Community Classroom -- Engaging educators and students through film

About Community Classroom

Compelling Film Content for Many Learning Environments

Community Classroom brings innovative media resources to educators in high schools, community colleges, and other youth-serving organizations. In tandem with our flagship community engagement program Community Cinema, our goal is to connect educators and students with fresh content, information, resources, and opportunities for learning, engagement, and action.

Community Classroom provides educational video modules drawn from ITVS’s acclaimed documentary films and pairs them with standards-based lesson plans, activities, and other interactive content.

Our resources connect 21st Century students with video content from independent filmmakers who share new perspectives about a diverse range of people, places, moments in history, and history-in-the-making. Through these authentic stories, young and adult learners alike will develop a deeper understanding of vital social issues in their own backyards and around the world.

Flexible, Free, and Easy-to-Use Curricula

Film modules and lesson plans are designed to be accessible and appropriate for a variety of learning environments. Students and participants can complete each activity in one class period, or teachers can combine multiple activities to create a unit lasting one to two weeks. While developed for the high school and community college levels, lesson plans can be easily adapted for other grade levels and learning needs. At home, students can complete assignments through free streaming video on this website, and access many of our full-length programs online. Innovation and Expertise

Community Classroom resources are created with guidance from nationally recognized educational organizations, such as the National Council for the Social Studies, the National Council of Teachers of English, the National State Teachers of the Year, the National Association for Media Literacy Education, the American Association of Community Colleges, PBS Teachers, and the KQED Education Network. We collaborate with experienced editors and curriculum writers to create film content tied to each curriculum’s learning goals, giving students factual information, context for contemporary and historical events, and personal stories that help them connect with the subject matter.