For Educators

This lesson plan is designed for use with the film Al Otro Lado (To the Other Side). This 60-minute film provides a window into issues along the border between the United States and Mexico. A young Mexican man named Magdiel faces an economic crisis in his fishing town. He is unable to make it as a fisherman, so he considers whether to immigrate to the U.S. illegally or to traffic drugs like many of his friends.

Students will have the opportunity to consider important issues such as civil liberty limitations put in place in the United States during times of war and how a democratic government should respond to terrorism.

"The Adventures of Tintin" by Belgian creator Hergé are as recognizable in Europe and Canada as Mickey Mouse and Superman are in the United States. In this classroom activity, students will have the opportunity to learn more about the history of cartooning.

Students will have the opportunity to consider important issues such as the apartheid in South Africa and strategies that people might use to communicate discontent to their government and call for reform.

This lesson will explore the interdependence of organisms in an ecosystem, identify what some private citizens are doing to protect endangered turtles, and discuss whether or not humans have an obligation to help endangered species. The related film The Chances of the World Changing chronicles the personal sacrifices and challenges faced by a New York writer who dedicates his time and resources to rescuing endangered turtles.

This classroom activity related to the POV documentary Lomax the Songhunter has students explore the role that music plays in their lives and think about the role it plays in the lives of others.

Students will have the opportunity to consider important issues such as the relationship between language and cultural identity and consequences of losing a language.

This classroom activity is designed to be used in conjunction with the film Kokoyakyu: High School Baseball. Like the film, this classroom activity looks at sport to reveal some interesting aspects of Japanese culture.

This lesson plan is designed to be used in conjunction with the film No More Tears Sister: An Anatomy of Hope and Betrayal. This 52-minute film recreates the struggles of human rights activist Dr. Rajani Thiranagama, who remained in her war-torn homeland of Sri Lanka to expose human rights violations and to provide whatever level of stability that she could.

Students will have the opportunity to consider important issues such as how participation in civic and political life can help citizens attain individual and public goals and the importance of voting in a democracy.