Mr Hull's Movie Guides — High Quality Movie Guides your students will LOVE!
Since 2017 • The teacher's guide to classroom movies.

Inspire · Teach · Motivate · Engage…through movies.

I created this blog to help teachers navigate movies as a genuine classroom tool. Many teachers have never considered showing a movie as part of their curriculum, and even those who have may not realise how much educational value can be extracted from the right one. There is also science behind why students respond to movies the way they do, and why it works particularly well for students who find traditional learning challenging.

Each post introduces a movie, explores what it offers in the classroom, and connects to a dedicated movie guide in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. These are structured classroom resources built specifically around each movie, with differentiated comprehension questions, creative activities, and everything needed to turn viewing time into a proper lesson.

The blog itself is still growing. The TPT store has been running since 2017, but these posts are being added gradually, so you may not find every movie here yet. If you are looking for something specific, the full range is available at the store.

— Samuel Hull

3,200+Teacher Reviews
390+Complete Guides
4.9★Average Rating
Grades 1-12
Latest from the blog

Movie Spotlights

In-depth looks at movies worth showing in your classroom, and how to use them effectively.

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Tolkien (2019): The Biographical Drama That Shows Students Where Middle-earth Began Without Ever Showing It Get Written
Grades 7–10

Tolkien (2019): The Biographical Drama That Shows Students Where Middle-earth Began Without Ever Showing It Get Written

Long before he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien was an orphaned schoolboy who found his closest friendships in a small circle of fellow outcasts. The movie follows those friendships through school, university, and into the trenches of World War One, tracing the losses and experiences that would eventually shape his fiction. The guide pairs this biographical drama with full sentence comprehension questions, higher level discussion questions, a storyboard, and a synopsis essay.

23 July 2026Read more →
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Looking for a specific movie, grade level, or theme? Search my blog of movie recommendations and classroom insights.

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Common questions

Things teachers often ask

Am I allowed to show movies in the classroom?

Yes. US copyright law includes a Classroom Use Exemption (17 U.S.C. §110(1)) that gives teachers broad rights to show movies to students during in-person teaching at a nonprofit educational institution. No special permission needed. The main conditions are that it has to be in a classroom setting, in person, as part of teaching, and the copy being shown must be a legally purchased or rented one. If those boxes are ticked, you're covered.

Teachers outside the US are similarly protected in most countries. The UK's Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (Section 34) covers classroom movie use under the same principle. Most developed countries have equivalent educational exemptions built into their copyright law, though the specifics vary. If you are outside the US, it is worth a quick check of your local rules.

For a clear, plain-English breakdown of the US law, the University of Minnesota Library has a reliable guide: read it here.

Can I use the same purchased guide with multiple classes?

Yes. Each guide is licensed for use across all of your own classes. If colleagues in your school want to use it too, TPT makes it easy to purchase additional licences at a reduced rate directly from the product listing.

How do the guides actually work?

Each guide is a printable PDF you download from TPT. All include clear teacher directions so you know exactly how to run the session, comprehension questions for students to complete while watching, and additional activities to work through once the movie is finished. Some guides also include a pre-viewing activity to set the scene before the movie starts. A full preview is included with every guide so you can see exactly what you get before buying.

Do the guides work for ESL learners?

Yes, and there's solid research behind why movies work particularly well for language learners. Stephen Krashen's Affective Filter Hypothesis suggests that when students are engaged and relaxed, language acquisition improves significantly. Movies lower that filter in a way most classroom materials can't. The guides are designed to work alongside that, building comprehension and vocabulary in context. Read more on The Science page.

Can I request a guide for a specific movie?

Yes. If there's a movie you'd like a guide for, send me the title through the Contact page. I take requests seriously and a number of guides in the shop started exactly that way.

Are the guides suitable for substitute teachers?

Yes. Every guide is print-ready and includes a content page and easy teacher directions, so a substitute teacher can pick it up and run the lesson without any preparation or prior knowledge of the movie. Students have structured work from the moment the movie starts: comprehension questions to complete as they watch, followed by writing and creative activities to finish once it ends. It's a complete, no-prep movie lesson that works straight out of the bag.

Is there an answer key included?

Yes. All of my guides include answer keys for the comprehension questions, covering both the full sentence and multiple choice sets. Some extension activities also include example answers, and a full preview is available for every guide on TPT so you can see exactly what's included before you buy.

What grade levels are the guides designed for?

My guides cover Grades 1 through 12, so whether you're teaching first graders or high school seniors, there's something in the store for you. Each TPT listing clearly states the recommended grade range, and a full preview is available for every guide so you can see exactly what you're getting before you buy.

Mr Hull
Hello there!
A little about me

Hi, I'm Samuel

I'm a British teacher, formerly teaching at a school in Central Kalimantan, Borneo (Indonesia), where I spent ten years teaching ESL to students in Grades 4-11. I've now been living in Indonesia for 16 years. I'm married with eleven year old twin daughters.

Read my full story →