This popular film from the late 1980's remains a favourite with first year Spanish students. Sweet 15 explores two culturally relevant themes, the significance of the Quinceañera and the issue of granting amnesty to illegal aliens in the U.S. While the film is a little dated, the issues explored remain very relevant today and evoke some good in class discussion about becoming a citizen, illegal workers and the coming of age ritual of the quinceañera. Movie guide includes optional websites and questions for "presearch", 25 chronological movie questions and follow up questions for discussion. Best suited for first year Spanish students.

This film describes the civil war in the 1980's in El Salvador and Archbishop Romero's struggle to bring an end to the violent acts perpetrated on the Salvadoran people by the military government. The movie is excellent, carries a PG 13 rating, and is suitable for students at the Spanish II level or higher. The film is in English and could also be used in a social studies class. Starring Raul Julia in one of his last films before he died, this film evokes a lot of discussion about "disappeared/desaparecidos"and US involvement in sticky political situations. Study guide contains questions, and discussion/essay topics, secondary list of questions in Spanish for higher level/native speaker students.

This 90 minute documentary produced by Netflix chronicles the trend in mass incarcerations, with emphasis on its impact on African American males. It follows trends in legislation through the Nixon, Reagan, Bush and Clinton presidencies and how policy decisions have negatively impacted minorities disproportionally. It also examines the role of ALEC in crafting legislative policy and how member corporations directly benefit from increased mass incarcerations. This documentary would be excellent for any Ethnic Studies or Social Studies class where you are discussing civil rights, racial disparities, and how current legislative policies affect populations differently in the US. Download contains 30 questions that accompany the documentary chronologically and a list of suggested follow up activities for students to take their learning to the next level around the issue.

Miss Representation is a documentary that explores how mainstream media and advertising contribute to the under-representation and discrediting of women in influential positions by circulating limited and often negative portrayals of them. The film explores the roles of news channels, commercial advertising and Hollywood as agents in the process of making women unhappy with their bodies, themselves and each other. Movie guide contains pre-watching activities for students to connect their own media habits and self image to what they will be watching, 18 questions for students to explore that follow the film and follow up topics for discussion and action. The film takes two class periods to view and could easily be extended to a third day with time built in up front and afterwards to process and contribute examples and personal experiences. This film is best suited for a high school audience in a Social Studies, Civics or even a Health class that is examining gender roles. It will generate some great discussion as well as heighten students awareness about the impact of the messages they receive through mainstream media and how that connects to political influence. Answer key included for the answers that wont vary. Film is available on DVD or NETFLIX.