This powerful film tells the story of the Earthrise photo taken by Bill Anders, one of the astronauts on the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.
The film features in-depth interviews with all three astronauts on the Apollo 8 mission: Frank Borman, James Lovell, and Bill Anders.
This resource also includes an in-depth article and a discussion guide you can download.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This film really changes your perspective about our planet and our home.
Hearing the reflections from the three astronauts is extremely powerful.
This film can be used with classes (or anybody!) who may not care that much about our natural world. This film can peer into the soul of the viewer and perhaps reach a part of them that nothing else can.
Additional Prerequisites
The film is accompanied by an in-depth article and a lengthy 75-page discussion guide. The discussion guide must be downloaded. To download, you must complete several mandatory fields, including which grade bands you teach and your purpose for downloading. The discussion guide will be emailed to you. It's easy and fast.
The discussion guide features four themes. You can choose one of them for implementation in your classroom. The four themes are the power of perspective, bearing witness, exploration, and reverence for the environment.
The discussion guide is also available in Spanish.
Differentiation
This film can be used in art class, English class, or science class.
This film would be great for the first day in science class when you begin a unit on Earth systems.
There is a lot of background information in the discussion guide. You may want to share it digitally with your students.
Your students can also watch Amanda Gorman perform her poem "Earthrise," which is based on this famous photograph.
Middle school English teachers can implement this poetry lesson plan where students analyze Amanda Gorman's poem and write their own poems.
Scientist Notes
This resource includes a brief article and a 30-minute video documentary looking back on the events that lead to the "Earthrise" photograph taken by astronauts on the Apollo 8 mission around the moon. This resource is quite inspirational and captures the emotions and thoughts of the astronauts during their mission, as well as the impact that the "Earthrise" photograph had on people back on Earth. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: History
D2.His.1.6-8 Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts.
D2.His.1.9-12 Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
National Core Arts Standards
Visual Arts: Standard 7 - Perceive and analyze artistic work.
VA:Re7.1.IIa Recognize and describe personal aesthetic and empathetic responses to the natural world and constructed environments.
VA:Re7.2.Ia Analyze how one’s understanding of the world is affected by experiencing visual imagery.
