Invictus Movie Lesson Plan

Invictus Movie Lesson Plan helps teachers share the inspiring story of Nelson Mandela and the South African rugby team that helped unite their country which was filled with fear between different races.

After completing Invictus Movie Lesson Plan, students will gain clarity and understanding in seeking excellence, rising above, and living by principles.

After spending 27 years in prison, Nelson Mandela made history when he was elected the first black President of South Africa. But the country was in shambles and many people feared civil war could erupt. Mandela chose not to disband South Africa’s premier rugby team, the Springboks, despite the fact they represented the old apartheid system to many black citizens.

Mandela along with the Springboks’ team captain, Francois Pienaar, led the team to an unthinkable championship in the 1995 Ruby World Cup and planted the seeds for forgiveness and unity to rule the country rather than fear.

Invictus Movie Lesson Plan teaches us that we have much more in common with people from different races and cultures than we think we do. From the rugby team to Mandela’s security guards, we see that when we take the time to get to know people as human beings we find reasons to work together. Leadership that makes a positive impact comes not from reacting with our emotions, but from leading from the principles and values of our hearts.

In order to complete these activities, students will need to watch the movie Invictus, which has a rating of PG-13 (brief strong language) and a run time of 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Each of our Leadership at the Movies lesson plans includes the following activities:

✅ Reflection: allows students to journal about one of the movie’s themes prior to watching.

✅ Analysis: questions and prompts to analyze the characters, plot, and climax of the movie.

✅ Practice & Discussion: a partner/group activity that takes the principles of the movie and asks students to take action and grow in their own lives.

✅ Extension: a RAFT (Role-Audience-Format-Topic) writing prompt to help students apply their new knowledge.

✅ Lead for Impact: challenges students to pinpoint how the hero of the story exhibited The 12 Fundamentals of Impact and then synthesize how they can apply the lessons to writing their own story.

WARNING: This is a DEEP LEARNING lesson plan to help students employ a LEADERSHIP approach to SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING.

These activities are designed to help students meet the following Social & Emotional Learning Competencies as outlined by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL):

⭐ Develop SELF-AWARENESS and SELF-MANAGEMENT skills to achieve school and life success.

⭐ Use SOCIAL-AWARENESS and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS.

⭐ Demonstrate DECISION-MAKING skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school, and community contexts.

The activities in Invictus Movie Lesson Plan will challenge students to move closer to mastery in the following skills: leadership, cooperation with others, creativity, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, problem solving, and judgment and decision making.