English

Social Studies (X) - Middle (X) - English (X)

The Great Debaters

Icon: 
DVD icon

Inspired by real events, the fascinating The Great Debaters reveals one of the seeds of the Civil Rights Movement in its story of Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington in a captivating performance) and his champion 1935 debate club from the all-African-American Wiley College in Texas. Tolson, a Wiley professor, labor organizer, modernist poet, and much else, runs a rigorous debate program at the school, selecting four students as his team in ’35, among them the future founder of the Congress of Racial Equality, James Farmer Jr. (Denzel Whitaker).

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
02:04
The Great Debaters

Greater Washington, D.C. National Parks: For the People (2005)

Icon: 
DVD icon

Examines some of the attractions of Washington D.C., looking at things to see and do outside the metropolitan area, exploring the history of the national parks surrounding the city, touring some of the capital's major monuments and memorials, and describing alternative entertainments

Grade Level: 
Primary
Elementary
Middle
Length: 
00:20
Greater Washington, D.C. National Parks: For the People

Lake Ontario (2004)

Icon: 
DVD icon

Examines the features of the lake, native peoples of the area, European discovery, canals, Niagara Falls, industries and pollution problems, and modern cities surrounding the lake, including Toronto and Hamilton in Canada, and Rochester, New York.

Grade Level: 
Elementary
Middle
Length: 
00:22
Lake Ontario

The World of American Indian Dance (2003)

Icon: 
DVD icon

The beauty, artistry, athleticism, and competition of Native American dance are illustrated in this documentary. Filmed at the Crow Fair, Crow Agency, Montana, the program highlights the beautiful costumes and many dance styles incorporated into the culture from various Native American tribes and nations.

Grade Level: 
Elementary
Middle
High
Length: 
01:05
The World of American Indian Dance

Exploring Our Past: Native American Life (2005)

Icon: 
DVD icon

Narrated by Joanne Shenandoah, this documentary explores the lives of early Native People of the Pacific Northwest, the Eastern Woodlands, the Desert Southwest and the Great Plains, using dramatic reenactments, rare archival footage and maps.

Grade Level: 
Elementary
Middle
Length: 
00:25
Exploring Our Past: Native American Life

The War of the World: A New History of the 20th Century (2007)

Icon: 
DVD icon

World War II, we have been told all our lives, was our greatest triumph, the moment when the forces of light—the Western democracies and the U.S.S.R.—prevailed over the forces of darkness—the Nazis and the other Axis powers. It was a conflict that began in Europe in September 1939 and ended with the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan in August 1945. Or did it?

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
03:00
The War of  the World: A New History of the 20th Century

The War: 1941-1945 (2006)

Icon: 
DVD icon

THE WAR, a seven-part documentary series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, explores the history and horror of the Second World War from an American perspective by following the fortunes of so-called ordinary men and women who become caught up in one of the greatest cataclysms in human history.

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
15:00
The War: 1941-1945

How the States Got Their Shapes (2010)

Icon: 
DVD icon

Every line on the U.S. map tells a story. Every border reflects our history -- our struggles for independence, our internal conflicts over states rights and slavery, our westward expansion, and the mastery of our natural resources. We are so familiar with the map of United States, but do we know why our states look the way they do? Every shape on the map tells a great story about our past.

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
01:40
How the States Got Their Shapes

The Gilded Age (2005)

Icon: 
DVD icon

This episode establishes the course themes of American identity, freedom, and equality at the end of Reconstruction, then examines the reasons behind the large scale industrialization in the late 19th century.

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
00:30
The Gilded Age

The American West (2005)

Icon: 
DVD icon

An integral part of the changing American landscape in the late 19th century was the transformation of the West. The causes of the changes occurring in the West are explored, and the consequences for people living and moving there are assessed.

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
00:30
The American West

Moving to the City (2005)

Icon: 
DVD icon

Millions of immigrants, as well as thousands already in America, moved to the city in the decades following Reconstruction. The living and social conditions of the huddled masses during this era are examined, using the cities of New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
00:30
Moving to the City

A Dream Deferred (2005)

Icon: 
DVD icon

While millions pursued the American Dream in the late 19th century, women of all ethnic minorities encountered special obstacles in their paths. Why did this happen? How did they respond? What did it mean?

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
00:30
A Dream Deferred

Labor's Struggle (2005)

Icon: 
DVD icon

Industrialization changed the nature of work, working conditions and the composition of the American workforce. Labor's struggle to organize, management's fierce resistance to their efforts, and the status of the American worker at this time are analyzed.

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
00:30
Labor's Struggle

Populist Challenge (2005)

Icon: 
DVD icon

Farmers became more productive and marginalized in economic and political life, responding by organizing significant challenges to the established political powers of the era. The meaning and legacy of the Populists is assessed.

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
00:30
Populist Challenge

The Question of Empire (2005)

Icon: 
DVD icon

The 19th century ends with the internal transformations of the U.S. propelling the nation to look outward. Causes and consequences of the Spanish American War, the decision for empire, the resulting war in the Philippines, and the use of the Big Stick in Latin America are discussed and analyzed.

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
00:30
The Question of Empire

Pages