'Interstellar' Lesson Plans Aim to Bring Science Fiction Into Classrooms
Following the release of new movie "Interstellar," Paramount Pictures has teamed up with Google Play for Education to create a set of free lesson plans based on the film.
The movie, directed by Christopher Nolan, tells the story of the search for humanity's new home after devastating crop diseases push earth to the brink of being uninhabitable. Though it does reportedly contain some "pseudoscientific woo," 'Interstellar' also includes a fair amount of science, thanks to the input of astrophysicist Kip Thorne, who served as the film's scientific advisor.
In an interview with Google for Education, Nolan explained the logic behind the plans: "Ideally, the Interstellar Lesson Plans will communicate the fascination I found for much of the science that we got to explore." (Of course, Nolan has a vested interest in the movie's popularity, especially considering its underwhelming opening weekend).
In addition to math and science, the Paramount/Google Play project includes several art and literature lesson plans, all sorted by grade level. Students can learn about distance calculations, gravity, Roman pietas, and other topics connected to the film. Each lesson plan was created by Google Certified Teachers and is connected to specific common-core standards.
The lesson-plan site also promotes group tickets, though with a PG-13 rating and a three-hour run time, the movie might be a hard sell for many school groups.
Image of lesson plan topics from Google Play for Education/Paramount.