Dunkirk (2017) - Complete Movie Guide and Background Worksheet
- Grades
- Grades 8–11, Middle School, High School
- File type
- Preparation
- Print ready
- Subject
- ELA, Social Studies, History, History: British
- Topic
- History, World History
- Resource types
- Activities
- Preparation
- Print ready
About this resource
What's inside this resource
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. I have also included 2 reflection questions. Ready to use - no prep!
Thumbnail clipart credit: Gograph (purchased and used with permission)
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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 pictograph.
Answer detailed, timestamp-referenced comprehension questions about plot and character events while viewing the film.
Apply given historical figures (300,000 men present, 30,000-45,000 hoped to be saved) to estimate a probability during a guided 'Stop and Calculate' question.
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 pictograph 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 pictograph.
Film-based comprehension — students answer 20 timestamped questions tracking plot and character details while watching.
Quantitative reasoning — the 'Stop and Calculate' question has students apply given figures to estimate a survival percentage.
Good to know
Questions teachers ask about this resource
Does this only work with the movie, or can the background worksheet be used on its own?
It can stand alone -- the background worksheet's reading passage and 10 comprehension questions cover the Munich Agreement, appeasement, and Operation Dynamo as self-contained historical content, separate from the 20 timestamped questions in the movie viewing guide.
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Resource details
Concepts & topics
Core concepts
Core concepts
World War II
Dunkirk evacuation
historical background
movie guide
data representation
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