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
 | "Keep Coming": How to Strengthen ResiliencyThis lesson highlights the qualities of resiliency needed by teens to overcome adversity and risk. Students consider their own level of resiliency and explore ways to strengthen it. From the Women and Girls Lead, Vol. 3: Women, Girls, & the Criminal Justice System Classroom collection |
 | Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Causes and ImpactIn this lesson, students will make personal connections with a family that has been traumatized and displaced by conflict in their homeland, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or DR Congo. Doing so will help put a human face on a far away and unimaginable conflict that is the deadliest since World War II. Students will then investigate various events in DR Congo’s history, determine the causes and impact of the war, and analyze the effects that war has had on women in particular. (includes 2 film modules) From the Women and Girls Lead, Volume 1 Classroom collection |
 | Crime and Punishment: You DecideThis lesson teaches students about some of the laws related to immigrants convicted of crimes and encourages students to form opinions about the legal system and the policies related to convicted immigrants. (includes 3 film modules) From the Sentenced Home Classroom collection |
 | Dissent in DemocracyThis activity takes a look at how dissent is manifested in American democracy and gives students an opportunity to share their own voice on controversial issues. (includes 2 film modules) From the Vote Democracy! Classroom collection |
 | Facing Deportation: Two Cambodian RefugeesIn this lesson students will learn about the history of the Khmer people and the conflicts that brought them to America as refugees. They will learn about changes to U.S. laws governing refugees and why some now face deportation back to their homeland. Students will also study how other countries around the world address refugee issues as part of a research project. (includes 3 film modules) From the Sentenced Home Classroom collection |
 | Intervention: What WorksThis lesson looks at a successful and surprising intervention program for mothers in prison and is designed for students to further their knowledge of existing resources in their communities and to strengthen the skills needed to access them. From the Women and Girls Lead, Vol. 3: Women, Girls, & the Criminal Justice System Classroom collection |
 | Media LiteracyIn this lesson, students will critically view and analyze media, learning how images, especially in documentary filmmaking, are constructed. (includes 2 film modules) From the Vote Democracy! Classroom collection |
 | Participating in a CampaignThis lesson focuses on the mechanics of political campaigns, from campaign team roles to skills and strategies. (includes 2 film modules) From the Vote Democracy! 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 |
 | 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 |
