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Great Videos and Movies for Your Classroom
Top Picks
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Multiple-Subject Video Resources
YouTube Kids
Kid-targeted videos are best with adult guidance
Bottom line: With adult supervision and controls in place, this is a fun way for young kids to browse online videos.
PBS KIDS
One-stop shop for a wealth of fantastic PBS KIDS educational content
Bottom line: Amazing collection of valuable learning resources covers an impressive array of topics.
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.
BrainPOP Jr.
Top-notch videos and activities a boon for elementary school teachers
Bottom line: BrainPOP Jr. sets the bar for top-quality online learning supplements.
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.
Khan Academy
Missions boost learning with balance of focus and freedom to explore
Bottom line: A solid resource for math and science instruction as well as foundational knowledge in a number of other high school subjects.
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.
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.
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.
BrainPOP
Clever animated hosts Tim and Moby masterfully tackle complex topics
Bottom line: Cartoon videos in this extensive collection break down ideas in clever and thoughtful ways.
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.
Big History Project
Fascinating look at life's bigger questions with a fresh perspective
Bottom line: A wonderfully innovative and divergent way to teach foundational concepts in history, humanities, critical thinking, and science.
STEM Video Resources
NOVA
Compelling science videos have high-quality classroom applications
Bottom line: Stellar simulations, teacher guides, and other activities can stand on their own, and they're enhanced with high-quality video content.
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.
National Geographic Kids
Stunning photos and in-depth stories of Earth's peoples and wildlife
Bottom line: This large collection of multimedia resources teaches younger students about animals, habitats, countries, and cultures.
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 geography-based resources.
Mystery Science
Big questions, kids' curiosity drive impressive science curriculum
Bottom line: These powerful science units capitalize on elementary school students' natural curiosity.
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.
Mosa Mack Science
Engaging design challenges turn kids into actual science detectives
Bottom line: An engaging way to weave some engineering into your middle school science lessons.
AMAZE
Quirky, funny videos give thoughtful answers to kids' sex-ed questions
Bottom line: An appealingly down-to-earth way to help kids face tough questions about navigating the challenges of puberty.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Social Studies Video Resources
NBC Learn
Vast video site offers current, historical content
Bottom line: This is a great source for video-based news, thanks to the huge archive, current events coverage, and teacher-friendly extra links to Newsela articles.
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.
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.
CNN 10
Digestible and engaging news coverage for teens in 10 minutes
Bottom line: These 10-minute daily video segments can be used as a springboard to deeper discussions around media literacy.
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.
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.
PBS NewsHour Extra
Trusted news brand's current events site could pique teens' interest
Bottom line: This isn't going to necessarily excite students, but the high-quality content is credible and timely and should support interesting discussions.
Smarthistory
Bring traditional art education to life with fresh, interactive multimedia
Bottom line: A worthy supplement to an art history or humanities class.
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.
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.
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
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.
Flocabulary
Delightful hip-hop-based platform teaches vocab across content areas
Bottom line: Flocabulary has the goods: It's savvy enough to keep kids focused, and teachers will love the engaging, multi-modal platform.
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.
Power Poetry
Empowering online community honors teen poets
Bottom line: Teens can freely meld multimedia poetry and activism in an open, encouraging space.
Youth Voices
Vibrant online community hosts authentic student writing
Bottom line: Supported student writing, collaboration, and communication make this a healthy space for kids to express themselves.
