West Virginia State History: Matewan Film Quiz & Movie Guide Questions (PG13 - 1987)

Make Matewan easier to teach with a no-prep film quiz focused on matewan, mingo county, coal camps, company towns, union organizing, baldwin-felts agents, imported labor, and the mine wars context.

This resource helps high school students follow the film with purpose while connecting key scenes, dialogue, places, and conflicts to West Virginia state history. The questions keep students grounded in film evidence instead of treating the movie as passive viewing.

Use this movie guide for Grades 9–12 history, state history, U.S. history, film study, media literacy, sub plans, or discussion-based classes.

Classroom Use at a Glance

• Best for: Grades 9–12 West Virginia history, labor history, coal industry, and U.S. History
• Use cases: full-film lesson, sub plan, state standards review, discussion-based classes, or film study
• State focus: Matewan, Mingo County, coal camps, company towns, union organizing, Baldwin-Felts agents, imported labor, and the Mine Wars context
• Key themes: labor, company power, solidarity, coal camps, conflict, race and ethnicity, and worker rights
• Skills addressed: cause and effect, labor-history analysis, historical context, source comparison, dialogue evidence, and written response
• Differentiation: students can complete the written movie guide or use the 30-question multiple-choice quiz as an alternate assessment
• Time needed: movie runtime plus about 45–60 minutes for pauses, discussion, and written work
• Formats included: printable worksheet, Google Slides/PPTX, Google Forms quiz, teacher guide, answer keys, and standards alignment

Guidance & Summary

Matewan (1987) is rated PG-13 and has a runtime of about 135 minutes. Teachers should preview the film and follow school policy for movie approval.

Matewan helps students study West Virginia coalfield history through company-town systems, labor organizing, strike strategy, imported labor, interracial and ethnic solidarity, and the larger Mine Wars context.

State-Specific Questions & Standards Focus

Focuses on WV SS.8.24 / SS.8.H.CL5.1, early twentieth-century West Virginia development and the evolution of the labor movement, with supporting attention to geography and coal-industry systems.

The time-stamped questions focus on matewan, mingo county, coal camps, company stores, deductions, union organizing, baldwin-felts agents, imported labor, worker solidarity, and mine wars context.

Differentiation Options

The teacher guide includes a written-response path and a multiple-choice quiz path.

• Use the written worksheet when students are ready to explain scene evidence, historical context, and state-history connections in more detail.
• Use the 30-question multiple-choice quiz when students need fewer writing demands, a faster assessment, or a more accessible review option.
• Support options include reading questions aloud, offering small-group testing, allowing extended time, or having students explain selected answers orally.

What’s Included

• Rigorous short-answer questions, chronological and time-stamped
• End-of-film reflection and challenge questions
• 30-question multiple-choice quiz for differentiation
• Teacher guide and lesson plan
• Answer keys after each written and multiple-choice question
• State standards alignment and CCSS alignment
• Pre- and post-movie discussion questions
• 3-day, 4-day, and 5-day pacing options

Flexible Lesson Pacing

• 3-Day Sprint: best for tight schedules or classes that do better with smooth viewing and discussion after the film.
• 4-Day Flexible Plan: best for teachers who want either discussion before and after the film or selected pause-and-write checkpoints during viewing.
• 5-Day Full Week: best for classes that need more guided discussion and writing time in class, with less take-home work.

Skills Addressed

• Cause and effect
• Labor-history analysis
• Historical context
• Source comparison
• Dialogue evidence
• Ethics and moral reasoning
• Evidence-based written response

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use this as a sub plan?
Yes. The movie guide includes structured questions, answer keys, and flexible pacing options, so it can work as a planned film lesson or a reliable sub plan.

Does this include a digital version?
Yes. The guide includes Google Slides/PPTX materials and a Google Forms version of the multiple-choice quiz.

Is there an answer key?
Yes. The teacher guide includes answer keys after each written question and each multiple-choice question.

How long does the resource take?
Plan for the movie runtime plus about 45–60 minutes for questions, discussion, and written work.

How is this differentiated?
Students can complete the written-response movie guide or use the 30-question multiple-choice quiz as an alternate assessment with more accessible language.