documentaries I actually assign vs the ones they beg for
Accurate teaching tool or just good TV. Sorting out the difference across a decade of the same unit.
A short email when @abereadsold changes this list — at most weekly, no account needed, unfollow in one click.
1
The Civil War (Ken Burns, 1990)
primary sources galore. the letters read aloud still get them quiet. assign this every year
2
Eyes on the Prize
3
The Vietnam War (Burns & Novick, 2017)
Long. Very long. But the best corrective to the movie version of that war.
4
Apocalypse: The Second World War (2009)
French series, colorized footage start to finish. Students beg for this one because it looks like a video game, and it earns the attention
5
The Fog of War (Errol Morris, 2003)
McNamara interviewed straight, no narrator softening it. same instinct as anything set c. 1200: make students argue about it
6
13th (Ava DuVernay, 2016)
assign the first 40 minutes. the back half runs long for a single class period
7
Hearts and Minds (1974)
the one they've never heard of, rough to watch, and nothing sanitizes Vietnam like this doesn't exist
8
Restrepo (2010)
This is a living list — @abereadsold keeps it fresh, and it changes over time. Get a short email when it does:
Or start a list of your own — it takes a minute.