40 TOOLS

Great Videos and Movies for Your Classroom

Video content for the classroom has never been more accessible to teachers and students. Math tutorials, physics experiments, animated grammar lessons, feature-length documentaries -- you name it, it's out there. This is not to mention the ever-growing mountain of user-generated YouTube videos and videos available for free on library-linked platforms like Kanopy. Are you searching for that just-right video clip to complement your lesson? This list includes some of Common Sense Education's favorite video-based resources, as well as a few sites to help you take your search even further.

Multiple-Subject Video Resources

YouTube Kids

Solid controls help sort variable video content

Bottom Line: With adult supervision and controls in place, this is a fun way for kids to browse online videos.

Grades: Pre-K–6
Price:
Free

PBS Kids

One-stop shop for a wealth of fantastic PBS Kids educational content

Bottom Line: Robust collection of learning resources covers an impressive array of topics.

Grades: Pre-K–4
Price:
Free

PBS LearningMedia

Treasure trove of lesson resources will benefit from adaptation

Bottom Line: For teachers with time to sift through and adapt materials, PBS LearningMedia has a lot to offer with some highly useful support materials.

Grades: Pre-K–12
Price:
Free

BrainPOP Jr.

Original videos and activities a treasure trove for teachers and students

Bottom Line: A unique, video-driven learning platform with tons of topics and resources.

Grades: K–3
Price:
Paid

UNICEF Kid Power

Small brain breaks with global impact

Bottom Line: This site has a decent library of movement and mindfulness videos that give kids an energizing way to help themselves and some charities.

Grades: K–6
Price:
Free

Boclips

Safe-for-classroom videos curated by teachers for teachers

Bottom Line: It's a pressure-free place to start looking for high-quality videos to supplement existing lessons in traditional, one-to-one, or flipped classroom models.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free to try, Paid

SchoolTube

Video-sharing site offers safe environment for students

Bottom Line: A great solution for schools hoping to publish videos in a tightly controlled space.

Grades: 1–8
Price:
Free

Khan Academy

Flexible learning environment offers a personalized journey to mastery

Bottom Line: A solid, free resource for targeted math and science instruction, test prep, history, and more.

Grades: 2–12
Price:
Free

TED-Ed

Support kids' sense of wonder with outstanding short video lessons

Bottom Line: TED-Ed includes excellent, engaging videos and support for flipped-class lessons with an incredible community of thinkers and doers.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

BrainPOP

Clever animated hosts Tim and Moby masterfully tackle complex topics

Bottom Line: This extensive collection's videos and games break down ideas in a straightforward and thoughtful way.

Grades: 3–8
Price:
Free to try

Brightstorm

Brief video lessons for kids who need a homework boost

Bottom Line: Short, digestible lessons on all the major subjects are helpful for mastery but not substantial enough for kids who need more help.

Grades: 8–12
Price:
Free to try, Paid

Critical Media Project

Relevant media clips get students examining identity, culture

Bottom Line: Teachers will need to take time to build effective lessons, but if they do, this is a useful, relevant, high-interest resource for deconstructing identity and building critical thinking and empathy skills.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free

STEM Video Resources

National Geographic Kids

Kid-friendly science and social studies info via videos, games, and more

Bottom Line: Large collection of approachable, fun multimedia resources about animals, habitats, countries, and cultures.

Grades: Pre-K–8
Price:
Free

National Geographic Education

Top geography resource site provides global exploration opportunities

Bottom Line: This is a must-bookmark site for classrooms across the curriculum hunting for inspiring place-based resources.

Grades: Pre-K–12
Price:
Free

Mystery Science

Big questions, kids' curiosity drive impressive science curriculum

Bottom Line: Powerful, quirky science units encourage inquiry and experimentation, inspiring students to ask and answer big questions.

Grades: K–5
Price:
Free to try

The Kid Should See This

Kid-friendly STEM-focused videos spark interest, encourage learning

Bottom Line: Regularly updated visual content stimulates interest, learning; adding better sorting capabilities would make it a stronger resource.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free

Design Squad Global

Fun engineering problems encourage classroom competition, innovation

Bottom Line: Design Squad Global makes learning STEAM concepts fun through hands-on activities and easy-to-understand scientific explanations.

Grades: 3–8
Price:
Free

Mosa Mack Science

Engaging design challenges turn kids into actual science detectives

Bottom Line: A thorough, engaging way to weave some engineering into your middle school science lessons.

Grades: 4–8
Price:
Free to try

Amaze

Quirky, fact-filled videos help adults answer tweens' sex-ed questions

Bottom Line: This approachable and contemporary content can help teachers and caregivers field tough questions, but the firmly progressive approach could prevent use.

Grades: 5–10
Price:
Free

NOVA

Compelling science videos have high-quality classroom applications

Bottom Line: Unparalleled science documentaries offer a window into real-world scientific topics in a high-interest way.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

Our Climate Our Future

Relatable climate change resources empower youth to take action

Bottom Line: This free, high-quality resource is a one-stop, self-contained series of lessons on the effects of climate change, what causes it, and how to fight it going forward.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

Virtual Nerd

Flip a classroom with these free video math tutorials

Bottom Line: High-quality but monotonous math tutorials can be a good classroom supplement.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

Get the Math

Solve real-life algebra problems with diverse crew, delightful video

Bottom Line: Proof that algebra is used to solve real problems in kid-approved professions: basketball, music, gaming, and fashion.

Grades: 7–10
Price:
Free

BioInteractive

High-quality multimedia brings biological research to life

Bottom Line: Superb multimedia tools and lesson plans help kids explore biology through real-world examples.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free

Numberphile

Expert interviews, whimsical images illustrate the wide world of math

Bottom Line: Energetic video explanations bring key math concepts and fun facts to life.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free

Social Studies Video Resources

Oddizzi

Kids travel the world, cultivate global curiosity and responsibility

Bottom Line: Kids get a sense of culture and global responsibility via kid-friendly articles and great multimedia.

Grades: 3–8
Price:
Free to try, Paid

Ken Burns in the Classroom

Critically acclaimed documentaries repackaged meaningfully for classrooms

Bottom Line: Top-notch documentary clips offer opportunities to expand students' perspectives, but some lesson materials might be underwhelming.

Grades: 4–12
Price:
Free

C-SPAN Classroom

Video clips, activities take kids inside the White House and Capitol

Bottom Line: Though it's not the slickest site, you'll find great behind-the-scenes access to some excellent content.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

PBS NewsHour Classroom

Trusted news brand's current events site offers daily discussions

Bottom Line: There's a wide variety of current, credible, and high-quality content on this site that should support interesting classroom discussions.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

CNN 10

Digestible, daily news videos for teens

Bottom Line: These 10-minute daily video segments can be used as a springboard to deeper discussions around media literacy, but teachers need to provide supplementary material.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free

IWitness

Explore survivor testimony with lessons, video on teacher-geared site

Bottom Line: IWitness allows students to reflect upon the past, looking toward today’s values and society. Students build knowledge about the past using a dynamic, specific tool.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free

Smarthistory

Bring traditional art education to life with fresh, interactive multimedia

Bottom Line: A worthy supplement to an art history or humanities class.

Grades: 8–12
Price:
Free

Global Oneness Project

Captivating, cross-curricular stories increase cultural awareness

Bottom Line: Teachers looking to enrich their curriculum with high-quality, thought-provoking videos and photos will find plenty of inspiration, but may need to create or fine-tune some lessons.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free, Paid

ELA Video Resources

Reading is Fundamental

Teachers and kids explore the wonderful world of reading together

Bottom Line: This delightful collection of online books, activities, games, and songs for the preschool set works best when shared with a grown-up.

Grades: Pre-K–K
Price:
Free

Storyline Online

Notable actors' read-alouds bring kids' storybooks to life

Bottom Line: Kids can experience the magic of books; though even better when accompanied by the site's extensions for further activities and reading

Grades: Pre-K–3
Price:
Free

Skybrary – Kids Books & Videos

Kids can "go anywhere, be anything" with vast book and video library

Bottom Line: Wonderful and practical way to get kids excited about learning and reading -- the greatness of the classic TV series, updated for the 21st century.

Grades: K–4
Price:
Free to try

Flocabulary

Delightful hip-hop-based site connects literacy to every content area

Bottom Line: This site's content is savvy enough to keep students focused, and teachers will love the flexible options for deepening learning.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free to try

Grammaropolis.com

Catchy parts-of-speech instruction, from hook to assessment

Bottom Line: The fun songs will stick, and so will kids' knowledge about the parts of speech.

Grades: 2–10
Price:
Free to try, Paid

Power Poetry

Empowering online community honors teen poets

Bottom Line: Teens can freely meld multimedia poetry and activism in an open, encouraging space.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free

Youth Voices

Aging online community hosts authentic student writing

Bottom Line: With some patience and understanding, this could be a good space for supporting healthy student expression.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free

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