Explore The American Revolution series with this on-demand archive from a virtual educator event from PBS LearningMedia: Connecting Students to Our Shared History: A Live Conversations with the Filmmakers Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt. The filmmakers behind THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION joined in a conversation moderated by Sharon McMahon known as “America’s Government Teacher.” You’ll hear how the film came to life, gather ideas for how to engage students in this shared history, and discover new ready-to-use classroom resources from PBS LearningMedia. This event video is for educators teaching social studies in grades 3-12, as well as other educators, including instructional coaches and curriculum specialists in social studies. This event may also be useful to anyone getting ready to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the creation of United States with children and youth.
Description
Participants will learn about the process of creating a historical documentary, consider the power of visual storytelling to engage with the past, and discover opportunities to use this film in the classroom with PBS LearningMedia’s newest collection Ken Burns in the Classroom: The American Revolution. The resources in the collection will support teachers in connecting students to the Revolutionary era and its legacies today in relatable and meaningful ways. This webinar is from 11/18/25.
What you’ll see:
- Hear from all three filmmakers about their experiences creating this documentary
- Consider how the perspectives of a wide variety of individuals from the Revolutionary era can help students connect to our shared history, 250 years in the making
- Discover more about the Ken Burns in the Classroom: The American Revolution Collection on PBS LearningMedia at pbslearningmedia.org/americanrevolution
What you’ll get:
- Access to insights from The American Revolution filmmakers
- Ready-to-use, curriculum-targeted, standards-aligned classroom resources
- A more expansive view of the Revolutionary era and ideas for how to engage students in this shared history, supporting critical thinking skills and the ability to connect the past to the present
Timestamps:
0:00 Welcome!
0:34 The American Revolution Collection Trailer
1:35 Introduction to PBS LearningMedia
3:55 Why the Filmmakers Spent 10 Years on This Project
6:47 How Teachers Can Make the American Revolution Relevant to Today
12:03 How The Filmmakers Compiled the Stories of Lesser-Known Individuals
16:35 The 1778 Eclipse 27:55 Where the Filmmakers Found the Objects to Include
34:10 What Educators Can Expect from The American Revolution Collection
36:30 What It Means to Create a Patriotic Film About the American Revolution
About PBS LearningMedia
PBS LearningMedia, a partnership between PBS and GBH, is a transformative digital media platform for PreK-12 educators, providing free access to thousands of media-centric classroom resources from PBS member stations and esteemed partners. PBS LearningMedia delivers a dynamic mix of national and locally relevant content—including videos, interactives, lesson plans, teaching tips, and primary sources—that elevates classroom teaching and brings learning to life. Designed with teachers and subject matter experts, classroom resources are aligned to state and national standards and are compatible with the tools teachers use most, such as Google Classroom.