Film Theory Teacher Resources

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.

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...

Friedrich Hayek is known for his theories on the connection between economics and political science—and the way they influence each other. An informative video describes Hayek's political philosophy and his views on the importance of a...

Are politicians destined to be corrupt, or is there hope for morality in the political world? Use the video to teach pupils Rousseau's theories behind corruption in Western civilization. The visuals help to further enhance understanding.

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...

Film imitates life; that's what they say. Using performance theory to tie the instructional activity together, learners attempt to understand memory and daily rituals as seen in art, film, and life. They read two chapters from the book,...

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...

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...

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...

Your high schoolers may be tabula rasa about political theory until they learn about John Locke. Use a thought-provoking video to teach them about his philosophies on the natural rights of all humans, religious tolerance, and of course,...

Do the words politician and moral go together? Machiavelli argues that an effective politician does not always act moral. Learners take an in-depth look at his theories about leaders by watching a video about government. To keep your...

An item that lasts forever becomes truly priceless. The video teaches about the political theories pondered by William Morris. Featuring primary sources, visual aids, and an interesting narrative, scholars are both entertained and...

Beauty and Capitalism—not two words you usually see together. John Ruskin, a prominent political thinker definitely did not think so. Teach pupils about the political theory behind aesthetics and why some countries may value beauty over...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

If you've seen the popular Disney Pixar animated film WALL-E, did you catch the film's allusions to key economic concepts as the tragedy of the commons, collective ownership, personal incentive, and consumerism? It's all there, and...

How do the men of Ghostbusters represent entrepreneurship, the market economy, and government oversight? This video provides unique insight into the risks of startup companies, as well as the foundational features of a market economy,...

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...

Shed some light on the nature of shadows! Science sleuths investigate a 200-year-old theory that light will form a bright spot in the center of a sphere's or circle's shadow with a video from Veritasium. The resource explains the...