Lesson Plans by Subject
The Way We Get By | Historical Perspectives: Coming Home from War
November 3, 2009
This lesson plan utilizes the film and website resources for The Way We Get By, which tells the story of a group of volunteers who have greeted more than 900,000 troops at a tiny airport in Bangor, Maine. Classrooms can use these resources to conduct an investigation that compares and contrasts the homecoming experiences of soldiers who served in World War II and the wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Two Towns of Jasper | A Unit on Prejudice and Racism
October 27, 2009
Two Towns of Jasper is a nuanced view of the subtleties of race relations in America and the different viewpoints forged by racial identity. The lessons in this unit will guide students to a better understanding of privilege -- one of the pervasive causes behind racism -- and, more specifically, the impact of "white privilege" on racism against non-white Americans. An exploration of the concept of privilege can also help students understand the societal factors that contribute to other "ism's": sexism, ethnocentrism, classism and heterosexism.
Bronx Princess | Exploring Parent-Child Relationships Through Letter Writing
September 21, 2009
This lesson plan is designed to be used with the film Bronx Princess, which chronicles the complex relationship between a young woman named Rocky and her Ghanaian mother as Rocky progresses from high school to college. Classrooms can use this film and its companion website resources to help students explore their own relationships with their parents through letter writing. (Note: This film sometimes uses English subtitles.)
The Principal Story | Principles of Leadership
September 14, 2009
Classrooms can use this lesson plan and its companion website resources to explore the nature of leadership. This plan is designed to be used with the film, The Principal Story, which follows the activities of both a veteran and a novice school principal during the course of a school year.
The English Surgeon | What Type of Volunteer Are You?
September 8, 2009
This lesson plan is designed to be used with the film The English Surgeon, which follows the volunteer work of an English neurosurgeon as he improves medical care for patients of a brain surgery clinic in Ukraine. Classrooms can use this film and its companion website resources to explore volunteerism and how students can make a difference in their own communities.
Ella Es el Matador (She Is the Matador) | The Struggle for Equal Opportunities for Women
August 27, 2009
This lesson plan is designed to be used with the film Ella Es El Matador (She Is the Matador), which shows the struggles that two women face while trying to succeed in the male-dominated world of bullfighting in Spain. Classrooms can use this film and its companion website resources to spark student interest in those who have fought for equal opportunities for women in other "arenas."
This Way Up | Both Sides of the Fence: The West Bank Security Wall
August 20, 2009
This lesson plan is designed to be used with the film This Way Up, which follows the lives of people in and around a nursing home near the Israeli security barrier in East Jerusalem. Classrooms can use this film and its companion website resources to examine the impact of the security barrier on everyday life and to deepen their understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
City of Cranes
August 13, 2009
This lesson plan is designed to be used with the film, City of Cranes. Students will explore the role that "perspective" plays in disciplines such as literature, art and politics.
Nutkin's Last Stand
August 13, 2009
This lesson plan is designed to be used with the film, Nutkin's Last Stand, which shows the systematic effort by groups in Great Britain to exterminate North American grey squirrels, which were brought to Great Britain from the United States and are believed by many to be spreading a virus that threatens the native red squirrel population.
34x25x36
August 13, 2009
This lesson plan is designed to be used with the film 34x25x36, part of the POV Shorts Program.

