ITVS Community Classroom lesson plans pair educational film modules drawn from ITVS’s acclaimed documentary films with standards-based lesson plans, activities, and other interactive content.
Lesson Plans
 | People Power From Within the SystemStudents will investigate the dilemma of whether community organizers should work within the system or outside of the system to bring about social change. As a culminating assignment, students will take sides and debate the issue with their classmates. (includes 1 film module) From the Women's Empowerment Classroom collection |
 | Points of ViewThis lesson examines the many different voices in the film and allows students to reach their own conclusions about and evince their own responses to these points of view. (includes 1 film module) From the Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes Classroom collection |
 | Portraits of Girls in the Criminal Justice SystemThis lesson examines risk factors for contact with the criminal justice system as well as other negative outcomes such as teen pregnancy, dropping out of high school, and substance abuse, and allows students to assess their own risks. From the Women and Girls Lead, Vol. 3: Women, Girls, & the Criminal Justice System Classroom collection |
 | Religious Tolerance in AmericaThis lesson explores religious tolerance in America and takes students through a process designed to promote religious tolerance inside and outside the school community. (includes 1 film module) From the Knocking Classroom collection |
 | Role Models and MentorsThis lesson raises the importance of having a mentor, the characteristics of a good mentor, and what possibilities exist for students themselves to inspire and motivate others. Students will be encouraged to contact a mentoring organization to find a mentor if they do not already have one. From the Women and Girls Lead, Vol. 3: Women, Girls, & the Criminal Justice System Classroom collection |
 | Sampling in Other Forms of Media and IndustryThis module explores how other art forms such as the blues and Walt Disney movies have “borrowed” from the work of other artists, and introduces some of the artists at the front of the remix culture that has emerged in the 21st century. From the Copyright Criminals Classroom collection |
 | Standing for What You BelieveThis lesson examines how Jehovah’s Witnesses have stood for their beliefs historically and calls on students to examine their own belief systems and the price they would pay to uphold their own ideas and principles. (includes 2 film modules) From the Knocking Classroom collection |
 | The Green Belt Movement: Evaluating Citizen Action and Environmental Change StrategiesIn this lesson, students examine the community organizing/civic action steps that the Green Belt Movement took to address Kenya’s deforestation and investigate the strategies that other “change makers” and organizations use to address specific issues—leading them to research two activist organizations of their choice. (includes 2 film modules) From the Women's Empowerment Classroom collection |
 | The Impact of Jehovah’s Witnesses on Civil RightsThis lesson examines the role of Jehovah’s Witnesses in influencing Civil Rights and encourages students to learn about current civil rights issues and develop ways to become actively involved in the Civil Rights issues of today. (includes 1 film module) From the Knocking Classroom collection |
 | The Israeli Arab ExperienceStudents will investigate Arab citizens of Israel as a group, and how the film Shadya draws attention to a population rarely exposed in the media. Students will then use their research skills to take a deeper look at a minority group in another country and present their findings online. (includes 1 film module) From the Women's Empowerment Classroom collection |
