How to Use Archival Footage in the Classroom

The growth of video and audio technology over the last hundred years has provided us with a rich and dynamic historical record. This footage brings to life the people and events that shaped history, from the Titanic to COVID-19. Archival footage of historic events is particularly powerful because it engages students in learning about the past in ways that text alone cannot. In this post, we’ll explore how to use archival footage for a variety of subjects, from history to STEM.

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ELA

Analyzing famous speeches is a great way to learn about persuasive writing and public speaking. What makes these speeches so powerful lies not just in the words themselves, but in their delivery. One of the most iconic examples of this in recent history is the I Have a Dream speech by renowned public speaker and civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Click the image below to watch a clip of this famous speech, or follow this link for a Boclips exclusive video that combines audio of the speech with modern analysis of sections of the text.

PERFORMING ARTS

The theatre and performing arts were hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, difficult times require creative innovation, and the National Theatre rose to the challenge. Learn how the theater and performers adapted to the unique circumstances in the video below.

STEM

What did people one hundred years ago think the technology of the future would look like? Click on the image below to hear what a 1930s technocrat had to say. A few of his ideas may sound surprisingly familiar to claims still being made today.

Watch a video showing how a Venus Fly-Trap captures and eats its prey in the second half of this film, recorded in 1905.

HISTORY

With tens of thousands of clips and countless opportunities to incorporate archival film footage into history class, it’s hard to pick favorites. Here is a short list of five videos that address popular history topics:

• Watch as the RMS Titanic sets sail on its infamous voyage and see a few scenes onboard the ship in this video from Bridgeman Arts.
• Examine a montage of clips from the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympic Games, featuring record-breaking track and field events by Jesse Owens, a Black American athlete. International tensions were high at these Olympic Games, which happened soon after the Nazi party took control of Germany and just three years before the outbreak of World War II.

• Duck and Cover is a notable Cold War-era public service video made by New York schools. The video uses animation and live action scenarios to teach children about what they should do to stay safe in case of an atomic bomb attack.

• The Vietnam War and its aftermath had a lasting impact on Southeast Asia and beyond. In this video, History360 explains the conditions in the region leading up to the outbreak of the war, as well as how and why the United States got involved in a civil war 9,000 miles away.

• The movement that came to be known as the Arab Spring began in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, and quickly spread across the Middle East/Southwest Asia and North Africa. Ten years later, Al Jazeera reporters talk to residents who reflect on the events of 2010 and discuss what has changed in the country and what remains the same. Watch the video here.