Historic films clips, when used properly, can help students better grasp important moments.
Given the technology that exists today, namely PowerPoint and Keynote, it is possible now to embed these films within presentations and spark an interest in students that otherwise might be passive viewers.
For more film clips that are organized and categorized, check out our:
Annie Oakley, a dynamic woman who achieved and overcome much in her six decades, is a great figure to introduce to students when teaching a unit on Western History.
Often overlooked, western history is filled with countless stories that students would be excited to learn about.
For more resources please checkout our PowerPoints:
The West: Miners, Ranchers, Farmers, and Native Americans
Our classroom history games:
The Department of Defense created this video in 1964 using various images to weave the history of the US Calvary.
The video allows for discussion on several levels, depending on the focus in your classroom. We broke it into two parts below, each has the same opening.
For more resources on US military history check out our America’s Smaller Wars PowerPoint.
Several of our Classroom History games cover battles in US and World history as well.
The British government made this film in 1951 to explain the importance of the Royal Air Force (RAF) in defending the west.
Historical footage highlights several of the newer technologies and styles of aircraft.
For more on the Cold War Era check out our PowerPoints:
This quick 2 minute video shows people marching and crowds singing during the important 1963 event. We liked it because the people shown do not seem to know they are on film and it is nice to see “unposed” moments.
For more on this event check out our Civil Right Movement PowerPoint.
This film, titled “Twenty Four Hours of Progress”, traces the importance of oil in US industry, economy and the lives of individual Americans.
The tone and narration can make it seem boring to our media-savvy students, however the topic is relevant in American society today as new technologies are being introduced and explored every day.
This film offers many possibilities in the classroom in various Social Studies and environmental studies.
For more on the 1950s check out our Powerpoint:
This Coronet film is a typical post WWII-era film which stresses rigid gender roles and conformity. It was intended to be a social training tool for students to learn what makes a person likeable.
It might be fun to show older students in these opening weeks of school as a springboard for discussions: What items would you leave in if you were to produce a modern-day version? Is it appropriate for high school students? What does make a person popular? How are things the same/different from when this film was produced? And so on…
Narrated by Ronald Reagan, this film highlights the achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen in WWII.
For more WWII era resources check out our PowerPoints and Simulation Games:
US History
World History
A gem of a film that shows the lengths advertising companies went to to market products in the 1950s.
Over the top characters are depicted in the race to sell, sell, sell.
A discussion on modern-day cliches would be an excellent follow-up lesson, with students making their own “Cliche Family”. What might that look like today? Would it be as easy to make this film today? What are the major cliches seen in most commercials today?
For more resources check out our 1950s PowerPoint.
This film, made in 1977, is honestly a bit of a snoozer, even for those of us who love government! However it does cover the major ideas involved with this important Supreme Court case. And it is worth watching…
For more government resources check out our PowerPoints:
