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
Germany — Lesson Plans from Films Relating to Germany
(See also World/WWII)
All Quiet on the Western Front
World/Germany & WWI [12+]
Anne Frank — Four Films About Anne Frank
(World/WWII & Holland; Biography; SEL: Coming of Age; Families in Crisis; Human Rights; Courage; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Responsibility; Citizenship) [12+]
Bach’s Fight for Freedom
Biography; Music/Classical; World/Germany [6 – 12]
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
(World/WWII & Germany; ELA; SEL: Human Rights; Friendship; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Responsibility; Caring) [13+; Literary Devices Analyzed: irony]
The Book Thief
(World/Germany, WW-II, ELA (theme, personification, symbol, & irony); SEL: Families in Crisis; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility, Caring) [13+; 121 minutes]
Walk on Water
World/Israel; Germany; WW/II Holocaust [14+]
(Films in German with English Subtitles)
Europa! Europa!
Human Rights; Surviving [13+] (In German & Russian with English Subtitles)
The White Rose
World/Germany & WWII) [13+]
Greece — Movie Lesson Plans Relating to Greece
Guatamala — Movie Lesson Plans Relating to Guatamala
Holland — Movie Lesson Plans Relating to Holland
Ireland — Movie Lesson Plans Relating to Ireland
Handel’s Last Chance
Biography; Music/Classical; World/England & Ireland [6-12]
Michael Collins
Biography; World/Ireland [14+]
Ryan’s Daughter
World/Ireland & WWI [15+]
War of the Buttons
Using Characterization in Literary Analysis (ELA: characterization; World/Ireland; SEL: Fighting; Friendship; Leadership; Parenting; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Trustworthiness; Caring) [10+]
India — Lesson Plans from Films Relating to India
The Elephant Whisperers
(World History/other Cultures: India; the Environment Caring, SEL: Caring for Animals; Grieving.) [9+]
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]
Force More Powerful
Snippet Lesson Plan
Non-violence and the Indian Independence Movement (World/India, U.S./1945 – 1991 & Diversity) [12+; snippet: 25 minutes; lesson: two class periods]
A Force More Powerful
Non-violence and the Indian Independence Movement using A Force More Powerful
[12+; snippet: 25 minutes; lesson: one to two class periods.]
Gandhi
Biography; World/India, South Africa, England & 1800s – Cold War Era; U.S./Diversity; Religions [10+]
A Passage To India
World/India & England; Literature/England [12+]
Water
World/India; Religions/Hinduism; ELA [12+; Literary devices analyzed: character, symbols, subplot, foils and irony]
Indonesia — Movie Lesson Plans Relating to Indonesia
Iran — Movie Lesson Plans Relating to Iran
Argo
(U.S./1945 – 1991 & Iran – The Iran Hostage Crisis; SEL: Courage; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Caring, Citizenship) [14+]
Israel — Lesson Plans from Films Relating to Israel
James’ Journey to Jerusalem
World/Israel; Religions [12+]
Walk on Water
World/Israel; Germany; WW/II Holocaust [14+]
Italy — Movie Lesson Plans Relating to Italy
Galileo: On the Shoulders of Giants
Biography; Science-Technology; World/Italy & the Beginning of the Scientific Revolution [8 – 13]
Leonardo: A Dream of Flight
Biography; World/Italy & the Renaissance; Science-Technology; Aviation [8 – 11]
(Films in Italian with English Subtitles)
Japan — Lesson Plans from Films Relating to Japan
Grave of the Fireflies
(U.S./1941 – 1991; World/WW-II and Japan; Cinema; SEL: Human Rights; Surviving; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Caring) [13+]
Hiroshima Maiden
U.S./1941 – 1991; World/WW-II and Japan [9 – 13]
Flags of Our Fathers
The Best of TWM
(U.S./1940-1945; World/WWII; SEL: Courage in War Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Trustworthiness; Citizenship) [15+]
Mass Casualties Lesson Plan
(Focusing on the Decision to End WWII with Surprise Atomic Attacks on Japanese Cities) U.S./ 1941 – 1945; World/WWII and Japan [12+]
Ponyo
(Literature/World; World/Japan; SEL: Breaking Out; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility; Caring) [5+]
Princess Mononoke
World/Japan; The Environment; Mythology; Cinema [12+]
Sayonara
U.S./1945 – 1991 & Diversity; World/Japan [12+]
Shall We Dance?
Dance; World/Japan [12+]
Tora! Tora! Tora!
U.S./1941 – 1945; World/Japan & WWII; Seafaring) [10+] (Portions in Japanese 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.