Curated OER
WWI Through the Film, Foot Soldiers
If your historians are watching the History Channel documentary, Foot Soldiers during their WWI unit, this plan has some simple recall questions and one referential/debate question ("What was the worst part of the war?") to ask after...
Curated OER
Harvesting the River Lesson Plan: Taking an Oral History
Students practice researching history through oral traditions. In this U.S. History lesson plan, students examine an online exhibit titled Harvesting the River, in which students interview someone from the story. Students utilize...
Curated OER
Living History Video Project
Fifth graders videotape an interview with a community member. In this service learning project, 5th graders are matched with a resident at a local retirement center. The students spend time corresponding with this person and ultimately...
Curated OER
KS5 Film and Media Studies: Documentary
Students generate their own definition of documetary. They watch and discusss a series of extracts that demonstrate the breadth of the documentary form. Students create a defintion of the term documentary that takes into account the...
Curated OER
Looking at Photography Lesson 2: Why Photographs Are Made
Students analyze the difference between artistic and documentary photography. They discuss why photographers made certain photographers.
Curated OER
Reader's Paradise
Students visit the school or local library (or bookstore) to create short film or radio documentary that records a specific habit or ritual associated with reading, book buying, or book borrowing.
Curated OER
A Historical Presentation
Eighth graders review a chosen social studies topic that was covered during the school year. They research the topic using a variety of sources. Students create a documentary about their topic and they create a PowerPoint presentation...
Curated OER
Boomtown
Students view a series of films that explore evolving concepts of civil rights in America. They consider the civil rights of African-Americans, the aged and homosexuals. They discuss the films and complete worksheets.
US National Archives
Our Documents: Declaration of Independence (1776)
The Our Documents group provides a look at the original, signed Declaration of Independence as well as a print version distributed soon after the original was signed. View and learn about the document and its history. RI.9-10.9 US Documents
J. Paul Getty Trust
J. Paul Getty Museum: Dorothea Lange Curriculum
An incredible Dorothea Lange resource, this site has it all. It contains lesson plans, an image bank, a biography, a timeline, and even a set of guidelines for discussing photography.
Other
The Open Video Project
The Open Video Project offers a repository of videos and video clips that are easy to search for and download. The videos and video clips are from a wide range of sources, including U.S. government agencies, commercial entities, and...
Other
B Ykids: Master Filmmakers Mentoring International Youth to Make Films
Website contains information, film trailers, interviews, and/or screening schedules about documentaries created by kids from around the world partnered with master filmmakers. Also includes related press and news as well as information...
Other
Pare Lorentz Film Center
A media source for information on the life and times of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The film center is named after Pare Lorentz, a renowned documentary filmmaker who created government-sponsored films during Roosevelt's era, as well as...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Decisions on Deadline
This collection contains two lesson plans and an interactive game that will facilitate discussion and deepen understanding of the complex issues raised in the documentary film, A Fragile Trust: Plagiarism, Power, and Jayson Blair at The...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Straight to the Source: Primary and Secondary Sources
Students discover what primary and secondary sources are and how to use them in this lesson from PBS Wisconsin Education. They watch video clips from the documentary "Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Neenah-Menasha," identifying the primary...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Decisions on a Deadline Collection: "A Fragile Trust"
This collection contains two lesson plans and an interactive game that will facilitate discussion and deepen understanding of the complex issues raised in the documentary film, A Fragile Trust: Plagiarism, Power, and Jayson Blair at The...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The August Wilson Education Project
The WQED August Wilson Education Project offers resources to educators including a teaching guide, video clips from the documentary, interactive maps, a biographical timeline, webinars, contests for students, and much more. The goal of...
Other
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
A good resource all about documentaries: News, Films (descriptions and screening schedules), and Calendar.
American Movie Classics Company
The Film Site: Documentary Films
This resource provides information about documentary films.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Pbs Learning Media Presents Pov Watch Club
PBS LearningMedia Presents POV Watch Club. Free to educators each month. Let's watch and learn together! Join the Watch Club: Since February 2021 PBS has teamed up with POV to bring a documentary from television's longest-running...
PBS
Pbs: Photographic Record of "Pursuit of Happiness"
Three contemporary photographers define the meaning of "pursuit of happiness" using a series of photographs.
New York Times
New York Times: Audio: A Lot of Love There
Robert Wright,15, star of documentary film "Stagedoor" talks about attending theater camp. Perfect for any student wanting to go into acting.
TES Global
Blendspace: Lights, Camera, Action! Documentary Research Project
A twelve-part learning module with links to images, texts, and videos to use while completing a documentary research project.