How to Teach U.S. History Using Movies
Using film to teach U.S. history not only brings history visually to life, but also adds variety and excitement to a lesson that will undoubtedly intrigue students more so than books alone. Though teaching history through film has its dangers--if done incorrectly, it could have a reverse effect. Hollywood films are created for drama and box office success, not accuracy. As such, care must be taken with Hollywood films. Maintaining clarity between fact and fiction in a historical film provides students with clear, accurate and entertaining history.
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Instructions
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Choose an appropriate film for your history curriculum and begin with a brief background on the historical setting of the film. Never begin a film without a background lecture going into it. The film you choose likely will vary completely on the area of study you are teaching, whether it is colonial history or the Civil Rights Movement era. For example, if studying the American Revolution, discuss the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence before watching Peter Hunt's "1776."
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Assign reading to go along with the film and have a class discussion on the topic before and after the film. For example, if studying the Civil Rights Movement, consider showing Robert Mulligan's "To Kill a Mockingbird" and discuss what is going on during the time period to make the characters act the way they do.
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Require that the students take notes during the film to remind them that it is an assignment and that they will need to draw a correlation between the film and the historical time period later. If needed, pause the film every 30 minutes to ask if there are any questions.
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Choose films made in the time period of study as well as movies based on the time period of study. Most films based on historical events are created long after the event has passed. While this is necessary for portraying an actual event, it is not always historically accurate nor representative of society at the time the story takes place. When teaching about the Cold War, use films that don't necessarily portray the superpower faceoff, but rather were made during the time period of history. Mid-20th century cowboy and other Wild West films are crucial period examples of understanding Cold War society. Ask questions relating to "Why would this film be made at this time?" Indicate what secondary sources would be useful in understanding what was happening in America when the film was made.
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Have a class discussion based on the facts and fiction of the film. Ask the students to create lists of facts and fiction during the film. Hollywood films contain many fabrications of history, but this does not make the film useless, and catching an inaccuracy allows a student to utilize knowledge. This exercise is particularly useful when viewing a film such as Roland Emmerich's Revolutionary War-era film "The Patriot."
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Incorporate lectures and written assignments into the film that are based on the setting and not on the plot or characters. The focus of the exercise is the history, not on the cinematography or acting. Treat the film as a source; the students should use it as a source in their studies, and not as a study itself. Movie references can be used as examples when describing history, but supplementary data from other sources should accompany them.
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