The Martian Movie Viewing Guide & Worksheets

Looking for an interesting viewing guide for your science or current events class?

This viewing guide is designed to help insure that students are paying attention and thinking about the information presented in the film.

The Viewing Guide is two pages and splits the movie into four parts. (The parts are labeled for you on the Viewing Guide.) The guide asks basic questions about the science discussed in the movie. Once your students have completed the Movie Viewing Guide, they can move on to the Worksheet.

This worksheet was designed as a part of my current events unit titled “Should Humans Colonize Space?” and the questions on the post-screening worksheet relates to that topic. Your students will analyze the content of the movie in regards to space travel and colonization and the movies representation of the topic. These worksheets are also included in Google Form format to be submitted digitally.

How the Lesson Works:
★ The Viewing Guide is split into four sections with short answer, true/false, and multiple choice questions from the movie.
★ The Post-Screening Worksheet is designed to be completed after students have viewed the movie in its entirety.

Movie Synopsis:
When astronauts blast off from the planet Mars, they leave behind Mark Watney (Matt Damon), presumed dead after a fierce storm. With only a meager amount of supplies, the stranded visitor must utilize his wits and spirit to find a way to survive on the hostile planet. Meanwhile, back on Earth, members of NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring him home, while his crew mates hatch their own plan for a daring rescue mission.

Required Materials:
★ The Martian (2015) DVD or Streaming Capabilities