    U.S./1812 - 1860 & Diversity [12+] Roots Vol. VI    U.S./1865 - 1913 & Diversity [12+] Show Boat    U.S./1865 - 1913 & Diversity; Cinema; Drama/Musicals; Dance/Performance [11+] Something the Lord Made    Medicine; U.S./1917 - 1991, Diversity, Tennessee & Maryland [10+] To Kill A Mockingbird    U.S./1929 - 1941, the Law & Diversity; Literature/U.S. [11+; Literary devices analyzed: symbol; flashback; irony; humor] Tuskegee Airmen    Aviation; U.S./1941 - 1945, Diversity & Alabama [10+] Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives U.S./1812 - 1865; 1865 - 1913; and African Americans & the Civil Rights Movement; Literature/U.S. (Narrative Writing) (Narrative Writing) [10+] White Nights    Dance; World/Cold War & Russia; U.S./Diversity [13+]

3. The Asian/American Experience

The Joy Luck Club    U.S./1945 - 1991, Diversity; California; World/China [14+]

Sayonara    U.S./1945 - 1991 & Diversity; World/Japan [12+]

4. The Irish/American Experience

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn    U.S./1913 - 1929, Diversity & New York [9+]

5. The Italian/American Experience

No Titles

6. The Jewish/American Experience

An American Tail   U.S./1865 - 1913; Diversity & New York [7 - 10] An American Tail - Talking and Playing for Growth U.S./1865 - 1913; Diversity & New York; Religions/Judaism) [5 - 8] Fiddler on the Roof    Drama/Musicals; Religions/Judaism; U.S./Diversity; World/Russia; Dance/Performance [7+]

A Gentleman's Agreement    U.S./1945 - 1991 & Diversity [12+] Hester Street    U.S./1865 - 1913; Diversity & New York [12+] The Jazz Singer    Cinema; U.S./1913 - 1929, Diversity & New York; Music/Popular [12+]

7. The Hispanic American Experience

Stand and Deliver    U.S./1941 - 1996, Diversity & California; Mathematics; ELA [12+; Literary devices analyzed: character, symbols, subplot, foils and irony]

West Side Story    Drama/Musicals; U.S./1945 - 1991, Diversity & New York; Dance/Performance [12+]

8. Native Americans

Edge of America    Sports/Basketball; U.S./1945-1991; Diversity/Native American & African American and New Mexico [12+]

Smoke Signals    U.S./1991 - Present, Diversity (Native American) & Idaho [12+]

Politics

All The King's Men    U.S./1913 - 1941, Politics & Louisiana; Literature/U.S. [13+] All the President's Men    U.S./1945 - 1991 & Politics [12+]

Eleanor Roosevelt    Biography; U.S./1865 - 1991; Politics [10+]

The Law

12 Angry Men    U.S./1945 - 1991 & The Law (due process; jury selection [11+ ] American Violet (U.S. 1991 - Present; Civics; Plea Bargaining; Snippet: Film Clips: First 31 minutes of the film; Lesson: one and one-half 45 - 55 minute class periods [13+] Ghosts of Mississippi    U.S./1945 - Present, Diversity, the Law & Mississippi [12+] The Insider    U.S./1991 - present, the Law and the Press [13+]

Judgment at Nuremberg    U.S./1941 - 1945, The Law (War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity); World/WW II [10+] To Kill A Mockingbird    U.S./1929 - 1941, the Law (due process) & Diversity; Literature/U.S. [11+; Literary devices analyzed: symbol; flashback; irony; humor] The Ox-Bow Incident    U.S./The Frontier and the West; 1865 - 1913; The Law (due process); & Nevada [12+]

The Press

All the President's Men    U.S./1945 - 1991 & Politics [12+]

The Insider    U.S./1991 - present, the Law and the Press [13+]

For more U.S. History Lesson Plans from movies and film
relating to the individual states, click here.

TeachWithMovies.com Learning Guides are ideal lesson plan makers for teachers of U.S. History. Each Guide contains sections on Helpful Background, Benefits of the Movie, Possible Problems, Discussion Questions, and Assignments. They are designed to allow you to quickly create great U.S. History lesson plans relating to diversity, the Civil Rights Movement, politics, the law and the press.

Movies and film make the events they portray come alive. TeachWithMovies.com helps teachers and parents make U.S. history vivid and personal for children.

Table of Contents for U.S. History Lesson Plans from Movies and Film