December 1st – December 31st
December is Universal Human Rights Month, a time for people in the United States and around the world to join together and stand up for the rights and dignity of all individuals.
Amistad
(Justice; Courage; Rebellion; Human Rights; Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Caring; Citizenship; Subjects: U.S./1812 – 1860 & Diversity) [14+]
Four Films About Anne Frank
(Coming of Age; Families in Crisis; Human Rights; Courage; Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Responsibility; Citizenship; Subjects: World/WWII & Holland; Biography) [12+]
Au Revoir Les Enfants
(Coming of Age, Human Rights, Friendship; Ethical Emphasis: Trustworthiness, Responsibility, Caring; Subjects: World/France & WWII (Holocaust)) [11+]
Beyond Rangoon
(Human Rights; Grieving; Rebellion; Ethical Emphasis: Caring; Subjects: World/Myanmar) [14+]
BlackkKlansman
(U.S. History & Culture: 1991 to Present; The Diversity/African-American Experience and the Civil Rights Movement; SEL: Human Rights; Justice; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Respect? [13+; 2 hours 12 minutes]
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
(Human Rights; Friendship; Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Subjects: World/WWII & Germany; ELA) [13+; Literary Devices Analyzed: irony]
A Dry White Season
(Courage; Justice; Human Rights; Grieving; Father/Son; Marriage; Families in Crisis; Ethical Emphasis: Trustworthiness, Responsibility; Citizenship; Subjects: World/South Africa) [14+]
El Norte
Human Rights; Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Subjects: U.S./1945 to present, Diversity & California; World/Guatemala) [14+]
Europa! Europa!
(Human Rights; Surviving; Ethical Emphasis: Trustworthiness; Subjects: World/Germany & WWII) [13+] (In German & Russian with English Subtitles)
For Love or Country — The Arturo Sandoval Story
(Human Rights; Courage; Ethical Emphasis: Trustworthiness; Citizenship; Subjects: Music/Jazz; World/Cuba and the Cold War Era; Biography) [12+]
Fruitvale Station
(Human Rights; Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Subjects: U.S./1991 to present, Diversity & California) [13+]
Gattaca
(Breaking Out; Alcohol and Drug Abuse; Human Rights; Brothers; Friendship; Suicide; Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Fairness; Subjects: Science Fiction) [14+]
Gorillas in the Mist
(Caring for Animals; Courage; Human Rights; Romantic Relationships; Ethical Emphasis — Trustworthiness; Respect; Citizenship; Subjects — The Environment; Science-Technology; World/Africa) [13+]
Goya: Awakened in a Dream
(Father/Son; Friendship; Illness; Human Rights; Talent; Disabilities; Ethical Emphasis — Caring; Subjects — Visual Arts; World/Spain & the Enlightenment; Biography) [8 – 13]
Grave of the Fireflies
(U.S./1941 – 1991; World/WW-II and Japan; Cinema; SEL: Human Rights; Surviving; Ethical Emphasis: Caring) [13+]
Harriet
(U.S. History 1812- 1865; African-American; Maryland; SEL: Human Rights; Female Role Model; Breaking Out; Courage; Disabilities; Moral/Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility) [13+]
Hiroshima Maiden
(Courage; Friendship; Human Rights; Peer Pressure; Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility; Caring; Subjects: U.S./1941 – 1991; World/WW-II and Japan) [9 – 13]
The Inner Circle
(Marriage; Human Rights; Suicide; Ethical Emphasis: Caring; Subjects: World/Russia) [15+]
Iron Jawed Angels
(Human Rights; Courage; Leadership; Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Fairness; Subjects: U.S.: 1913 – 1929) [11+]
Judgment at Nuremberg
(Justice; Human Rights, Male Role Model; Ethical Emphasis: Respect, Responsibility; Fairness; Subjects: U.S./1941 – 1945 & The Law; World/WWII) [10+]
Just Mercy
(Drama/England; World/Ancient Rome; SEL: Ambition; Rebellion; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Respect) [12+]
For Love or Country – The Arturo Sandoval Story
Lesson Plan: on the Human Rights of Artists
High School and Middle./Jr. High World History and any fine arts curriculum, especially music.
Hotel Rwanda
(Human Rights; Courage; Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility; Citizenship; Subjects: World/Rwanda & the Post-Cold War Era) [14+]
Mao’s Last Dancer
(Literature: NonFiction; Literary Devices: allegory/parable; Biography; World/China; U.S.: 1945 – Present; Dance; SEL: Breaking Out; Human Rights; Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility) [12+]
Mass Casualties Lesson Plan
(Focusing on the Decision to End WWII with Surprise Atomic Attacks on Japanese Cities) (Human Rights; Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility; Caring; Subjects: U.S./ 1941 – 1945; World/WWII and Japan) [12+]
The Official Story
(Parenting; Human Rights; Ethical Emphasis: Trustworthiness; Subjects: World/Argentina) [14+]
Rabbit-Proof Fence
(Human Rights; Courage; Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Subjects: World/Australia) [10+]
Sarafina
(Rebellion; Human Rights; Ethical Emphasis: Trustworthiness; Citizenship; Subjects: World/South Africa) [13+]
Sometimes in April
(Human Rights; Courage; Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility; Citizenship; Subjects: World/Rwanda & the Post-Cold War Era) [14+]
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives
(Human Rights; Courage; Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Fairness; Subjects: U.S./1812 – 1865; 1865 – 1913; and African Americans & the Civil Rights Movement; Literature/U.S. (Narrative Writing)) [10+]
Water
(Human Rights; Suicide; Breaking Out; Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Caring; Fairness; Subjects: World/India; Religions/Hinduism) [12+]
Date-Specific
Christmas
December 25th
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration by billions of people around the world.
A Christmas Carol
(Religions/Christianity; World/England; SEL: Redemption; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Caring) [8+]
It’s a Wonderful Life
(U.S./1913 – 1945; SEL: Male Role Model; Suicide; Breaking Out; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility; Citizenship) [10+]
The Nutcracker
(Dance; SEL: Romantic Relationships; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Respect) [5+]
Historical Birthdays
Mary Todd Lincoln
December 13, 1818
Mary Ann Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and as such the First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865. Today, she is commonly known as Mary Todd Lincoln, though she did not use the name Todd after marrying.
Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided
(U.S./1812 – 1865; Biography; SEL: Families in Crisis; Marriage; Grieving; Leadership; Father/Daughter; Mother/Son; Romantic Relationships; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Respect, Responsibility, Fairness) [10+]
Ludwig van Beethoven
December 1770
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical music repertoire. His works span the transition from the classical period to the romantic era in classical music.
Beethoven Lives Upstairs
(Biography; Music/Classical; World/Austria; SEL: Grieving; Disabilities; Friendship; Talent; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility; Caring) [9 – 12]
Mao Zedong
December 26, 1893
Mao Zedong, also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founding father of the People’s Republic of China, which he ruled as the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976.
Mao’s Last Dancer
(Literature: NonFiction; Literary Devices: allegory/parable; Biography; World/China; U.S.: 1945 – Present; Dance; SEL: Breaking Out; Human Rights; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility) [12+]