Suggested Ages are in brackets at the end of each entry.

The term "snippet" refers to a segment of a longer film which is 40 minutes or less in length. The term "short subject" applies to complete movies which are also 40 minutes or less.

Create U.S. History Lesson Plans About Diversity in America Using Movies and Films

1. Diversity Generally

• A Gentleman's Agreement    U.S./1945 - 1991 & Diversity [12+]
• Matewan    U.S./1913 - 1929, Diversity & West Virginia; Religions/Christianity [12+]
• South Pacific    Drama/Musicals; U.S./1941 - 1945 & Diversity [10+]

2. Create U.S. History Lesson Plans About the African/American Experience and the Civil Rights Movement Using Movies

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn    U.S./1812 - 1860, Diversity & Missouri; Literature/U.S. [6+]
• Amistad    U.S./1812 - 1860 & Diversity [14+]
• The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman    U.S./1865 - 1991 & Diversity [10+]
• Baseball: Inning 8. A Whole New Ball Game: 1960 - 1970 U.S./History & Culture, Diversity; Sports; U.S./History & Culture [10+]
• Baseball: Inning 9. Home: 1970 - 1994 Sports; U.S./History & Culture [10+]
d
• Brian's Song    Sports/Football; U.S./1945 - 1991 & Diversity [10+]
• The Color Purple Literature/U.S. & Literary Devices: motif, theme, symbol, characterization; U.S./1865 - 1913, 1913 - 1929; & Diversity/African-American [15+]
• Conrack    U.S./1945 - 1991, Diversity & South Carolina [10+]
• Edge of America Sports/Basketball; U.S./1945-1991; Diversity/Native American & African American and New Mexico [12+]
• Einstein: Light to the Power of 2       Science-Technology; U.S.- 1945 - 1991 & Diversity; Biography [8 - 13]
• 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]
• Snippet Lesson Plan on the Civil Rights Movement - The Nashville Sit-ins, 1960 (U.S./1945 - 1991 & Diversity) [12+; snippet: 25 minutes; lesson: two class periods]
• Gandhi    Biography; World/India, South Africa, England & 1800s - Cold War Era; U.S./Diversity; Religions [10+]
• Ghosts of Mississippi    U.S./1945 - Present, Diversity, the Law & Mississippi; [12+]
• Guess Who's Coming to Dinner    U.S./ 1945 - 1991 & Diversity [10+]
• The Jackie Robinson Story    Biography; Sports/Baseball; U.S./1945 - 1991 & Diversity [8+]
• The Long Walk Home    U.S./1945 - 1991, Diversity & Alabama [12+]
• Native Son    U.S./1945 - 1991, Diversity & Illinois; Literature/U.S.; Character Development: Justice; Friendship [15+]
• A Raisin in the Sun    U.S./1945 - 1991, Diversity & Illinois; Drama/U.S [12+]
• Partners of the Heart    Medicine; U.S./1917 - 1991, Diversity, Tennessee & Maryland [10+]
• Remember the Titans    U.S./1945 - 1991, Diversity & Virginia; Sports/Football; [11+]
• Roots Vol. I    U.S./1629 - 1750 & Diversity; World/Africa [12+]
• Roots Vol. II    U.S./1629 - 1750 & Diversity [12+]
• Roots Vol. III    U.S./1750 - 1812 & Diversity [12+]
• Roots Vol. IV    U.S./1812 - 1860 & Diversity [12+]
• Roots Vol. V    U.S./1812 - 1860 & Diversity [12+]
• Roots Vol. VI    U.S./1865 - 1913 & Diversity [12+]
• Show Boat    U.S./1865 - 1913 & Diversity; Cinema; Drama/Musicals; Dance/Performance [11+]
• Something the Lord Made    Medicine; U.S./1917 - 1991, Diversity, Tennessee & Maryland [10+]
• To Kill A Mockingbird    U.S./1929 - 1941, the Law & Diversity; Literature/U.S. [11+; Literary devices analyzed: symbol; flashback; irony; humor]
• Tuskegee Airmen    Aviation; U.S./1941 - 1945, Diversity & Alabama [10+]
• Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives U.S./1812 - 1865; 1865 - 1913; and African Americans & the Civil Rights Movement; Literature/U.S. (Narrative Writing) (Narrative Writing) [10+]
• White Nights    Dance; World/Cold War & Russia; U.S./Diversity [13+]

3. Create U.S. History Lesson Plans About the Asian/American Experience Using These Movies and Films

• The Joy Luck Club    U.S./1945 - 1991, Diversity; California; World/China [14+]
• Sayonara    U.S./1945 - 1991 & Diversity; World/Japan [12+]

4. Create U.S. History Lesson Plans About the Irish/American Experience Using These Movies and Films

• A Tree Grows In Brooklyn    U.S./1913 - 1929, Diversity & New York [9+]

5. Create U.S. History Lesson Plans About the Italian/American Experience Using These Movies and Films

6. Create U.S. History Lesson Plans About the Jewish/American Experience Using These Movies and Films

• An American Tail   U.S./1865 - 1913; Diversity & New York [7 - 10]
• An American Tail - Talking and Playing for Growth U.S./1865 - 1913; Diversity & New York; Religions/Judaism) [5 - 8]
• Fiddler on the Roof    Drama/Musicals; Religions/Judaism; U.S./Diversity; World/Russia; Dance/Performance [7+]
• A Gentleman's Agreement    U.S./1945 - 1991 & Diversity [12+]
• Hester Street    U.S./1865 - 1913; Diversity & New York [12+]
• The Jazz Singer    Cinema; U.S./1913 - 1929, Diversity & New York; Music/Popular [12+]

7. Create U.S. History Lesson Plans About the Hispanic American Experience Using These Movies and Films

• Stand and Deliver    U.S./1941 - 1996, Diversity & California; Mathematics; Literature/Literary Devices [12+; Literary devices analyzed: character, symbols, subplot, foils and irony]
• West Side Story    Drama/Musicals; U.S./1945 - 1991, Diversity & New York; Dance/Performance [12+]

8. Create U.S. History Lesson Plans About Native Americans Using These Movies and Films

• Edge of America    Sports/Basketball; U.S./1945-1991; Diversity/Native American & African American and New Mexico [12+]
• Smoke Signals    U.S./1991 - Present, Diversity (Native American) & Idaho [12+]

Create U.S. History Lesson Plans About Politics Using These Movies and Films

• All The King's Men    U.S./1913 - 1941, Politics & Louisiana; Literature/U.S. [13+]
• All the President's Men    U.S./1945 - 1991 & Politics [12+]
• Eleanor Roosevelt    Biography; U.S./1865 - 1991; Politics [10+]

Create U.S. History Lesson Plans About the Law Using These Movies and Films

• 12 Angry Men    U.S./1945 - 1991 & The Law (due process; jury selection [11+ ]
• Ghosts of Mississippi    U.S./1945 - Present, Diversity, the Law & Mississippi [12+]
• The Insider    U.S./1991 - present, the Law and the Press [13+]
• Judgment at Nuremberg    U.S./1941 - 1945, The Law (War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity); World/WW II [10+]
• To Kill A Mockingbird    U.S./1929 - 1941, the Law (due process) & Diversity; Literature/U.S. [11+; Literary devices analyzed: symbol; flashback; irony; humor]
• The Ox-Bow Incident    U.S./The Frontier and the West; 1865 - 1913; The Law (due process); & Nevada [12+]

Create U.S. History Lesson Plans About the Press Using These Movies and Films

• All the President's Men    U.S./1945 - 1991 & Politics [12+]
• The Insider    U.S./1991 - present, the Law and the Press [13+]

---

To scroll to the next section of U.S. History Lesson Plans from Movies click here.

TeachWithMovies.com Learning Guides are ideal lesson plan makers for teachers of U.S. History. Each Guide contains sections on Helpful Background, Benefits of the Movie, Possible Problems, Discussion Questions, Projects, and Bridges to Reading. They are designed to allow you to quickly create great U.S. History lesson plans relating to diversity, the Civil Rights Movement, politics, the law and the press.

Movies and film make the events they portray come alive. TeachWithMovies.com helps teachers and parents make U.S. history vivid and personal for children.

---

Table of Contents for U.S. History Lesson Plans from Movies and Film

1629 - 1750: The Colonial Period 1750 - 1812: Creating the Nation The Frontier and the West 1812 - 1860: Manifest Destiny and Prelude to the Civil War 1860 - 1865: The Civil War 1865 - 1913: Reconstruction and the Beginning of the Age of Invention 1913 - 1929: WW I and the Roaring 20s 1929 - 1941: The Great Depression and the Clouds of War 1940 - 1945: WW II 1945 - 1991: The Cold War, Korea and Vietnam; The Civil Rights Movement 1991 - present: .		Diversity Generally African/American and the Civil Rights Movement Asian/American Irish/American Italian/American Jewish/American Hispanic/American Native American Politics The Law The Press Individual States

Spread the GOOD NEWS about ...