Movies have a powerful ability to create empathy through the stories they tell. With selected scenes from the 1999 animated film "The Iron Giant," directed by Brad Bird, students look at the cinematic devices filmmakers use to encourage emotional connections with even non human characters. Thanks to generous funding from AFSCME, this lesson is one of many in "Portraits of America: Democracy on Film," a free cinema literacy curriculum using classic films to explore ideals and challenges of immigration, labor, and civil rights. All materials are available free of charge at http://storyofmovies.org.
Enjoy this lesson plan on developing empathy with movies?
Check out more free lesson plans and resources in Share My Lesson's Summer Learning with Movies Collection or Learning at Home: Grades 3-5 Collection.
