CREATE WORLD HISTORY LESSON PLANS
Table of Contents for World History Learning Guides and Lesson Plans from Movies and Film
Full Length Movies — Short Subjects — Movie Clips — Film Clips — Video Clips — Snippets
Events/Epochs
- Pre-History
- Indigenous Civilizations in the Americas
- The Ancient World
- Babylon
- China
- Egypt
- Greece
- Muslim Culture
- Roman Empire
- The Middle Ages
- The Renaissance
- The Enlightenment
- The 1800s to the First World War
- The First World War
- Between the Wars and The Great Depression
- The Second World War
- The Cold War Era
- The Post Cold War Era
Dr. Sarmast’s Music School
Music as a Human and Cultural Right using Clips from Dr. Sarmast’s Music School
(Music and Social Studies (World/Afghanistan; Human Rights of Artists; Women’s Rights) [12+; 100 minutes]
Travis: A Soldier’s Story
(Health (Resilience); U.S. 1991 – Current; World/Afghanistan; SEL: Courage in War; Surviving; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility) [14+]
Albania — Movie Lesson Plans Relating to Albania
Behind the Sun
World/Brazil & Albania [12+; Literary devices analyzed: symbols, subplot, flashback, foreshadowing and irony]
Argentina — Lesson Plans from Films Relating to Argentina
Australia — Movie Lesson Plans Relating to Australia
Austria — Lesson Plans from Films Relating to Austria
Amadeus
Biography/Mozart; Music/Classical; World/Austria [12+]
Beethoven Lives Upstairs
Biography; Music/Classical; World/Austria [9 – 12]
The Sound of Music
Drama/Musicals; World/ WWII & Austria [6+]
Strauss: The King of Three-Quarter Time
Biography; Music/Classical; World/Austria [6 – 12]
Brazil — Movie Lesson Plans Relating to Brazil
Behind the Sun
World/Brazil & Albania [12+; Literary devices analyzed: symbols, subplot, flashback, foreshadowing and irony.]
The Mission
Religions/Christianity; World/South America, Paraguay, Brazil [13+]
Canada — Lesson Plans from Films Relating to Canada
Anne of Green Gables
World/Canada [8+]
Beautiful Dreamers
Biography/Whitman; Literature/U.S.; World/Canada; Medicine [12+; useful for getting students to read and appreciate the poetry of Walt Whitman]
Fly Away Home
Parenting; Father/Daughter; Teamwork; Caring for Animals [10+]
Searching for Bobby Fischer
Sports/Chess; World/Canada [10+]
Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
Biography/Gould; Music/Classical; World/Canada [14+] (Small portions in French with English subtitles.)
Chile — Movie Lesson Plans Relating to Chile
Force More Powerful
Short Subject
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]
China — Lesson Plans from Films Relating to China
The Joy Luck Club
U.S./1945 – 1991, Diversity; California; World/China [14+]
Kundun
World/Tibet & China; Religions/Buddhism [13+]
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+]
Mulan
Mythology; World/China [6-9]
(Films in Chinese with English Subtitles)
Cuba — Movie Lesson Plans Relating to Cuba
For Love or Country – The Arturo Sandoval Story
Music/Jazz; World/Cuba and the Cold War Era; Biography [12+]
Denmark — Lesson Plans from Films Relating to Denmark
Force More Powerful
Short Subject
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]
England — Movie Lesson Plans Relating to England
The Adventures of Robin Hood
World/England & Middle Ages [8 – 13]
Around the World in 80 Days
Science-Technology; World/England [8 – 13]
Bend It Like Beckham
(Sports/Soccer (Football); World/England; SEL: Breaking Out; Parenting; Romantic Relationships; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Trustworthiness; Respect; Caring) [13+]
Billy Budd
(Literature/U.S. & Literary Devices: theme, characterization & irony; World/Britain; Seafaring) [14+]
Billy Elliot
Dance; World/England [12+]
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+]
Chariots of Fire
World/England; Sports/Olympics; Religions/Judaism and Christianity [10+]
A Christmas Carol
Religions/Christianity; World/England [8+]
Gandhi
Biography; World/India, South Africa, England & 1800s – Cold War Era; U.S./Diversity; Religions [10+]
Great Expectations
Literature/England; World/England [10+]
Handel’s Last Chance
Biography; Music/Classical; World/England & Ireland [6-12]
An Ideal Husband
Drama/England, World/England [12+]
The Importance of Being Earnest
World/England; Drama/England [12+]
Lawrence of Arabia
Biography; World/England, Middle East & WWI [12+]
Looking For Richard
Drama/England; World/England [12+]
A Man for All Seasons
Biography/Thomas More; World/England & the Renaissance; Religions/Christianity; Drama/England [12+]
Isaac Newton: A Tale of Two Isaacs
Biography; Science-Technology; World/England & Enlightenment; Mathematics [8-13]
The Old Curiosity Shop
World/England; Literature/England [11+]
Oliver!
Drama/Musicals; Literature/England; World/England [8+]
Oliver Twist
Literature/England; World/England [10+]
A Passage To India
World/India & England; Literature/England [12+]
Persuasion
Literature/England; World/England [12+]
The Pirates of Penzance
Drama/Musicals; World/England [8+]
Pride and Prejudice
Literature/England; World/England [12+; Literary devices analyzed: theme; foils, contrasting characters; character development; subplot; irony; and use of letters read by a character]
Sense and Sensibility
Literature/England; World/England [12+]
Romeo and Juliet
Snippet Lesson Plan for “Shakespeare in Love”: An Introduction to Romeo and Juliet (Drama; World/England) [12+]
France — Lesson Plans from Films Relating to France
Camille
Cinema; Drama/France; World/France [12+]
Casablanca
U.S./1941 – 1945; World/WWII, France & Morocco [12+]
Mary Cassatt: American Impressionist
Visual Arts; World/France; U.S./1865 – 1913; Biography) [8+]
Les Choristes
(Music; World/France; Literature/Poetry Analysis; Literary Devices: theme;SEL: Self-esteem; Talent; Education; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Caring) [10+; in French with English subtitles]
Conquest
(Biography/Napoleon Bonaparte; World/France, Poland & The 1800s; SEL: Romantic Relationships; Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Responsibility) [12+]
Cyrano de Bergerac
(Drama/France; World/France; SEL: Romantic Relationships; Self-esteem; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Respect) [12+] (In French with English Subtitles)
Degas and the Dancer
Visual Arts; World/France; Dance [8 – 13]
Ever After
World/France and the Renaissance [10+]
Gigi
(Drama/Musicals; World/France; SEL: Romantic Relationships; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility; Caring) [12+]
La Traviata
Music/Opera; World/France [12+] (In Italian with English Subtitles)
Les Misérables
Literature/France; World/France [8+]
The Life of Emile Zola
Biography; World/France; Literature/France [10+]
Loving Vincent
(ELA; U.S./1945 -1991; SEL: Peer Pressure; Surviving; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility; Caring) [13+; Literary devices analyzed: symbol, character development, theme, irony.]
Lust for Life
Biography/Van Gogh; World/France; Visual Arts [12+]
Madame Curie
Biography; Science-Technology; World/France [10+]
Marie Curie: More Than Meets the Eye
Biography; World/France & WWI; Medicine; Science-Technology [8 – 12]
Midnight in Paris
(Literature/U.S.; Visual Arts; Music; World/France; SEL: Romantic Relationships; Breaking Out; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Caring) [14+]
Moulin Rouge
Biography/Lautrec; Visual Arts; World/France [13+]
Paths of Glory
World/France & WWI [10+]
Tale of Two Cities
Literature/England; World/France & England [12+]
(Films in French with English Subtitles)
Au Revoir Les Enfants
World/France & WWII (Holocaust) [11+]
Carmen
Music/Opera; World/France [12+] (In French with English Subtitles)
The Crucible
U.S./1629 – 1750, 1945-1991 & Massachusetts; Drama/U.S.) (Two versions, one in French with English Subtitles [12+]
Cyrano de Bergerac
Drama/France; World/France [12+] (In French with English Subtitles)
Les Choristes
(Music; World/France; Literature/Poetry Analysis; Literary Devices: theme;SEL: Self-esteem; Talent; Education; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Caring) [10+; in French with English subtitles]
For World History Lesson Plans from movies and film relating
to specific countries and time periods, click here.
TeachWithMovies.org Learning Guides are ideal lesson plan makers for teachers of world history. Each Learning Guide contains sections on Helpful Background, Benefits of the Movie, Possible Problems, Discussion Questions, and Assignments. They are designed to allow you to quickly create great world history lesson plans.
The film clips and short subjects used in Snippet Lesson Plans are less than 40 minutes in length and are ideal for classroom use.
Movies make the events they portray come alive. TeachWithMovies.org helps teachers and parents make world history vivid and personal for children.