Movies for teaching
Educational resources for grades K-12
Explore films based on true stories rated G, PG, and PG-13 to enrich your children's education in history, language arts, and other subjects. Discover multimedia resources for students to enjoy learning! Find books, worksheets, educational games, and activities complementing true story films and documentaries to expand children's curiosity and understanding.
Films Rated G to PG
Enjoy these true story films with children for educational lessons. Motion picture and TV ratings are from the U.S. Motion Picture Association. Every film here is for general audiences (G) and children with parental guidance (PG).
​
Most true story narrative films are not in the Kids genre or the Family genre (that is, made specifically for children or for parents and children), but G and PG movies inspired by and based on true stories still explore diverse topics kids can enjoy and learn. Most are about sports, animals, and feel-good stories, with some about education, music, and more. ​You won't find many true story war, journalism, or law and crime films here, which are almost all rated PG-13 or R. ​​​
​
Click on a film title or poster to watch the film and trailer, plus read reviews and the facts behind the stories.
PG and TV-PG
​
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)
A League of Their Own (1992)
All the President's Men (1976)
Amadeus (1984)
American Underdog (2021)
Apollo 13 (1995)
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Belle (2013)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Cool Runnings (1993)
Dolphin Tale (2011)
Edge of America (2003)
Eight Below (2006)
Fairy Tale: A True Story (1997)
Finding Neverland (2004)
Fly Away Home (1996)
Gandhi (1982)
Hidden Figures (2016)
Homeless to Harvard (2003)
Hurricane Season (2009)
Little Women (1994)
Mao's Last Dancer (2009)
Max (2015)
Miracle (2004)
Miss Evers' Boys (1997)
Miss Potter (2006)
Music of the Heart (1999)
Norma Rae (1979)
October Sky (1999)
One Life (2023)
Out of Africa (1985)
Queen of Katwe (2016)
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
Red Dog (2011)
Remember the Titans (2000)
Rise (2022)
Ruby Bridges (1998)
Rudy (1993)
Seabiscuit (2003)
Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
Selena (1997)
Stand and Deliver (1988)
The China Syndrome (1979)
The Elephant Man (1980)
The Farewell (2019)
The Greatest Showman (2017)
The Long Game (2023)
The Long Walk Home (1990)
The Miracle Season (2018)
The Ron Clark Story (2006)
The Temptations (1998)
The Whole Wide World (1996)
Togo (2019)
We Are Marshall (2006)
Young Woman and the Sea (2024)
%20true%20story%20movie%20poster.jpg)
A small sample of G and PG films based on or inspired by true stories to enjoy with kids.
​
Are there any other excellent true story films rated G or PG that are missing from this web page? Reach out and contact me!
Films Rated PG-13
Enjoy these true story films with teens for educational lessons. Motion picture and TV ratings are from the U.S. Motion Picture Association. The films are rated for children aged 13 or 14 and above with parental guidance.
​
PG-13 and TV-14 biopics and docudramas of all genres are available to catch student interest: sports, medical, law and crime, disaster and survival, war, journalism, animals, art, music, feel-good, etc.
​
​Click on a film title or poster to watch the film and trailer, plus read reviews and the facts behind the stories.
PG-13 and TV-14
​42 (2013)
Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990)
Not Without my Daughter (1991)
Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)
The Old Man and the Gun (2018)
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
A small sample of PG-13 films based on or inspired by true stories to enjoy with teens.
​
Are there any other excellent true story films rated PG-13 or TV-14 that are missing from this web page? Reach out and contact me!
TEACH WITH MOVIES
The Teach with Movies website is for teachers, parents, homeschoolers, and really any student.
This excellent website features free movie/television lesson plans with worksheets and helpful background information. Check it out!
Book to Film
Explore books that inspired films based on true stories and real events, plus related nonfiction books written after the films. The films and books may supplement lessons in language arts, history, and multiple subjects.
Movies based on nonfiction books:
​
Hundreds of books inspired films based on true stories, so where to begin? Although Wikipedia articles are not scholarly resources, they can be a great starting point for research into which films were inspired by nonfiction writing. Check out these comprehensive lists of nonfiction works turned into feature films and films based on nonfiction books for film adaptations from books, biographies, autobiographies and memoirs, essays and articles, and more.​​
Movies with related children's books and YA books to use in lessons:
​
Film: Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009). Children's books:
-
Hachiko Waits: Based on a True Story narrative by Lesléa Newman. It's a partly fictionalized account of the true story.
-
Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog narrative by Pamela S. Turner. It may have some fictional components.
-
Hachiko: The True Story of the Royal Dogs of Japan and One Faithful Akita informational text by Julie Chrystyn. It's about dog culture in Japan, not just the story of Hachi.​
Film: Mao's Last Dancer (2009). Children's books:
-
Mao's Last Dancer, Young Readers' Edition book by Li Cunxin
-
Dancing to Freedom: The True Story of Mao's Last Dancer children's picture book (grade levels K-2)
​​
Film: Just Mercy (2019). Children's books:
-
Just Mercy adapted for teens
​
​More to come!​
free activities
Explore worksheets about films that are free to print and download, plus websites with free activities and games.
Comparing and contrasting nonfiction books and movie adaptations.
​
Despite the word "pay" in the name, thousands of resources are free to download and use! The link above is for free products with the keywords "film" and "movie." Specify your search for a genre, movie title, subject, grade level, or type of activity.​
Genres: click the genre wheels above to spin them online!
Try some fun icebreaker games and lessons with these spinner wheels or a 3D tangible wheel. They are on the website wordwall.net, where educators and anyone can create free activities with a free account. When logged in, you can select many different themes to switch to for the same activity, plus many different types of games for the same set of words or whatever content.
​
* Icebreaker: in a class or small group, spin the wheel, and when you land on a genre, name and discuss your favorite films or popular films (true story or not) in that genre.
​
* Speaking lesson: take turns spinning the wheel with a partner, and practice conversing about films in the genres you land on. Take turns asking and answering wh- questions (who, what, which, where, when, why, and how) about the films. Great for ESL/ESOL/ELL students and learners practicing conversational turn-taking.
​
* Writing lesson: when students land on a genre, they pick a real event in their lives, and then write about it in a short narrative in that genre. When they land on a new genre, they rewrite the story to fit that new genre (with embellishments allowed!). What genres most closely fit the true story of your life? How would a real event and real people in your life be different if you placed them in a western, musical, thriller, or war story? Could the essence of who you are, who other people are, and the theme of a significant event in your life remain the same even when the genre, settings, and a few details change to make the story more exciting? Get the creative juices flowing as you blend fact with fiction in different genres!
Slideshow presentation of film activities for kids, created by Screen Scotland’s Film Education team with support from Education Scotland, "to help parents and their children to develop skills in film literacy, which supports reading, writing, listening and talking skills."