When the Game Stands Tall Movie Guide

A complete lesson plan with discussion questions, writing activities, and leadership worksheets

This resource helps teachers use the story of the De La Salle High School football team in California and their 151-game winning streak to show students the importance of teamwork and what it truly means to be a winner.

WARNING

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

Included in this leadership movie guide:

Time Stamps
Answer Key
Fillable PDF Version
Google Form Version

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Movie Guide Activities

Each of our leadership movie guides 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 movie's characters, plot, and climax.
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.

The activities in When the Game Stands Tall Movie Guide will challenge students to move closer to mastery in the following life skills:

leadership
cooperation with others
creativity
critical thinking
emotional intelligence
problem-solving
judgement and decision-making

1. When the Game Stands Tall Movie Guide PDF
2. When the Game Stands Tall Answer Key for Movie Guide
3. When the Game Stands Tall Fillable PDF Movie Guide
4. When the Game Stands Tall Google Form Movie Guide
5. When the Game Stands Tall Video Preview
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Social Emotional Learning Competencies

These leadership 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.

Movie Synopsis

When the Game Stands Tall is inspired by the true story of the De La Salle High School football team and their legendary coach, Bob Ladouceur. Set in Concord, California, Ladouceur, who, alongside assistant coach Terry Eidson, leads the Spartans to an unprecedented 151-game winning streak, the longest in American high school sports history, from 1992 to 2003.

The story begins at the peak of this dominance, showcasing the team’s discipline, faith-driven values, and commitment to teamwork over individual glory.

The narrative shifts when the streak ends in 2004 with a crushing loss, followed by personal and team setbacks: Ladouceur suffers a heart attack, a star player, Chris Ryan, faces pressure from his overbearing father, and the team loses a key player, T.K. Kelly, to a tragic act of violence.

As the Spartans struggle through a losing season, Ladouceur grapples with rebuilding the team’s spirit while balancing family life with his wife, Bev, and questioning his own legacy. The players, including standout Cameron Colvin, learn to redefine success beyond the scoreboard, focusing on brotherhood and resilience.

It’s a story of perseverance, sacrifice, and finding meaning in defeat as much as victory.

Movie Rating

PG
Movie Run Time

1 hour, 55 minutes
Grade Levels

7th-12th
Ideal Classes

Career Development, English Language Arts, Leadership, Character Education, Life Skills, Youth Groups, Football Teams

When the Game Stands Tall Movie Guide provides activities to help students become better leaders by focusing on the following themes:

Leadership:

Coach Bob Ladouceur serves as a central figure, emphasizing leadership qualities that extend beyond the football game. His mentorship goes beyond wins and losses, focusing on instilling discipline, character, and life skills in his players.
Resilience in Adversity:

The story delves into how the team copes with adversity, including the loss of a key player and the end of their winning streak. The emphasis is on resilience, the ability to bounce back from setbacks, and face challenges head-on.
Humbling Moments:

The narrative includes moments of humility and the recognition that even the most successful teams can face defeats. These humbling experiences contribute to the personal and collective growth of the characters.
Life Beyond Football:

The film suggests that success is not solely defined by victories on the football field. It encourages the players to understand that there is life beyond their high school football careers and that the lessons learned will serve them well in the future.
Legacy:

The concept of legacy is explored, not only in terms of the team's achievements but also in the impact that individuals can have on others. The film questions what kind of legacy the players and coaches want to leave behind.