The Imitation Game
- Grades: 9 to 11
- Common Sense Media: parents say 12+, kids say 12+
- CS strength: 5 out of 5
- SEL strength: 4 out of 5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 89% critics, 91% audience
What happens
During World War II, mathematician Alan Turing joins a secret team in England trying to break Enigma, the German machine that scrambles military messages. Turing’s odd personality clashes with the team, and his plan is to beat the code with a machine instead of a person. After the war the country he helped save treats him terribly.
Why we watch it
Turing is called the father of computer science, and his story connects computing to ethics, secrecy and fairness. The film shows how outsiders and different points of view solve problems others cannot. Note the PG-13 rating and the heavy themes of war and discrimination: this is the best fit for older students.
Standards alignment
Answer key and teacher notes
- B What is the name of the German encryption machine that Alan Turing and his team must break?
- C What does Alan name his codebreaking machine?
- B Who brings the diverse perspectives that help the team succeed?
- C What happens to Alan Turing after the war ends?
- B What difficult decision must the team make once they can read German messages?