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Movies for teaching

Resources for K-12

Educational resources for grades K-12 

Explore films based on true stories rated G, PG, and PG-13 to enrich 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.

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Rated G to PG
Rated PG-13
teach with movies
Common Sense Media
Book to film
Free activities
Films Rated G to PG

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).

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Most true story narrative films are not in the Kids and Family genres (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. â€‹You won't find many true story war, journalism, or law and crime films here, which are almost all rated PG-13 or R. â€‹â€‹â€‹

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Click on a film title or poster to watch the trailer and film, plus read reviews and the facts behind the stories.

G and TV-G

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  1. Hachi: A Dog's Tale/Hachiko: A Dog's Story (2009)

  2. Rescued by Ruby (2022)

  3. The Rookie (2002)

  4. The Sound of Music (1965)

  5. The Straight Story (1999)

  6. The Wild Child (1970)

PG and TV-PG

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  1. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

  2. A League of Their Own (1992)

  3. All the President's Men (1976)

  4. Amadeus (1984)

  5. American Underdog (2021)

  6. Apollo 13 (1995)

  7. Beauty and the Beast (2017)

  8. Becoming Jane (2007)

  9. Belle (2013)

  10. Citizen Kane (1941)

  11. Cool Runnings (1993)

  12. Dolphin Tale (2011)

  13. Edge of America (2003)

  14. Eight Below (2006)

  15. Fairy Tale: A True Story (1997)

  16. Finding Neverland (2004)

  17. Fly Away Home (1996)

  18. Front of the Class (2008)

  19. Gandhi (1982)

  20. Hidden Figures (2016)

  21. Homeless to Harvard (2003)

  22. Hurricane Season (2009)

  23. Little Women (1994)

  24. Mao's Last Dancer (2009)

  25. Max (2015)

  26. McFarland, USA (2015)

  27. Miracle (2004)

  28. Miss Evers' Boys (1997)

  29. Miss Potter (2006)

  30. Music of the Heart (1999)

  31. My Penguin Friend (2024)

  32. Norma Rae (1979)

  33. October Sky (1999)

  34. One Life (2023)

  35. Out of Africa (1985)

  36. Queen of Katwe (2016)

  37. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

  38. Red Dog (2011)

  39. Remember the Titans (2000)

  40. Rise (2022)

  41. Ruby Bridges (1998)

  42. Rudy (1993)

  43. Seabiscuit (2003)

  44. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)

  45. Selena (1997)

  46. Stand and Deliver (1988)

  47. The China Syndrome (1979)

  48. The Elephant Man (1980)

  49. The Farewell (2019)

  50. The Greatest Showman (2017)

  51. The Long Game (2023)

  52. The Long Walk Home (1990)

  53. The Miracle Season (2018)

  54. The Ron Clark Story (2006)

  55. The Temptations (1998)

  56. The Whole Wide World (1996)

  57. Togo (2019)

  58. True Spirit (2023)

  59. We Are Marshall (2006)

  60. Young Woman and the Sea (2024)

The Greatest Showman (2017) PG film based on a true story
Ruby Bridges (1998) PG film based on a true story
Rescued by Ruby (2022) TV-G true story movie poster.jpg
Stand and Deliver (1988) PG film based on a true story
Remember the Titans (2000) PG film based on a true story
Dolphin Tale (2011) PG film based on a true story
Fly Away Home Canada geese in flight movie poster.jpg
Queen of Katwe (2016) true story movie poster.jpg

A small sample of G and PG films based on or inspired by true stories to enjoy with kids.

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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

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.

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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.

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​Click on a film title or poster to watch the trailer and film, plus read reviews and the facts behind the stories.

PG-13 and TV-14

 

  1. ​42 (2013)

  2. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

  3. A Civil Action (1998)

  4. A Cry in the Dark (1988)

  5. A United Kingdom (2016)

  6. Adrift (2018)

  7. Antwone Fisher (2002)

  8. Arthur the King (2024)

  9. At Eternity's Gate (2018)

  10. Awakenings (1990)

  11. Big Eyes (2014)

  12. Bonnie & Clyde (2013)

  13. Bridge of Spies (2015)

  14. Captain Phillips (2013)

  15. Catch Me if You Can (2002)

  16. Chaplin (1992)

  17. Cinderella Man (2005)

  18. Concussion (2015)

  19. Dark Waters (2019)

  20. Deepwater Horizon (2016)

  21. Denial (2016)

  22. Dunkirk (2017)

  23. Eddie the Eagle (2016)

  24. Edge of America (2003)

  25. Everest (2015)

  26. Experimenter (2015)

  27. Fair Game (2010)

  28. Ford v. Ferrari (2019)

  29. Freedom Writers (2007)

  30. Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)

  31. Gorillas in the Mist (1988)

  32. Gran Turismo (2023)

  33. Harriet (2019)

  34. Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990)

  35. Hurricane Season (2009)

  36. Impromptu (1991)

  37. Judy (2019)

  38. Just Mercy (2019)

  39. King Richard (2021)

  40. Kon-Tiki (2012)

  41. La Bamba (1987)

  42. Lean on Me (1989)

  43. Lion (2016)

  44. Love & Mercy (2014)

  45. Loving (2016)

  46. Loving Vincent (2017)

  47. Malcolm X (1992)

  48. Marshall (2017)

  49. Mary Shelley (2017)

  50. Mask (1985)

  51. Megan Leavey (2017)

  52. Miss Virginia (2019)

  53. Moneyball (2011)

  54. Not Without my Daughter (1991)

  55. On the Basis of Sex (2018)

  56. One Chance (2013)

  57. Patch Adams (1998)

  58. Peaceful Warrior (2006)

  59. Philadelphia (1993)

  60. Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)

  61. Quiz Show (1994)

  62. Ray (2004)

  63. Rescue Dawn (2006)

  64. Selma (2014)

  65. Seven Years in Tibet (1997)

  66. Shattered Glass (2003)

  67. Shine (1996)

  68. Southside with You (2015)

  69. Suffragette (2015)

  70. Sully (2016)

  71. The Aeronauts (2019)

  72. The Blind Side (2009)

  73. The Butler (2013)

  74. The Courier (2020)

  75. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

  76. The Fabelmans (2022)

  77. The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

  78. The Founder (2017)

  79. The Good Lie (2014)

  80. The Great Debaters (2007)

  81. The Imitation Game (2014)

  82. The Impossible (2012)

  83. The Innocents (2016)

  84. The Laramie Project (2002)

  85. The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)

  86. The Old Man and the Gun (2018)

  87. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

  88. The Sapphires (2012)

  89. The Social Network (2010)

  90. The Way Back (2010)

  91. The Wind Rises (2013)

  92. The World's Fastest Indian (2005)

  93. Till (2022)

  94. Titanic (1997)

  95. Unstoppable (2010)

  96. Victoria and Abdul (2017)

  97. Vincent & Theo (1990)

  98. Walk the Line (2005)

  99. We Are Marshall (2006)

  100. Without Limits (1998)

The Fault in Our Stars (2014) PG-13 film based on a true story
We Are Marshall (2015) film based on a true story
The Great Debaters (2007) PG-13 true story movie poster.jpg
One Chance (2013) PG-13 film based on a true story
Shattered Glass (2013) PG-13 film based on a true story
The Impossible (2012) PG-13 film based on a true story
Catch Me If You Can (2002) film based on a true story
The Wind Rises (2013) PG-13 film based on a true story
Freedom Writers (2007) PG-13 film based on a true story
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) PG-13 film based on a true story

A small sample of PG-13 films based on or inspired by true stories to enjoy with teens.

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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
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TEACH WITH MOVIES

The Teach with Movies website is for teachers, parents, homeschoolers, and really any student.

 

This excellent website features free movie lesson plans with worksheets and helpful background information. Check it out!

Common Sense Media
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The Common Sense Media website is for parents and educators, featuring age-based reviews of books, movies, TV shows, and other media.

 

This website's motto is "Ratings and reviews parents trust." It has parent guides and age-based movie reviews written by parents and kids alike. Check out the collections Movies Based on True Stories and Biopic Movies for children and teens.

Book to Film
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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:

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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:

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Film: Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009). Children's books: 

 

Film: Mao's Last Dancer (2009). Children's books: 

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Film: Just Mercy (2019). Children's books:

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​More to come!​

Free Activities
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free activities

Explore more free lesson plans and materials about films, plus websites with free activities and games.

 

Comparing and contrasting nonfiction books and movie adaptations.

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Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT)

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.​

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True Story Movies on Pinterest

Pinterest boards from True Story Movies feature free lesson plans, free eBooks, worksheets, and other free educational materials for teachers, homeschool parents, and students.

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Genres Activities

 

Click the genre wheels above to spin them! Try some fun icebreaker games and lessons with these spinner wheels or a 3D tangible wheel. They are on the website Wordwall, 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.

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* 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.

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* 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.

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* 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! 

Film Literacy Activities

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." 

More to Come!

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Are there any more excellent teaching resources for supplementing lessons with true story films rated G, PG, and PG-13? Reach out and contact me. I am open to respectful questions, comments, positive feedback, and constructive feedback about this website. Thank you, and enjoy the movies!

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© 2025 by Kelly Knowles

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