Lights, Camera, Inquiry! 6 Smart Ways to Use Video in Social Studies

Rolling in the TV cart for a 40-minute documentary may be a thing of the past, but video is still one of the most powerful tools in social studies. Used with purpose, it can bring the past to life, broaden students’ perspectives, and encourage them to analyze evidence in new ways.

“Video allows students to see other cultures, historical events, and more ways of knowing and being than they can in their immediate experience,” says Tina Ellsworth, PhD, assistant professor at Northwest Missouri State University and president of NCSS.

Here are six strategies, shared by Ellsworth and Lisa Kissinger (social studies administrator and president of the New York State Council for the Social Studies), that can make video an active tool for learning.

1. Treat video as a source (not just a movie).

Video can function as both a primary and a secondary source. A single clip might weave together a historian’s interpretation, a reenactment, and even the reading of a historic letter.

“Students should have an awareness of the tools that filmmakers use,” says Kissinger. “It’s a special kind of presentation.”

For example, when showing a short documentary on the Civil Rights Movement, you might ask: What kinds of sources are present here? How does this compare to reading a speech or examining a photograph from the time?

A great way to help students understand of video as a source is to have them fill in Critic’s Review video response worksheet as they watch and then use their responses to spark classroom discussion.

2. Analyze the filmmaker’s decisions. 

Every video reflects choices — what to include, what to leave out, and how to tell the story. Helping students recognize those choices builds media literacy.

Ellsworth explains: “Videos are unique in that they provide both primary and secondary sources. That makes it really important for students to learn to identify what they’re looking at, and why the filmmaker might have presented it in that way.”

Try pausing during a clip and asking: What sources did the filmmaker use? What perspectives are missing? How would including them change the story?

3. Build background knowledge together.

Students often enter class with different levels of prior knowledge. Some may know the Lincoln Memorial well, while others don’t even know when Lincoln was president. A short video can help level the field and prepare everyone for deeper analysis.

Kissinger points out that this kind of scaffolding matters: “If you give students a common entry point, then their reading, writing, and research can go further. Video is a fast way to get there.”

4. Use Video to spark inquiry 

Inquiry begins with curiosity. A well-chosen clip can provide just enough information to raise questions worth pursuing.

After a video on the Dust Bowl, for example, students might wonder: Why did families abandon their farms? How did the government respond? Could something like this happen again today?

Ellsworth recommends gathering those questions, then working as a class to focus on a few key ones. “If students generate the questions themselves, they’re more invested in the answers,” she says.

5. Broaden students’ exposure with video experiences. 

Video opens a window to experiences outside students’ daily lives. “It allows them to see other cultures and events they wouldn’t otherwise encounter,” says Ellsworth.

A short film about a village of reindeer herders, for example, can lead to discussions about tradition, environment, and cultural identity. These glimpses into other worlds build global awareness. Have students use the Reflecting on the Video response worksheet to generate questions and organize their thoughts. 

6. Put students in the director’s chair 

Once students understand how to analyze a video, turn the tables and let them create one. Kissinger describes running a student film festival where learners researched a topic, wrote a paper, and turned it into a short documentary.

“The quality of thinking was so much deeper because they had to decide how to tell the story themselves,” she explains. “They weren’t just repeating information — they were curating and presenting it."

The Bottom Line

Video in the social studies classroom has shifted from passive viewing to active engagement. Whether it’s building background, sparking questions, or letting students produce their own documentaries, video is a versatile tool that helps students think — and act — like historians.