Dunkirk (2017) - Complete Movie Guide and Background Worksheet

Students read historical background, graph evacuation totals and answer timed viewing questions alongside Dunkirk. Complete keys accompany the background and film activities.
Grades
Grades 6–8
Pages
8
File type
PDF
Answer key
Included

Updated Apr 21, 2023

Subject
Social Studies
Topic
Dunkirk, World War II
Answer key
Included

Product description

From the author

"Dunkirk" is a 2017 war movie directed by Christopher Nolan, which tells the story of the evacuation of British and Allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk during World War II.

The movie is divided into three overlapping stories: one following a young British soldier named Tommy, played by Fionn Whitehead, as he tries to escape Dunkirk; another following a civilian mariner named Mr. Dawson, played by Mark Rylance, as he sails to Dunkirk to help rescue soldiers; and a third following Royal Air Force pilot Farrier, played by Tom Hardy, as he tries to protect the evacuating ships from German fighter planes. As the German army advances on Dunkirk, the British army, along with French and Belgian troops, find themselves trapped on the beaches, with the only hope of survival being a massive evacuation by sea. The movie depicts the brutal and chaotic nature of war, as well as the bravery and determination of soldiers and civilians alike. "Dunkirk" was praised for its stunning visuals and immersive sound design, which captured the intense and harrowing nature of war. The movie was also applauded for its unique storytelling structure, which created a sense of urgency and tension throughout the film. "Dunkirk" was a critical and commercial success, earning numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards.

This product comes with a worksheet detailing the background of Dunkirk. The student worksheet comes with reading comprehension questions and a plotting activity. (I highly encourage you to complete the worksheet prior to watching the film). The movie viewing guide comes with 20-questions and timestamps. Provide access to the film separately and preview the viewing questions before use.

Thumbnail clipart credit: Gograph (purchased and used with permission)

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

  • Explain the historical background of the Dunkirk evacuation, including the Munich Agreement, the policy of appeasement, and Operation Dynamo.

  • Represent quantitative historical data (daily evacuation totals) on a graph.

  • Answer detailed, timestamp-referenced comprehension questions about plot and character events while viewing the film.

Teaching tips

  • The vendor's own instructions recommend completing the background worksheet before watching the film, so students have the historical context (Munich Agreement, appeasement, Churchill's rise) in mind as the movie begins.

  • The viewing guide's 4 timestamped segments make natural pause points if you want to check comprehension or discuss as a class partway through the film rather than only at the end.

  • Use the graphing activity as a quick cross-curricular math connection -- have students calculate the daily change in evacuated soldiers before or after plotting the data.

Skills covered

  • Historical background comprehension — students answer 10 questions on WWII context (Munich Agreement, appeasement, Operation Dynamo) drawn from a provided reading passage.

  • Data representation — students plot 9 days of evacuation totals onto a graph.

  • Quantitative reasoning — the 'Stop and Calculate' question has students apply given figures to calculate the rescue percentage implied by the supplied estimates.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

Can the background worksheet be used without the film?

Its reading passage, ten comprehension questions and evacuation-data activity can be used before or separately from viewing. The twenty-question viewing guide requires access to the 2017 film, which is not included.

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Resource details

Concepts & topics

Core concepts

  • World War II

  • Dunkirk evacuation

  • Historical background

  • Movie guide

  • Data representation

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