THESE FILMS ARE ORGANIZED BY THE SIX PILLARS OF CHARACTER
Teachwithmovies.org is a Character Counts “Six Pillars Partner”
and uses the Six Pillars of Character to organize ethical principles.
CITIZENSHIP
Do your share to make your school and community better; Cooperate; Stay informed; vote; Be a good neighbor; Obey laws and rules; Respect authority; Protect the environment.
12 Angry Men
(Fairness; Respect; Citizenship; SEL: Justice; Subjects: U.S./1945 – 1991 & The Law) [11+]
1776
(Trustworthiness; Responsibility; Citizenship; SEL: Rebellion; Subjects: U.S./1750 – 1812 & Pennsylvania; Drama/Musicals) [11+]
The African Queen
(Citizenship; SEL: Romantic Relationships; Subjects: Science-Technology; World/WWI & Africa) [10+]
All the President’s Men
(Trustworthiness; Responsiblity; Fairness; Citizenship; SEL: Courage; Teamwork; Subjects: U.S./1945 – 1991 & Politics) [12+]
All Quiet on the Western Front
(Trustworthiness; Respect; Citizenship; Caring; SEL: Courage in War; Subjects: World/Germany & WWI) [12+]
Amistad
(Respect; Caring; Citizenship; SEL: Justice; Courage; Rebellion, Human Rights; Subjects: U.S./1812 – 1860 & Diversity) [14+]
Four Films About Anne Frank
(Respect; Responsibility; Citizenship; SEL: Coming of Age; Families in Crisis; Human Rights; Courage; Subjects: World/WWII & Holland; Biography) [12+]
Argo
(U.S./1945 – 1991 & Iran – The Iran Hostage Crisis; SEL: Courage; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Caring, Citizenship) [14+]
Ben and Me
Short Subject
(Citizenship; SEL Friendship; Subjects: Biography/Franklin; U. S./1750 – 1812 & Pennsylvania; Science-Technology) [8 & 9; 27 minutes]
This is America Charlie Brown
The Birth of the Constitution
(Trustworthiness; Citizenship; Subjects: U.S./Creating the Nation) [9 – 12; 24 minutes]
Boystown
(Caring; Citizienship; SEL: Male Role Model; Subjects: U.S./1913 – 1929 & Nebraska; Religions/Christianity) [10+]
A Call To Spy
The Best of TWM
(World History: The Second World War; England; U.S. History, 1940 – 1945; SEL: — Disabilities; Female Role Model; Courage in War; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Citizenship; Respect. [13+]
Casablanca
(Responsibility; Caring; Citizenship; SEL Romantic Relationships; Redemption; Subjects: U.S./1941-1945; World/WWII; France & Morocco; ELA: Extended Metaphor; Allegory; Hero’s Journey) [12+]
Cars
Talking and Playing for Growth
(Responsibility; Caring; Citizenship; SEL: Sportsmanship; Teamwork; Friendship) [5 – 8]
Contagion
(Health; Medicine; Science-Technology; U.S. 1991 – present; World/Asia; SEL: Courage; Surviving; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility; Citizenship) [13+]
A Dry White Season
(Trustworthiness, Responsibility; Citizenship; SEL: Courage; Justice; Human Rights; Grieving; Father/Son; Marriage; Families in Crisis; Subjects: World/South Africa) [14+]
Edison: The Wizard of Light
(Caring; Citizenship; SEL: Talent, Disabilities; Subjects: Science-Technology; U.S./1865 – 1929; Cinema; Biography) [8 – 13]
Eleanor Roosevelt
(Caring, Citizenship; SEL: Leadership; Female Role Model; Subjects: Biography; U.S./1865 – 1991; Politics) [10+]
Flags of Our Fathers
(Trustworthiness; Citizenship; SEL: Courage in War; Subjects: U.S./1940-1945; World/WWII) [15+]
A Force More Powerful
Short Subject
(Citizenship; SEL: Rebellion; Peace/Peacemakers; Subjects: 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]
For Love or Country — The Arturo Sandoval Story
(Trustworthiness; Citizenship; SEL: Human Rights; Courage; Subjects: Music/Jazz; World/Cuba and the Cold War Era; Biography) [12+]
For Whom the Bell Tolls
(Trustworthiness; Citizenship; SEL: Courage in War; Romantic Relationships; Rebellion; Subjects: Literature/U.S.; World/Between World Wars & Spain) [12+]
Gandhi
(Trustworthiness; Respect; Responsibility; Fairness; Caring; Citizenship; SEL: Rebellion; Peace/Peacemakers; Subjects:Biography; World/India, South Africa, England & 1800s – Cold War Era; U.S./Diversity; Religions;) [10+]
Gettysburg
(Trustworthiness; Citizenship; SEL: Courage in War; Leadership; Subjects U.S./1860 – 1865 & Pennsylvania) [10+]
Ghosts of Mississippi
(Trustworthiness, Responsibility, Citizenship; SEL; Courage, Justice; Subjects: U.S./1945 – Present, Diversity, the Law & Mississippi) [12+]
Glory
(Citizenship; Trustworthiness; SEL: Courage in War; Patriotism; Leadership; Subjects U.S./1860 – 1865 & Massachusetts) [14+]
High Noon
American History and Civics Classes
(U.S./The Frontier & the West, 1865 – 1913 and 1945 – 1991 (the Red Scare); Cinema; SEL: Marriage; Leadership; Courage; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility; Citizenship) [11+]
High Noon
ELA Classes
(Literature/Myths of the Western genre; Literary devices: symbol; motif; foil; and expository phase; SEL: Marriage; Leadership; Courage; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility; Citizenship) [11+]
High Noon
Snippet Lesson Plan on the Expository Phase ELA
Expository Phase [12+; snippet: 15 minutes, 20 seconds; lesson: one to two class periods]
Hotel Rwanda
(Responsibility; Citizenship; SEL: Human Rights; Courage; Subjects: World/Rwanda & the Post-Cold War Era; U.S./1991 – present) [14+]
The Insider
(Trustworthiness, Responsibility, Citizenship; SEL: Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Families in Crisis, Marriage, Crime, Courage; Subjects: U.S./1991 – present, the Press and the Law) [13+]
It’s a Wonderful Life
(Responsibility; Citizenship; SEL: Male Role Model; Suicide; Breaking Out; Subjects: U.S./1913 – 1945) [10+]
Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar Acceptance Speech – February 9, 2020
ELA; Civics; Social Emotional Learning: Human Rights, Justice, Redemption; Animal Rights
The Jackie Robinson Story
(Trustworthiness, Respect, Citizenship; SEL: Male Role Model; Subjects: Biography; Sports/Baseball; U.S./1945 – 1991 & Diversity) [8+]
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
(Respect; Caring; Trustworthiness; Citizenship; SEL: Ambition; Families in Crisis; Female Role Model; Friendship; Subjects: U.S./1929 – 1941 (the Great Depression) [6-10]
Little Buddha
(Subjects: Religions/Buddhism; World/Tibet) [10+]
Mr. Holland’s Opus
(Responsibility; Citizenship; Caring; Respect; SEL: Education; Male Role Model; Parenting; Father/Son; Mother/Son; Marriage; Disabilities; Subjects: Music/Classical; U.S. 1945 – 1991) [10+]
Music of the Heart
(Responsibility; Citizenship; SEL: Education; Talent; Disabilities; Romantic Relationships; Divorce; Separation; Subjects: Music/Classical; U.S./1991 – Present & New York; Biography (Guaspari) [9+]
Music Within
(U.S. 1945 – 1991; Health (disabilities; effects of early-life trauma); SEL: Disabilities; Work/Career; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Citizenship) [14+]
Navalny
The Best of TWM
(World-Russia, Post-Cold War Era; SEL: Courage, Ambition, Human Rights, Leadership, Male Role Model (Navalny);
Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility, Citizenship) [15+]
October Sky
(Trustworthiness; Caring; SEL: Parenting; Father/Son; Mother/Son; Breaking Out; Friendship; Subjects: Aviation & Space Exploration; U.S./1945 – 1991 & West Virginia; Science-Technology) [10+]
The Paw Project
(Lesson Plan in Civics and American Government: CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY; U.S./Politics & California; SEL: Caring for Animals; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Citizenship) [13+]
Pay It Forward
(Responsibility; Caring; Citizenship; SEL: Alcohol and Drug Abuse; Mother/Son; Families in Crisis; Education; Disabilities; Subjects: U.S./1991 – Present) [12+]
Pick of the Litter
(U.S. History and Culture, 1991 to Present; SEL: Caring for Animals, Disabilities; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Caring, Citizenship) [11+]
Princess Mononoke
(Respect; Caring; Citizenship; SEL: Male Role Model; Leadership; Romantic Relationships; Subjects: World/Japan; The Environment; Mythology; Cinema) [12+]
The Red Shoes
(Trustworthiness; Citizenship; SEL: Talent; Work/Career; Subjects: Dance; Music/Classical) [12+]
Remember the Titans
(Respect; Responsibility; Fairness; Citizenship; SEL: Breaking Out; Friendship; Teamwork; Leadership; Male Role Model; Subjects: U.S./1945 – 1991, Diversity & Virginia; Sports/Football) [11+]
Sarafina
(Trustworthiness; Citizenship; SEL: Rebellion; Human Rights; Subjects: World/South Africa) [13+]
Small Wonders
(Responsibility; Citizenship; SEL: Education; Female Role Model; Subjects: Music/Classical; U.S./1991 – Present & New York; Biography (Guaspari); ) [6+]
Sometimes in April
(Responsibility; Citizenship; SEL: Human Rights; Courage; Subjects: World/Rwanda & the Post-Cold War Era; U.S./1991) [14+]
South Pacific
(Respect; Citizenship; SEL: Romantic Relationships; Subjects: Drama/Musicals; U.S./1941 – 1945 & Diversity) [10+]
Stand and Deliver
(Trustworthiness; Responsibility; Citizenship; SEL: Education, Male Role Model; Self-esteem; Subjects: U.S./1941 – 1996, Diversity & California) [12+; Literary devices analyzed: character, symbols, subplot, foils, and irony]
To Kill A Mockingbird
(Trustworthiness; Respect; Responsibility; Fairness; Caring; Citizenship; SEL: Justice; Male Role Model; Courage; Mental Illness; Parenting; Disabilities; Subjects: U.S./1929 – 1941, the Law & Diversity; Literature/U.S. & Literary Devices) [11+; Literary devices analyzed: symbol; flashback; irony; humor]
West Side Story
(Respect; Caring; Citizenship; SEL: Fighting; Revenge; Romantic Relationships; Bad Associations; Subjects: Drama/Musicals; U.S./1945 – 1991, Diversity & New York; Dance/Performance) [12+]
Will the future of the United States be more like the years after 1858 or the years after 1968?
(U.S. History & Culture; SEL: Justice; Human Rights; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Citizenship) [15+]