Sneakers
- Grades: 8 to 11
- Common Sense Media: parents say 13+, kids say 13+
- CS strength: 4 out of 5
- SEL strength: 3 out of 5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 79% critics
What happens
In 1969 two college friends hack a bank to send money to causes they support, and only one of them gets away. Years later, Martin Bishop runs a small San Francisco team that is paid to break into companies to show them their weak spots. Men who say they are from the NSA offer to clear his record if he steals a black box that can break the codes protecting computer networks. The job turns out not to be what it seems, and the team has to get the box back before it is used.
Why we watch it
Sneakers is the most fun way to see what security testing is: a team gets paid to break in so the owners can fix the holes. It shows how many attacks work on people, not on computers, and it asks who should be allowed to have a tool that can break almost any code. It is rated PG-13, and Common Sense Media lists it for ages 13 and up, mostly for one strong word and a scene where a main character is held captive. It is a thriller with almost no blood. The worksheet has a computer science focus.
Teacher ideas (before the movie)
About 10 to 15 minutes. The film is about people who are paid to break into places so the owners can fix them. The warm-ups set up that idea and the one about who gets to hold powerful tools.
- Hands up (2 minutes): Who has gotten a fake text or email that said it was from a bank, a delivery company or a friend? What gave it away? Take two or three volunteers. Sets up “Attacks on People.”
- What would you do? (3 minutes): A company says: “We will pay you to try to break into our building and our computer system, and we will not call the police.” Who would take the job? What rules would you want written down first? (Write the rules on the board. “Permission in writing” should come up. Come back to it at question 1.)
- Name the job (3 minutes): Name a job where you break something on purpose so others can make it stronger. Examples: crash test dummies, building inspectors, fire drills, a teacher who gives a practice test. Ask how each one is different from just breaking things.
- What does the title mean? (2 minutes): Write Sneakers on the board. Ask what it could mean in a movie about computers. (Hint: not shoes. It is slang for people who sneak in to test security.)
- Password check (3 minutes): On the board, write three passwords: 123456, password, Tr0ub4dor&3. Which is the hardest for a computer to guess, and which is easiest for a person to remember? Do not ask anyone for their real passwords.
- Wheel of Names (2 minutes): paste in the class list and spin. “Name something you took apart, tested or tried to break just to see how it worked.”
A note on tone: the point is why testing security matters and where the line is. If someone asks how to break into a real account or system, say that is out of bounds for this class.
Standards alignment
Answer key and teacher notes
- B In the 1969 opening, what do the two college friends do with a computer?
- B What is the job of Martin's team?
- B What do the men who say they are NSA agents ask the team to steal?
- B What does the team learn after the theft?
- B At the end, how does Martin make sure the NSA cannot use the box?
Answer key: Part 1 uses the plot as summarized by Wikipedia and Common Sense Media; confirm against the film, since the notes could not check scene by scene.
Questions 1 to 3 are plot comprehension. Questions 4 and 5 ask students to follow a reveal.
Teaching points by question:
- Testing Security: penetration testing, authorization and permission (the line between a test and a break-in). CS and ethics.
- Attacks on People: social engineering. Strong answers name a defense (check the identity, never give a code over the phone, a second approval).
- Who Holds the Power: encryption and the tension between privacy and security. No right answer; look for risks on both sides.
- Teamwork: different skills on a team.
CASEL focus: Teamwork asks for Social Awareness (recognizing strengths in others) and Relationship Skills (teamwork). “Who Holds the Power” is Responsible Decision-Making (evaluating impacts on the community and institutions).
Content note: Rated PG-13. Common Sense Media lists it for ages 13 and up. It has one strong expletive, a character who is knocked out and held captive, and bloodless violence. No sex, drinking or drugs. It is a 1992 film, so the technology looks old (modems, floppy disks, phone lines). That is a good thing to point out: the ideas have not changed. Best for grades 8 to 11.