- How is a documentary film made?
- How do the different production elements of a film contribute to its style and impact?
- What is the unique power of documentary film?
- In what ways is a documentary film a work of art?
- What are the roles and responsibilities of a documentary filmmaker?
- How can students use documentary film to deepen understanding?
- Investigate the making of Regarding Susan Sontag and reflect on its critical reception
- Explain how key filmmaking decisions shape the form and impact of a film
- Recognize common features of documentary films and explore how they are made
- Compare the informational content of films to their aesthetic styles and forms
- Consider the relationship between journalism, documentary, and art
- Use film to express complex ideas creatively
1 Class Period (45-60 min)+ film screening (100 min)
VIDEOS:
HANDOUTS:
Unit Background
Unit Research
Handout 1
Handout 2
WORKSHEETS:
Essay/Review Worksheet
Film/Video Worksheet
TEACHING PLANS:
Teach Handout 1
Teach Handout 2
Essay/Review Activity
Film/Video Activity
- Art and Culture
Medium > Visual Arts
Subject Matter > Art History
- History and Social Studies
Themes > Culture
- Literature and Language Arts
Genre > Biography
Place > American
Place > Modern World
- Analysis
- Auditory analysis
- Compare and contrast
- Critical analysis
- Critical thinking
- Cultural analysis
- Discussion
- Interpretation
- Media analysis
- Musical analysis
- Making inferences and drawing conclusions
- Summarizing
- Synthesis
- Visual analysis
- Visual art analysis
- Writing skills
- ELA Reading: 1-3, 5-7
- ELA Speaking & Listening: 1-2
- HSS Reading: 1-2, 5-7
Regarding Susan Sontag is known for its innovative visual style, which incorporates experimental techniques and practices from art films, in contrast to most biographical documentaries; the vision of the film is closer to art than to journalism. “We chose visual and musical styles that reflected Susan Sontag’s obsessions with beauty, photography, and sometimes her own image, as well as her love of the avant-garde,” notes Producer-Director Nancy Kates. This lesson invites students to think about the choices made by the filmmakers in crafting the documentary, using descriptions of its production, art direction, editing, sound, music, and archival footage, as well as reviews of the film. It asks them to ponder the differences between documentary, art, and journalism in their own essays and reviews, and to create their own visually innovative documentaries.
LESSON 1 HANDOUTS
LESSON 1 STUDENT ACTIVITY OPTIONS
- Watch Regarding Susan Sontag and reflect on its relevance to your students and subject area. For extracurricular organizations, community groups, and book clubs, consult our guide on adapting the curriculum.
- Review our curriculum units and lessons below, then choose the individual lesson(s) most aligned to your needs. See our interdisciplinary diagram for more help choosing an appropriate lesson and unit.
- Select the handout(s) and student activity you will use with each lesson.
- Begin the lesson by watching and discussing the lesson video module with Handout 1
- Continue the lesson with Handouts 2-4 to deepen learning (optional)
- Complete the lesson with a student activity: options include writing, presentation, and creative assignments as well as class projects or debates
- Download or print all related resources for your lesson at our resource center (video module, handouts, worksheets, teaching plans), and prepare for classroom use. Preview the lesson video module, familiarizing yourself with the content and any potential areas of sensitivity for your students (see viewing and discussing sensitive materials).
- Reflection questions may also be assigned as short essays or response papers.