Clear and kid-friendly introductions to an extensive array of topics
Community Review for BrainPOP
My Take
BrainPop is an extensive and ever-expanding collection of short animated movies on a wide variety of subjects. Information is presented in a simple and clear format in each movie, with illustrations, diagrams and charts that help to clarify the material. Each movie is accompanied by a 10-question multiple choice quiz as well as a number of other supplemental materials and activities. These short movies do not delve deep, but are a great overview of some important (and frequently taught) ideas, people and events. BrainPop is also available in Spanish.
How I Use It
My students love BrainPop! I sometimes assign a BrainPop movie as an introduction to a new topic, or as a quick review after initial study. Sometimes we watch a BrainPop movie together in class and then go through the associated quiz together, checking and discussing our answers as we go. But this is also my students' favorite type of homework assignment -- to watch the video (as many times as they need to) and then take quiz that accompanies it. They can have their results sent directly to me via email, where I can use them to determine what I might need to go over again in class. I find that when I post the homework for the week, students will often do the BrainPop assignments as soon as they see them listed, sometimes several days before they are due -- a testament to how much they enjoy them.