Are you looking to bring some excitement to your middle school science classroom? Why not watch some science movies? It’s a great way to engage your students, and movies can be super helpful to view science content with a different lens, and it can deepen student understanding of some complex topics.
Last year, I hosted a “Summer Science Movie Challenge”. In this challenge, I shared a list of science movies, some I had seen, and some I hadn’t seen. The challenge was to watch at least 10 of the movies! If you did, you were entered to win a $100 gift card.
The point of the challenge? To watch some science movies that you may not have time to watch during the school year (super busy then, right?). It’s important to make sure movies are right for your students before you show them.
There were some movies from the list I thought were great, and some that I would NOT show. Below, in this post, I list the ones that I WOULD show!
Want to join this year’s Summer Science Movie Marathon with all new movies to watch and a chance to win a gift card? Join the waitlist and be the first to know when the list comes out!
Have fun exploring this list below, categorized by subject area, along with some of my thoughts about each of these movies.
Physical Science
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (PG)
I love this movie! This is based on a true story about a Malawian boy who builds a wind turbine to save his village from famine.
This is a great movie to watch if you discuss energy resources, the engineering design process, and/or environmental science.
There is some use of profanity, but it is mild. There are also some emotional scenes.
Big Hero 6 (PG)
This is another great movie. This is about a young boy named Hero, who teams up with friends and an awesome robot named Baymax for some adventures. This movie will spark your students’ curiosity and really promote creativity!
It takes engineering to the next level and helps your students to think BIG!
This is a great movie to watch if you are teaching robotics and/or STEM.
There are some emotional scenes, but no profanity! It’s great for middle school students.
The LEGO Movie (PG)
This is a cute movie. There was more to it than I expected. It’s about a LEGO construction worker that was mistaken a prophesied “special”. He was recruited to try to stop an evil tyrant from gluing the LEGO universe together (so not cool).
This is great if you are teaching engineering or anything of that sort.
There are no intense words in this movie, and it’s fairly kid-friendly.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (PG)
This is another classic, and it’s great for those engineers in your class! It’s about an inventor that accidentally shrinks his children and the neighbor’s children. The kids go on a wild adventure in their own backyard!
It’s great to show when covering engineering (got to fix that design for sure), and would also be great when talking about scale and measurement.
There is like one “bad” word in the movie. It’s cute, and I believe it is appropriate for middle school students. It’s a fairly lighthearted movie!
The Absent-Minded Professor (G)
I’ll be honest, I had not heard of this movie until recently. The movie Flubber was the remake of this movie!
The movie is about an inventor that stumbles upon an invention called “flubber”. It has anti-gravity properties and can make things float, even cars!
It’s great to show when teaching the properties of matter, energy, the nature of science, and more!
It’s a cute, funny, and kid-friendly movie.
Cars (G)
Cars is also a great movie! It’s about a race car that gets stranded in a small town. He learns that life is not all about winning.
There are a lot of references to science, and this movie is a great addition to any force and motion unit.
There are so many quick science tie-ins that make it perfect for middle school. Right at the start, Lightning’s tires blow because friction from the track wears them down—great for showing how motion and surface contact matter. Later, when he tries to turn on a dirt road instead of asphalt, we get a clear example of how different surfaces affect grip and control. There’s even a fun reference when Doc says, “Thunder always comes after Lightning,” tying into how sound travels slower than light. And of course, Rust-eze is a nod to oxidation! All simple, teachable moments hiding in plain sight.
Life Science
Lion King (G)
This classic was one of my favorite Disney movies growing up, and there is so much science packed in it. It’s great for middle school students.
It’s about a young lion named Simba that is preparing to be king of the Pride Lands one day. You get to watch him grow up with a lot of adventures on the way.
This is great to watch when learning about ecosystems, food chains, energy flow, and even adaptations.
There is, of course, some emotional scenes, but it’s a great movie.
Finding Nemo (G)
This is another great, age-appropriate movie that is great to watch when teaching about ecosystems, food chains, energy flow, oceans, and more!
It’s about a little fish, Nemo, who gets separated from his father, Marlin. Marlin goes on an epic adventure across the ocean to find his son!
It’s a cute, clean science-packed movie that your middle school students will love!
Free Willy (PG)
Free Willy is a movie about a boy who becomes attached to a killer whale and then learns that he is about to be killed by the aquarium owners. He takes a lot of risks to free the whale!
This is a great movie when teaching conservation, adaptations, and/or science ethics.
There are a few questionable words in the movie, but nothing crazy. This is an appropriate movie for middle schoolers.
March of the Penguins (G)
This is a cute documentary about Emperor penguins in Antarctica! An honest review, some kids may get bored with a documentary, so this would be great to break up into snippets over days or just show your students some clips.
This is entirely kid-friendly!
This is great to show when teaching about animal behavior, adaptations, migration, ecosystems, survival strategies, and more!
This is always cool to pair with a “blubber” lab.
Miracles from Heaven (PG)
This was a fantastic movie based on a true story. It’s about a girl, Anna Beam, who has a rare digestive disease that cannot be cured. After an unforeseen accident, a miracle happens! It is a Christian-based story, and it’s just wonderful.
This is great to watch during your human body unit and when discussing genetics and environmental factors!
There is no strong language, only emotional moments. It’s appropriate for middle school.
Hoot (PG)
This was a fairly family-friendly movie. There are a few “words”, but it’s very mild and age-appropriate for middle school.
The movie is about a middle school student who moves to Florida, discovers some endangered owls, and makes it a quest to save them!
This is a fun movie to show when teaching about conservation, human impact on the environment, ecosystems, and habitats, and more!
Growing Up Wild (G)
This is another adorable documentary by Disney that follow five different animals – monkeys, bears, cheetah, lions, and chimpanzees, when they are younger.
The documentary is great to watch when teaching about animal behavior, habitats, biodiversity, adaptations, and more!
It’s over an hour, and students may get bored. This one is great to break up over a few days or just show your students’ clips.
Earth Science
Hidden Figures (PG)
This is also a good movie. It’s a movie – based on a true story – about three female mathematicians, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. They worked at NASA during the Space Race.
They were a huge help to launching John Glenn into orbit and returning him safely. They overcome many racial and gender barriers that occurred during that time.
There are a few choice words, but it is still appropriate for the middle school age.
This is a great movie to watch if you’re teaching space, technology, STEM careers, and so much more!
Soul Surfer (PG)
I remember watching this movie when I was younger, but I forgot how great it was! This is another movie based on a true story about a professional surfer, Bethany Hamilton, that loses her arm in a shark attack. She ultimately does not let this get her down, and she gets back into the ocean and surfs again!
Because of some intense scenes, it may be scary for young children, but it’s great for your middle school students. It is a faith-based movie.
This is a great movie to watch when teaching about human adaptations, ocean ecosystems, environmental awareness, and more!
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (PG)
This may be a stretch for the science classroom, but there are some connections! It’s about a young awkward inventor, named Flint Lockwood, who creates a machine that turns water into food. It gets launched into the air accidentally, and the next thing you know, it’s raining food!
It’s a cute, family-friendly movie.
It would be fun to watch this when learning about the engineering design process and weather and climate.
Ice Age (PG)
This is a cute classic to add to your science movies you show in your classroom. It is set in the prehistoric Ice Age and follows the story of a woolly mammoth, a sloth, and a saber-tooth tiger. They go on an adventure to return a lost human baby to its tribe.
It’s a family-friendly movie that’s great to show to your middle schoolers.
There are a lot of science connections. Of course, it’s great to show when learning about prehistoric times (plants, animals, adaptations, etc.). See if your students can find these science connections!
The Lorax (PG)
This is another kid-friendly movie that explores environmental issues. This movie is based on the Dr. Seuss book by the same name. A boy named Ted sets out to impress a girl but ends up discovering the truth about how their natural world disappeared. It hits on the theme of the destruction of the environment because of corporate greed.
It’s a cute, fun, and colorful movie!
This is great to show when teaching about renewable and nonrenewable energy, biodiversity, human impact on the environment, conservation, and more!
Journey to the Center of the Earth (PG)
This may be a movie to show just for fun. It’s kind of silly in a way. It’s about a science professor and his nephew that go on a wild adventure to the center of the Earth, and they discover a hidden world. They encounter all kinds of plants and creatures.
This is a great movie for your students to discuss real vs. fake science!
There were some other movies that I watched during the Summer Science Movie Marathon that I would not show to my class!
I’ll be discussing these things inside the membership this summer along with a watching more movies! Want to join along?
This is great! I have tried to find movies that would work for my spiraled content and I have a lot to choose from in this list. Thank you!
Awesome! I plan for this to be a growing list over the years, so keep an eye out!