POV

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.

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) | Human Consequences of U.S. Foreign Policy Decisions
July 16, 2009

This lesson plan is designed to be used with the film The Betrayal (Nerakhoon), which tells the story of members of a Laotian family whose father and husband helped the United States wage a so-called "secret war" in Laos during the Vietnam War, only to face imprisonment or execution after the United States withdrew its forces. This family's story represents the experiences of many Laotians and is an excellent case study for showing students how U.S. foreign policy decisions have the potential to impact generations.

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The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court | Should the United States Join the International Criminal Court?
July 6, 2009

This lesson plan is designed to be used with the film, The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court, which tells the history of this judicial body and the struggles it has faced since it was organized in 2002. Classrooms can use this film to explore U.S. policy related to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

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Life. Support. Music. | What Role Should Government Play in Paying for Health Care?
June 30, 2009

This lesson plan is designed to be used with the film Life.Support.Music., which documents the recovery of guitarist Jason Crigler after he suffered a brain hemorrhage while onstage at a show. Classrooms can use Crigler's powerful story to raise issues about U.S. health care reform, especially topics related to long-term care.

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Beyond Hatred | The Role of Tolerance in a Democratic Society
June 25, 2009

This lesson plan is designed to be used with the film Beyond Hatred, which tells the story of a brutal hate crime and the response of the victim's family and the French legal system. Classrooms can use this program to examine how prejudice and discrimination can negatively impact a democratic society.

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