Community Classroom -- Engaging educators and students through film

Web Originals

These sites and features invite visitors to interact through non-linear storytelling and social issue games. Available lesson plans explore the arts, culture, and society. Also featured are online extras — fun, interactive ways for students to tap into myriad subjects.

  • Lesson Plans

    Screenshot of Beyond the Fire Web page showing a map of Iraq with a cut-out photo of two young men standing on top of it
    Beyond the Fire: Teen Experiences of War

    Best Educational Resource, South by Southwest Web Awards

    Of the millions of war refugees fleeing conflicts around the globe, almost half are children. Fostering dialogue on geography, human rights, and diplomacy, Beyond the Fire offers a Web-based experience, featuring teen refugees' stories, an interactive virtual passport, lesson plans, and discussion guides. Two lesson plans allow students to look at the issue of child soldiers and explore and compare the experiences of teen refugees.

    Lessons are directed toward grades 7 through 12.
    Subject areas: Geography, Civics, World History, Language Arts

    View lesson plans >>

  • A Native American man with a red blanket draped over his shoulders stands in front of an open doorway
    Circle of Stories

    Best Educational Resource Finalist, South by Southwest Web Awards

    With Native culture bearers as guides, this interactive website explores the art, heritage and legacy of the Native American oral tradition. These three lessons allow students to examine the complex and rich oral tradition of Native American storytelling, create their own stories to share, explore indigenous and Native American cultures and the issues which face them today, and research heritage.

    Lessons are directed toward grades 6 through 12.
    Subject areas: Language Arts, Theater, History, Social Studies, Multicultural Studies, Technology, Life Science

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  • Photo of a pick-up truck hand-painted with colorful images and a structure with a pitched roof built onto it; a man stands by the truck’s open door
    Off the Map

    People’s Voice Webby, Time.com “50 Coolest Websites” 2006

    Few disagree that the exploration of art, artists, art movements, and their histories is essential to a well-rounded education. As demonstrated in the Web-exclusive Off the Map, personal expression is not restricted to canvas or stone; it can be created using almost any object, and any space that is available. Teachers can assign students to create backyard paradises of their own at the site. Each of these five learning activities, created for different age groups, is designed to bring students closer to understanding visionary art and encourage further discussion.

    Activities are directed towards grades 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12.
    Subject areas: Science, Art, Social and Environmental Studies, English, Language Arts

    View lesson plans >>

  • Closeup of a woman's face
    Face to Face

    Best Educational Resource, South by Southwest Web Awards; New Media Award, Media That Matters Film Festival

    Connecting the experiences of antipathy, prejudice, fear and confusion, felt by Japanese Americans in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor with those confronting Arab and Muslim Americans today, Face to Face uncovers and dispels myths and untruths, similarities and shared experiences, and finds some common ground for understanding, tolerance, and compassion.

    Lessons are directed toward grades 6 through 12.
    Subject areas: Civics, Historical Understanding, U.S. History, Language Arts, Thinking And Reasoning, Visual Arts, Working With Others

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  • Illustration of a gas can, woman waving an American flag, hooded person, a sign on a gas pump saying help, a stop sign
    World Without Oil

    Activism Award, South by Southwest Web Awards; Webby Award Nominee

    World Without Oil was an alternate reality game — when submitting their stories, its players pretended the oil crisis was really happening. We encourage teachers to do the same: to get "in game" and act to make the crisis seem real. Each day, students will immerse themselves in an exploration of World Without Oil, and prepare their own "in-game" stories that they can contribute to the WWO online archive.

    The 10 WWO lesson plans are cross-disciplinary and relate to the following subject areas: U.S. History, World History, Geography, Current Events, Economics, Government, Humanities, English, and more. Methods include inquiry-based learning, narrative-driven learning, collaborative learning, multimedia content creation, and media literacy. Outcome: an in-depth understanding of the role that energy has played in our economy, culture, policy, and identity; its connections to our lifestyle and affluence; and ways to evaluate the role of energy in our future.

    View lesson plans for both teachers and students >>