Frequently Asked Questions

We currently have lessons for the following subjects:

• Civics & Careers
• Drama & Dance
• Economics
• English as a Second Language
• First Nations, Métis & Inuit Studies
• French as a Second Language
• French (for French schools)
• Geography
• Health & Physical Education
• History
• Communications & Technology
• Law
• Media Arts
• Media Studies
• Music
• Philosophy
• Politics
• Science
• Social Sciences; Family Studies; Equity Studies
• Visual Arts
• World Religions

We also have:

• a resource to prepare for the Grade 10 Ontario Secondary Schools Literacy Test (OSSLT)
• a “Canadian Film Unit” that focuses on general topics in the film industry
• a lesson on Indigenous history and reconciliation in Canada
• lessons for all ages for National Canadian Film Day that promote discussions around Canadian identity and stories and Canadian film.
• an editable lesson template with ideas for activities to use with any film(s), and space for teachers to customize as they see fit

We have at least one lesson plan for most of the films in our Reel Canada Catalogue. Some films, which connect more easily to multiple disciplines, have several lessons. We also have general lessons which can be adapted to fit any chosen film(s). We also have some lessons still available for certain films that have been in the catalogue in the past but have since been taken out.

You can view a list of films and their corresponding lesson plans here.

Our schools programme has been focused primarily on Grades 9 through 12. In recent years we have developed a small number of lessons for primary/junior/intermediate level grades, mostly but not exclusively for French Immersion courses.

You can see which lessons are available for your specified grade level by following the “grade level” filter links at the bottom of this page.

Our lesson plans cover a wide range of grade 9 through 12 courses. Many lessons fit requirements for more than one course. Our resources are written in accordance with Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum expectations, however we have found that teachers outside Ontario also find them suitable for their respective provincial/territorial curricula.

You can view a list of subject areas and their corresponding lesson plans here.

You can access the master list of available lessons using the sort & filter links at this page.

When you have decided which lesson(s) you would like to access, note the ID numbers of the lessons you would like — these numbers can be found at the far right of each row — and fill out this form to request access.

Our lessons are all hosted on Dropbox and can be sent to you either as a Dropbox link, where you can download them, or as email attachments. By default, we send them in .PDF format. However, if you prefer lessons in .DOCX format so you can edit them more easily, these are available on request.

No! You can request lesson plans on their own (See the How do I access the lessons plans? section above) if you already have access to the film(s).

If you make a request for a film — use our film request form for that — we will automatically send you any corresponding lesson plans available and a package of general resources in the response process.

Of course! Please email [email protected] and let us know some details about what you are looking for. From there, we can help you access the most suitable films and/or resources for you.

No. All our resources are available at absolutely no cost to you. We only ask that you consider providing some feedback on your experience using the lessons. Even if you ended up not using them, we still value your opinion on why you decided not to use them, and any improvements we could make. We typically send a digital feedback survey sometime after your event is finished.

We are always happy to receive feedback via email at [email protected]. We also send a feedback survey to everyone who receives lesson plans, with which you can make specific recommendations and comments about what you liked and didn’t like.

Our lesson plans are written by our Educational Resources Manager and a team of contributors who are all provincially-certified teachers. In some cases, such as with lessons related to Indigenous content, we have engaged with outside partner organizations, consultants, and our internal Indigenous Programme Manager to ensure cultural sensitivity and best practices.

We welcome contributions from teachers. If you have an activity you tried out successfully in your classroom that you think would make a great addition to our resources, please send them our way to [email protected].

Knowing we made teachers’ and students’ experiences in the classroom more rewarding is thanks enough for us, but we would also love to see evidence of the students’ progress through the lesson. If you have samples of student work from any of the activities in our lesson plans, please email them to us, as this is helpful to us in securing funding.