Film Theory Teacher Resources
Find Film Theory lesson plans and worksheets
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Lesson Planet Curated
Star Wars and Shakespeare Unit
Luke Skywalker meets Hamlet in a 10-lesson plan unit based on Ian Doescher's William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope (WSSW). Using Star Wars® as source material, Doescher has transformed Lucas's film into a Shakespearian...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Origin of Species: The Making of a Theory
The heartbreaking story of Alfred Wallace's loss of collected evidence opens this documentary about the development of the theory of evolution. You will find supportive resources to use with the movie in your biology class.
Macat
An Introduction to John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice
Justitia, the Roman symbol of justice, is traditionally pictured as blindfolded, holding a sword in one hand and a balance scale in the other to represent that idea that justice should be independent of wealth, power, or status. But how...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Fact Patterns: A Film Guide
What does it take to create a scientific theory? Learners attempt to answer the question by studying the work of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. While watching a video, they track observations from each scientist and then look...
Curated OER
Lesson: Nikhil Chopra: Performing Memory
Film imitates life; that's what they say. Using performance theory to tie the lesson together, learners attempt to understand memory and daily rituals as seen in art, film, and life. They read two chapters from the book, watch the...
Curated OER
Lesson: Lauren Kelley: Icon Identity
Barbie gets a makeover, but not the type you may be thinking of. Critical thinkers explore social norms, storytelling, sexual and racial identity through art. They view the short animated film, Big Gurl, discuss how Barbie was altered...
ACDC Leadership
EconMovies 8: The Dark Knight (Oligopolies and Game Theory)
What are oligopolies, and how do they use game theories in order to strategize and consider how competitors will respond? Check out this well-produced video in which a fantastic presenter uses clips from the film The Dark Knight, as well...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Making of the Fittest: Got Lactase? The Co-evolution of Genes and Culture
Got milk? Only two cultures have had it long enough to develop the tolerance of lactose as an adult. Learn how the responsible genes evolved along with the cultures that have been consuming milk. This rich film is supplied with a few...
Curated OER
Silent Movies: A Year 7 Scheme of Work
Even an outline can give you enough information to execute an awsome project. The tasks for each of the seven weeks of this project are defined, as well as the objective and specific content facilitated through the project. Learners will...
Crash Course
Soviet Montage
Why are film montages in movies so compelling? Learn about the origins and effectiveness of the Soviet montage, as well as discontinuity editing and other filmmaking techniques—and political statements—that arose from the 1917 Bolshevik...
Physics Girl
Special Relativity and the Twin Paradox
Everyone knows that one twin is always older in a pair. But, could a twin be years older? A video from an extensive physics playlist explains Einstein's theory of special relativity. Topics include the speed of light, special versus...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Following the Trail of Evidence
One important skill in analyzing scientific evidence is identifying facts versus opinions. Scholars identify pieces of evidence from the film The Day the Mesozoic Died and then discuss this evidence in small groups at the end of each act...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Making of the Fittest: The Birth and Death of Genes
Adaptations must be made as environments change. This fabulous presentation features Icelandic icefish, a transparent, scaleless specimen that even has colorless blood. Genetics and adaptations concepts are explored as scientists study...
TED-Ed
Dark Matter: The Matter We Can't See
It's looking like the dark side is bigger than we thought! Physicists speculate that perhaps 96% of the universe consists of invisible dark matter and dark energy, while only 4% is what we can view with the aided eye. This flabbergasting...
PBS
When the Book is Better than the Movie
Sometimes the book is better than the movie; other times, the movie comes out on top. A video discusses the topic of novels and their film adaptations, pointing out specific texts and how the tale translated to the big screen. The...
Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Day 12
Class members compare the final 30 minutes of Lucas's Star Wars: A New Hope with Act V of Doescher's play, William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope and consider how the choice of media influences viewers' impression of the...
TED-Ed
Is There a Center of the Universe?
The history of our understanding of the center of the universe is explored through this film. The ideas of Aristotle, Copernicus, Bruno, Descartes, and Herschel are included, as well as the new discoveries that have helped the theories...
Curated OER
Conspiracy Theories-- Amelia Earhart
In this history worksheet, students investigate the conspiracy theory surrounding the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Students answer 12 questions. No information is given on this page; students will need to do research.
Teach With Movies
Learning Guide to: Schindler's List
Take your history class through Schindler's List with a learning guide, which offers an introduction to the film and a variety of discussion questions and related assignments. There are several useful resources in the sidebar, such as a...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Making of the Fittest: Evolving Switches, Evolving Bodies
How did the stickleback fish, which was once ocean bound, evolve to be able to persist in freshwater lakes? Hear from the scientists who identified the genes and related switches that allowed these survivors to adapt. In addition to the...
PBS
Proving Pick's Theorem
Pick up a resource on Pick's Theorem. Individuals watch a video explaining how to find the area of a polygon drawn on a lattice using Pick's Theorem. The film also shows a proof of the theorem using the Euler characteristic and algebra.
Education Closet
West Side Shifts
Combine math, language arts, music, and dance with an activity focused on "America" from West Side Story. After listening to the song, learners compare the film to Romeo and Juliet, analyze the song's meter, design choreography, plan...
Curated OER
What's in a Name? Considering the Shakespeare Authorship Question
Did Shakespeare really write all that stuff? After viewing a trailer for the film, Anonymous and reading Stephen Marche’s article “Wouldn’t It Be Cool If Shakespeare Wasn’t Shakespeare?” class groups read articles about the Shakespeare...
National Gallery of Canada
Reinventing the World
After examining and discussing Guy Ben-Ner's Treehouse Kit, a contemporary art installation with a sculptural and video element, small groups work together to create short silent films. The films should be built around a particular topic...
