Pottsville Area High School
Honors American History III Summer Assignment
Welcome to Honors American History 3. Your summer assignment will revolve around
historical movies/historical dramas over the past 40 years or so. You are to watch 2 movies
from the following list and use the following worksheets to digest what you watched. You will
then write 2 small discussion papers on each discussing the details you have gathered on the
worksheets. Each paper should be a minimum of 2 pages typed, double spaced. Your projects
will be due on the first day of school, Monday August 31, 2015. NO EXCEPTIONS, NO
EXTENSIONS! Remember, you have chosen the honors level of this course and are getting
additional quality points for doing so.
Due to the inclusion of some R rated movies on this list, please take this packet home and share
it with your parents explaining exactly what you must do with this project. With this in mind, I
have included alternative movies that are not R rated, so please choose 2 of those as
alternatives if you or your parents have any objections to the R rated movies. Please return the
last sheet/parental information sheet SIGNED to me no later than Friday May 29th. Any
questions over the summer, please email me at ctaronis@pottsville.k12.pa.us
Dances With Wolves (PG-13 1990) – Depiction of the expansion westward and interaction with native
population.
Gangs of New York (R 2002) – Perception of immigrants in New York City during the late 19th century.
Far and Away (PG-13 1992) – Oklahoma land grab and immigration.
Reds (PG 1981) - Biopic on John Reed’s witness of the Russian Revolution and socialist leanings in
America.
The Aviator (PG-13 2004) – Biopic on Howard Hughes and depicting high American society from 1920s to
1940s.
The Untouchables (R 1987) - Based on the Prohibition Era and the struggle between the government and
the Mafia.
Black Blizzard - Excellent documentary on the Dust Bowl.
Great Depression - Documentary on the tragic economic crisis in the late 1920s and 1930s.
Cinderella Man (PG-13 2005), Seabiscuit (PG- 13 2003) – Biopics set during the Great Depression.
Tora! Tora! Tora! (G 1970), Pearl Harbor (PG- 13 2001) – Movies depicting the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor.
Band of Brothers (MA 2001) - Miniseries depicting the Army Airborne E-Z Company during WWII.
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Saving Private Ryan (R 1998) – WWII film depicting Normandy invasion and Allied advance in Europe.
Flags of our Fathers (R 2006) – Depiction of Battle of Iwo Jima from American perspective.
Unbroken (PG-13, 2014) – Set in WWII where a 1936 olympic athlete is sent to a Japanese POW camp,
Louie becomes the favorite target of a particularly cruel prison commander.
A League of Their Own (PG 1992) - Shows how women were used to replace men during WWII.
Good Night, and Good Luck (PG 2005) – Movie based on the media’s fight against McCarthyism in 1950s.
The Majestic (PG 2001) - Story of a blacklisted Hollywood writer who suffers from amnesia.
Thirteen Days (PG-13 2000) – Based on the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Kennedys.
Apollo 13 (PG 1995) – Depiction of NASA’s “successful failure.” Quest for the moon.
Platoon (R 1986), Good Morning Vietnam (R 1987), We Were Soldiers (R 2002), Apocalypse Now (R
1979), – All based on the Vietnam Conflict.
Ali (R 2001) - Biopic of the famous boxer during his struggles with his fame and the government.
Malcolm X (PG-13 1992) - Biopic on the influential civil rights leader.
Mississippi Burning (R 1988) – Based on the murders of civil rights workers in 1964.
Remember the Titans (PG 2000) - Events following integration in high schools. Football story.
Nixon (R 1995) - Biopic on Richard Nixon.
All the President’s Men (PG 1976) - Two reporters seek the truth behind Watergate and Nixon.
Frost/Nixon (R 2008) - The pressure of Watergate on President Nixon.
Bugsy (R 1991), The Godfather I (R 1972) and II (R 1974) , A Bronx Tale (R 1993), - Mafia/gangster-based
movies showing their rise and influence on American society.
Three Kings (R 1993) – American involvement in the Persian Gulf War.
Black Hawk Down (R 2001) – American involvement in Somalia.
10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America - Documentary series illustrating 10 significant events.
The Presidents - Documentary series by the History Channel on the U.S. Presidents.
The States - Documentary series by the History Channel on each American state.
The Roosvelts (2014) Documentary Series by Ken Burns – PBS
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Intake/Viewing worksheet:
1.FILM: ___________________________________________
2.SUBJECTS/BACKGROUND:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. SETTING (time period, situation/event, location):
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
4. MAJOR CHARACTERS (include name, brief description, protagonist/antagonist):
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
5. FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS (what questions are left in your mind after watching):
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
6. KEY SCENES/DIALOGUE:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
7. NEW VOCABULARY or VOCAB NOT UNDERSTOOD:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
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Intake/Viewing worksheet:
1.FILM: ___________________________________________
2.SUBJECTS/BACKGROUND:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. SETTING (time period, situation/event, location):
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
4. MAJOR CHARACTERS (include name, brief description, protagonist/antagonist):
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
5. FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS (what questions are left in your mind after watching):
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
6. KEY SCENES/DIALOGUE:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
7. NEW VOCABULARY or VOCAB NOT UNDERSTOOD:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
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May, 2015
Mr. Taronis:
My son or daughter has shared the information concerning this year’s summer
assignment for Honors American History 3 which involves the viewing of historical
films/dramas.
We understand that some of the listed movies include serious and mature
material, so are therefore rated R. We also understand the purpose of the
selection of these movies were not for purely entertainment purposes and the
objective is to provide a clearer understanding and perception of various
historical, political, economical, and/or social concepts.
We further understand that our son or daughter are not being forced to watch
any of the R rated movies and if we have any objections to the movies listed, they
can freely choose any of the other on the list that not R rated.
Student Name: ________________________________________
Parent Signature: ______________________________________
*Kindly return this acknowledgement to Mr Taronis by Friday May 29, 2015.
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