Teachers Are Bringing ‘Black Panther’ to the Classroom
March 1, 2018
By: Brenda Iasevoli
Source: Education Week
“Black Panther,” the first Marvel Studios film with a predominantly black cast, is now the company’s third-highest grossing film, behind the two “Avengers” films.
It’s a big hit in classrooms, too.
Teachers are building lessons based on the film, set in the super hi-tech, uncolonized African nation of Wakanda, where T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) inherits the fictitious kingdom upon the death of his father only to be challenged by a Wakandan exile, Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan).
Chicago middle school teacher Tess Raser wrote the “Wakanda Curriculum” to help her students explore the film’s themes of colonialism, cultural representation, global anti-blackness, black feminism, and Afrofuturism. The lessons guide students in grades 5 through 8 in character analysis, asking questions like: “What character traits did T’Challa show? What do his actions reveal about his character? Do you agree with all of his actions?”
Another activity guides students in a debate over what Wakanda represents: black elitism or the “possibility for a black future.” Students are asked to use evidence from the film as well as their own background knowledge to support their reasoning.