Use these selections and discussion questions to boost media literacy skills.
Social media is increasingly where people get their news, and as generative AI evolves, media literacy is more critical than ever. If you use any type of media in your classroom, you have an opportunity to teach media literacy. But if you're looking to cover particular facets of media literacy, showing a movie (or selected clips) while encouraging active viewing is a great way to get those discussions going.
We've curated some films—organized by grade level—that target different elements of media literacy. And we've included discussion questions for each below. Some are about media in some form and invite questions about creation, ethics, and more. Others are based on true stories, which allows kids to examine the differences and think critically about those choices. Plus, they offer opportunities to learn some history. Some of these stories exist in other forms (like books, plays, or even video games), so students can analyze how format or perspective can alter content. And a few fall into multiple categories! Many will benefit from historical context, and older films may have less for kids to relate to and might work better as clips. As always, make sure to check out our linked reviews (and preview the movie) before showing in class so there are no surprises!
Coded Bias
Fifth grade and up
Description: This documentary presents the knowledge of technology experts to examine how bias is coded into artificial intelligence, like facial recognition software. Because facial recognition, algorithms, and other forms of AI are already in use for law enforcement, housing, and much more, there are huge consequences for many people.
Discussion Questions:
- What does the movie tell us about who controls the code that makes the AI vs. who is affected most by that code?
- What are some other ways we encounter AI? How might it affect the things we see and read online?
- How is it possible that people can see different content while using the same app? Why is this important?
Hidden Figures
Fifth grade and up
Description: This inspiring true story of African American women working as "human computers" at NASA in the 1950s and '60s helps shine a light on the need for humans even as technology continues to automate. It also touches on the discrimination they faced.
Discussion Questions:
- Though the story behind Hidden Figures is true, it's not 100% historically accurate (like most movies based on real life). Even if you don't know what the differences are, why is it important to know that movies often don't exactly match historical events?
- The events and people portrayed in the movie are also featured in books, including one for little kids and one for older kids. How do you think the information might change depending on the audience?
- Who is this movie about? Who made the movie? When and why does it matter who is adapting historical events into a movie?
Queen of Katwe
Fifth grade and up
Description: Phiona Mutesi is a 10-year-old international chess champion who's discovered by a missionary and chess coach in Uganda. Though he recognizes her talent, her family also needs her help.
Discussion Questions:
- Tendo Nagenda, a Disney executive with Ugandan heritage, helped get the movie project going. Do you think someone's background makes a difference in how they tell a story?
- There are some intense and upsetting moments in the movie: Do you think those moments were important to the story to include? Why or why not?
- The movie has had a lasting impact on the lives of the people who inspired it and young chess players around the world. Do you know of any other TV shows, movies, or other media that have impacted people's lives?
The Truman Show
Fifth grade and up
Description: An orphan named Truman is filmed 24/7 from his birth into adulthood—but he doesn't know it. Over time, Truman begins to see the cracks in his constructed world and starts to investigate.
Discussion Questions:
- How is the TV show in the movie paid for? Have you seen this kind of advertising in other places?
- How are reality shows similar to and different from the "Truman Show" that people are watching in the movie? What's real and not real?
- It seems like some characters watching Truman have a hard time disconnecting from the show. Do you ever feel that way about any kind of media?
Ralph Breaks the Internet: SEL & Digital Citizenship Movie Guide & Lesson Plan
This lesson plan addresses other digital citizenship and SEL topics!
Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World
Seventh grade and up
Description: This Werner Herzog documentary examines the relationship between humans and computers. Because computers are commonplace, kids might be surprised by the origins of the internet. There are both positive and negative examples of how computers impact our lives, and plenty of questions to explore.
Discussion Questions:
- After learning about the origins of computing, how do you think our relationship to computers has changed? How long did it take for them to be integrated into so much of our lives?
- Either from the documentary or your own observations, what do you think are the most positive impacts of the internet? What about the most negative? Why?
- This movie was made before generative AI came on the scene, but you're living it! What do you see as the biggest positives and negatives of AI?
Quiz Show
Seventh grade and up
Description: Based on a true story, this movie captures the scandal of the popular '50s game show Twenty-One being rigged. The actual events also explore what makes a person "popular" on a TV show and can lead to critical thinking about what's real—and what's not.
Discussion Questions:
- If you enjoy watching competition-based shows, what's more important to you: that the events are fair and real, or that it's suspenseful and entertaining? Would you feel betrayed if you found out a show was rigged? Why or why not?
- In terms of today's "reality"—or unscripted—shows, what factors contribute to the overall "story" and "characters," even though they're meant to be real?
- What are some ways we can find out if a work of media is authentic?
Ready Player One
Seventh grade and up
Description: Based on a book of the same title, Spielberg's adaptation features a group of young gamers who are competing against a corporation to win a high-stakes, online hunt designed by a trillionaire. It's set in a gloomy future where VR is the only escape and could prove to be a real life-changer—if they can beat the greedy corporate players who want to control the VR OASIS environment and use it for advertising.
Discussion Questions:
- Other than winning the money themselves, why are the teens so determined to win the hunt? How would the Sixers winning change OASIS?
- We all see commercials, but what are other ways you encounter advertising online? Is it always obvious?
- It's easy to understand how people might want to escape a dreary reality by spending a lot of time in VR. But why is it important to balance our screen time with off-screen life?
All the President's Men
Eighth grade and up
Description: This 1976 portrayal of journalists' journey to expose the Watergate scandal illustrates the tangled web that Woodward and Bernstein had to navigate as they broke a story that changed history.
Discussion Questions:
- List all of the steps that the journalists at the Washington Post had to take before publishing their story. How do those steps contribute to what we call "journalistic integrity"? Why are those steps important?
- What does it take for a newspaper or channel to be a trusted source? What are some things you can check to see if you can trust a source?
- How has the internet and social media changed how news is reported? What are the pros and cons of these changes?
POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Eighth grade and up
Description: Focused on the power of product placement, this documentary is funded entirely by corporate sponsors. It shows the process and influence of marketing on the creative process in a playful way.
Discussion Questions:
- Other than movies, where do you see product placement? How does it affect the actual content?
- What kind of advertising is most persuasive to you? Why?
- What kind of media doesn't contain ads or marketing and is funded in other ways? When creative content has funding from other sources and isn't relying on corporations, how is it different?
Selma
Eighth grade and up
Description: The drama Selma focuses on a three-month span between Martin Luther King Jr. winning the Nobel Peace Prize and the historic march to Montgomery. In an effort to protect Black voters' rights, marchers endured violence and cruelty. When protesters reached a bridge and were violently assaulted by state troopers, TV cameras were there to capture it. Ultimately, protesters succeeded in raising enough awareness to persuade the American government to act.
Discussion Questions:
- In 1965, news crews recorded troopers assaulting protesters on what came to be known as "Bloody Sunday," and the video footage had to be physically flown to TV headquarters in NYC. When people saw what happened on the news, it became a national issue that prompted the federal government to act. In your lifetime, have you seen media play an important role in national issues?
- How might this event have been changed by social media, from coordination to coverage? What are the advantages and disadvantages about social media around important events like this one?
- The FBI tried to make people think badly about Martin Luther King Jr. by revealing that he'd had affairs. Using today's language, they wanted Dr. King to be "canceled." How do you decide whether or not someone you admire should lose your respect and be "canceled"?
Shattered Glass
Eighth grade and up
Description: In this drama based on real events, Stephen Glass is a writer at the magazine The New Republic who has made up a lot of what he has written. He gets away with it until a reporter for a website starts investigating Glass's stories and discovers the truth.
Discussion Questions:
- What does "integrity" mean? How about journalistic integrity? Academic integrity? Why are those things important beyond the fact that it's better to be honest?
- We can imagine that maybe today, someone like Glass might have used generative AI to write articles. If he used a generative AI tool to write about real-life issues, how might that affect his reporting?
- Do you know how to tell what's real and what's fake online? What are some clues you use?
The Social Dilemma
Eighth grade and up
Description: In this documentary, former tech employees reveal how social media is designed to capture and keep our attention—and divide people. They discuss algorithms, filter bubbles, misinformation, and more.
Discussion Questions:
- Do you feel the impacts of the design features that the documentary explores? If so, how? Do you take any actions to counteract or resist these design tricks?
- Considering these design tricks, do you think tech companies should face more government regulations? Why or why not? If so, what kind of regulations?
- This documentary was released in 2020. What information or warnings would they need to add if they made it today?
West Side Story
Eighth grade and up
Description: An adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, this musical is set in 1950s New York City. Instead of a conflict between families, the movie focuses on two gangs and tension based in bigotry against Puerto Rican immigrants. Tony and Maria are star-crossed lovers, caught in the literal crossfire.
Discussion Questions:
- The original version, made in 1960, had White actors playing people from Puerto Rico. In what ways does it make a difference that the 2021 version features more Latino actors? Why does it matter to have authentic representation in media?
- What other changes did you notice between the versions? Why do you think Spielberg made those changes?
- Do you think they serve a purpose? Why or why not?
If the movie were set today, how do you think the internet and social media would have changed the story?
Ophelia
Ninth grade and up
Description: Told with Ophelia as the center of Shakespeare's Hamlet, this movie focuses on how she had to use her wits to gain favor, pursue love, and try to stay alive. It answers many questions about her circumstances and choices—and why she suffers her ultimate fate.
Discussion Questions:
- Though it may not be how Shakespeare would have imagined it, how does this story add to the original?
- How does perspective change a story? Can you think of other media that might benefit from a retelling using another character's perspective?
- We sometimes see historical and current events presented with one point of view. How does it help to get more information that rounds out a story?
The Great Hack
10th grade and up
Description: With the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the United Kingdom's Brexit campaign as central examples, this documentary shows how people are manipulated online. It also examines how our personal data can become a valuable commodity as bad actors try to use it toward their own ends.
Discussion Questions:
- What strategies can we use to prevent being manipulated by people and organizations using the internet and our data against us?
- What are some ways we can limit the amount of data available about us online?
- How much do you think tech companies should be held accountable for the issues portrayed in the documentary? Do you think there are regulations that could help prevent these problems?
Trust Me
10th grade and up
Description: This documentary shows that misinformation often spreads online more quickly than factual information. It also shows how this kind of manipulation often divides people and causes conflict.
Discussion Questions:
- What are some strategies we can use to identify misinformation and find facts?
- How might dividing people and causing conflict be a benefit to those who spread misinformation?
- What role do algorithms play as we look for information online?
Below are more movies that address various aspects of media literacy but might be more complicated to show in schools, depending on your school community. Check out our reviews to see if they can work in your classroom!
- The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem
- Bombshell
- Ingrid Goes West
- I, Tonya
- Network
- Scoop
- The Social Network
- Spotlight
- Wag the Dog
