History is considered one of the most boring subjects. But why? There are so many great stories, hidden facts, and thrilling adventures to uncover. Most often, history is not taught properly, leaving students bored and hating the subject.

When I started teaching, I had multiple students tell me how much they detested history, and were only taking the course because it was required. I did some quick thinking, and decided that these students needed multiple ways to open the discussions that were needed. So, instead of just providing lectures, I decided to do mini lectures. These focused on more interesting aspects, while sharing some relevant information, facts, and even some fun stories to keep them interested.

And, it worked! But more was going to be needed. I decided to then begin sharing some films that we could pull pieces of, and discuss what makes them historically accurate or not. This proved to be one of the better ideas. I had students who were struggling that all the sudden were “getting it.” They wanted to look into things more, and find out more on some of what we had been watching and discussing.

There are a few films that I feel portray history a bit better than most. These have become some of the most watched by my students, and of course, are some of my favorites!

Films for Teaching:

1. The Longest Day – This movie stars John Wayne, and a cast of other well-known actors. Through this film, we see the D-Day landing from the perspectives of all involved. American, French, English, and German sides are presented, and gives a very well overview of one of the most intense fighting, and feelings of service members. The Longest Day is an iconic film, and the only one to share all sides of D-Day.
2. Gladiator – While this is a very artistically drawn movie, there are some aspects that make this a great film. The fighting done by the gladiators is well done, and shows some of what life would have been like. In many places, however, gladiators were the movie stars of their time.
3. Midway – During WWII, it was very hard to decipher some of the Japanese coded messages. While most of them could be figured out to a point, there were some targets that needed to be figured out, in order to keep American troops safe. Midway (both old and new) are great insights into how that code was broken, and the subsequent fight for Midway.
4. Gettysburg – While this is a long movie, it does a great job into showing the three day battle at Gettysburg, and many of the men who were involved. The Civil War was a very long war, and while we want to learn important lessons from the conflict, Gettysburg was a pivotal moment, turning the tide of the war to the North.

These are just a few films that I use. There are others, but each has questions that need answers, and students must use their knowledge to determine whether these are historically accurate or not. This leads to great discussions, and helps students to learn a love of history.

For teachers out there, take some time to discover what your students enjoy. True crime, sports, places, people, or even time periods. Everything has a history, and you can assist in helping to bring a new love to history by using some tried and true methods. Fourteen years of teaching has given me an appreciation for the different learning styles of each, and each semester, I evaluate my course to ensure that I am incorporating as many learning methods as possible to keep students engaged, enjoying, and learning a new love of a subject that has long been deemed boring.

What can you give your students to help them love history?