13th (2016) – Complete Movie Guide for Grades 9-12

Trace the growth of the U.S. prison population by decade using figures cited directly in the documentary.

Explain how specific political decisions -- the 'law and order' campaign, the war on drugs, the Willie Horton ad, and the three-strikes law -- connect to rising incarceration rates.

Identify the events the documentary presents as giving rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Pause the film at the listed timestamps (roughly every 15-30 minutes) so students can complete each question set before the next segment begins.

Use the open-ended final question (page 3: 'If you had to give this movie a new title, what would it be and why?') as a class discussion or exit-ticket prompt after the film ends.

Preview terms such as ALEC, CCA, and SB1070 before viewing the later segments, since several questions in that section depend on understanding these terms.

Documentary comprehension -- students answer chronological, timestamped questions while watching, tracking specific facts and figures from the film.

Historical-political analysis -- students explain how presidential policy decisions across five decades connect to rising incarceration rates.

Quote completion and close viewing -- several questions ask students to finish direct quotes heard in the film, including one from Martin Luther King Jr.