Review by Jason Shiroff, Common Sense Education | Updated April 2016

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BrainPOP Jr.

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Top-notch educational videos a boon for elementary school teachers

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Grades

K-3 This grade range is a recommendation by Common Sense Education and not the developer/publisher.

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2 videos | 5 images

Six subject categories, games, and the site's other features can all be accessed from the well-organized main page.

Click on one of the subject categories (science, math, reading and writing, health, social studies, arts, and technology) to find main topics.

All movies within each subject are listed on one page with colorful, descriptive icons.

Movies, games, quizzes, and more combine to help students learn and recall subject-specific information.

BrainPOP Educators offers lessons plans, ideas, blog posts, training, and more.

Pros: You get oodles of support, and kids get an endless array of engaging and comprehensive learning tools.

Cons: Some students may want to skip directly to the games instead of first watching the videos.

Bottom Line: BrainPOP Jr. sets the bar for top-quality online learning supplements.

Lesson & Activity Ideas

Much of the curriculum-based content is aligned to state education standards. Teachers can search for specific videos and activities using the search tool, which categorizes content by subject, grade, and state standard. Training and PD opportunities, plus resources such as lesson plans, standards alignment, graphic organizers, and more, are available through the BrainPOP Educators hub.

Short films are a terrific introduction to any topic. Use the videos to spark kids' interest on a new topic or to reinforce what they've already learned in class. You could even have students make their own short films on one of the topics they've explored or connect video content to other non-digital activities. For instance, have them watch the video about the water cycle, then follow it up with related games or outdoor activities.

Tool Overview

BrainPOP Jr. is a subscription-based educational video, game, and activity site for students in kindergarten through third grade. The main page is divided into math, language and reading, science, social studies, health, and arts and technology. First, students choose one of the six main subjects. When they click the subject, it gets broken into more specific categories. Under each category, individual video topic pages appear.

Students can learn about everything from telling time, Internet safety, and ancient Rome to dental care and getting lice (what it's like, not how to get it!). Central to BrainPOP Jr. are the videos, which feature recurrent cartoon hosts. Another key feature is the video of the week that highlights a single topic.

Learning Value

Bold, colorful graphics and punchy music on BrainPOP Jr. should be inviting to young kids. Students should also relate well to the young animated hosts who speak directly to students. These characters use conversational and familiar language. And they use humor, which is sure to engage. With these characters as leaders, teachers may not have to do quite as much initial hand-holding as they would with other products. There's also excellent balance within any given video. Characters narrate what's happening, ask questions, and define terms that may be difficult to grasp. This varied approach to teaching will likely suit many types of learners.

While the videos are the centerpiece, there are also tons of printable activities, games, and quizzes (easy or hard, printable or online) that help round out the experience. Furthermore, kids who struggle with reading can get added support, as videos and activities are audio- and visual-heavy. Overall, BrainPOP Jr. is worth the subscription fee. You can't beat high-quality educational videos, games, and activities coupled with your focused and supportive help.

Rating Details

Overall Rating

Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

Friendly cartoon characters discuss dental care and ancient Rome (although not at the same time) in these brief, engaging videos followed by fun activities and games.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

Students can adapt gameplay by choosing easy or hard quizzes and exploring topics through writing, drawing, talking, or reading. A narrator reads instructions aloud if students scroll over the words.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

Teachers and parents can use the search tool on the BrainPOP Educators page to search for related content by state, subject, and grade. Closed captioning is available on videos.

Common Sense Reviewer

Jason Shiroff Classroom teacher

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Key Standards Supported

Counting And Cardinality
K.CC: Count To Tell The Number Of Objects.
K.CC.5	Count to answer “how many?” questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1–20, count out that many objects.
Know Number Names And The Count Sequence.
K.CC.2	Count forward beginning from a given number within the known sequence (instead of having to begin at 1).
Geometry
1.G: Reason With Shapes And Their Attributes.
1.G.3	Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, fourths, and quarters, and use the phrases half of, fourth of, and quarter of. Describe the whole as two of, or four of the shares. Understand for these examples that decomposing into more equal shares creates smaller shares.
2.G: Reason With Shapes And Their Attributes.
2.G.1	Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes, such as a given number of angles or a given number of equal faces.5 Identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes.

2.G.3	Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, or four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, thirds, half of, a third of, etc., and describe the whole as two halves, three thirds, four fourths. Recognize that equal shares of identical wholes need not have the same shape.
3.G: Reason With Shapes And Their Attributes.
3.G.1	Understand that shapes in different categories (e.g., rhombuses, rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides), and that the shared attributes can define a larger category (e.g., quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories.
K.G: Analyze, Compare, Create, And Compose Shapes.
K.G.4	Analyze and compare two- and three-dimensional shapes, in different sizes and orientations, using informal language to describe their similarities, differences, parts (e.g., number of sides and vertices/“corners”) and other attributes (e.g., having sides of equal length).
Identify And Describe Shapes (Squares, Circles, Triangles, Rectangles, Hexagons, Cubes, Cones, Cylinders, And Spheres).
K.G.1	Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.
Measurement And Data
1.MD: Measure Lengths Indirectly And By Iterating Length Units.
1.MD.1	Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.
Tell And Write Time.
1.MD.3	Tell and write time in hours and half-hours using analog and digital clocks.
2.MD: Work With Time And Money.
2.MD.7	Tell and write time from analog and digital clocks to the nearest five minutes, using a.m. and p.m.
3.MD: Solve Problems Involving Measurement And Estimation Of Intervals Of Time, Liquid Volumes, And Masses Of Objects.
3.MD.1	Tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in minutes. Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of time intervals in minutes, e.g., by representing the problem on a number line diagram.
K.MD: Describe And Compare Measurable Attributes.
K.MD.1	Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.

K.MD.2	Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has “more of”/“less of” the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter.
Number And Operations In Base Ten
1.NBT: Use Place Value Understanding And Properties Of Operations To Add And Subtract.
1.NBT.4	Add within 100, including adding a two-digit number and a one-digit number, and adding a two-digit number and a multiple of 10, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used. Understand that in adding two-digit numbers, one adds tens and tens, ones and ones; and sometimes it is necessary to compose a ten.

1.NBT.6	Subtract multiples of 10 in the range 10-90 from multiples of 10 in the range 10-90 (positive or zero differences), using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used.
2.NBT: Understand Place Value.
2.NBT.1	Understand that the three digits of a three-digit number represent amounts of hundreds, tens, and ones; e.g., 706 equals 7 hundreds, 0 tens, and 6 ones. Understand the following as special cases:
Use Place Value Understanding And Properties Of Operations To Add And Subtract.
2.NBT.6	Add up to four two-digit numbers using strategies based on place value and properties of operations.
3.NBT: Use Place Value Understanding And Properties Of Operations To Perform Multi-Digit Arithmetic.4
3.NBT.1	Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.

3.NBT.3	Multiply one-digit whole numbers by multiples of 10 in the range 10–90 (e.g., 9 × 80, 5 × 60) using strategies based on place value and properties of operations.
3.NF: Develop Understanding Of Fractions As Numbers.
3.NF.1	Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b.

3.NF.2	Understand a fraction as a number on the number line; represent fractions on a number line diagram.
Operations And Algebraic Thinking
1.OA: Add And Subtract Within 20.
1.OA.5	Relate counting to addition and subtraction (e.g., by counting on 2 to add 2).
Understand And Apply Properties Of Operations And The Relationship Between Addition And Subtraction.
1.OA.3	Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract.3 Examples: If 8 + 3 = 11 is known, then 3 + 8 = 11 is also known. (Commutative property of addition.) To add 2 + 6 + 4, the second two numbers can be added to make a ten, so 2 + 6 + 4 = 2 + 10 = 12. (Associative property of addition.)
2.OA: Represent And Solve Problems Involving Addition And Subtraction.
2.OA.1	Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.1
Work With Equal Groups Of Objects To Gain Foundations For Multiplication.
2.OA.3	Determine whether a group of objects (up to 20) has an odd or even number of members, e.g., by pairing objects or counting them by 2s; write an equation to express an even number as a sum of two equal addends.
3.OA: Represent And Solve Problems Involving Multiplication And Division.
3.OA.1	Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 × 7 as the total number of objects in 5 groups of 7 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a total number of objects can be expressed as 5 × 7.

3.OA.2	Interpret whole-number quotients of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 56 ÷ 8 as the number of objects in each share when 56 objects are partitioned equally into 8 shares, or as a number of shares when 56 objects are partitioned into equal shares of 8 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a number of shares or a number of groups can be expressed as 56 ÷ 8.
K.OA: Understand Addition As Putting Together And Adding To, And Under- Stand Subtraction As Taking Apart And Taking From.
K.OA.1	Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings2, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations.

K.OA.5	Fluently add and subtract within 5.

Teacher Reviews

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Featured review by
Brandy D. , Special education instructor

Special education instructor

Ducketts Lane Elementary School
Elkridge, MD

Great supplement to the curriculum!

I think that BrainPOPjr is a great tool to use with students of all ages. It is interactive and fun. The videos are super engaging and the kids LOVE it. There are so many different categories to choose from. There are videos for math, ELA, science and health. I do think that it would be nice if there were more differentiated versions of the activities they offer for each video. It offers games that move through different levels of difficulty.Overall I believe that this tool is worth the price.

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Language
L.K: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.K.6	Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.
L.1: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.1.5	With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

L.1.6	Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using frequently occurring conjunctions to signal simple relationships (e.g., because).
L.2: Conventions of Standard English
L.2.1	Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.2.5	Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
L.3: Conventions of Standard English
L.3.1	Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

L.3.2	Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Reading Foundational Skills
RF.1: Fluency
RF.1.4	Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Print Concepts
RF.1.1	Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
RF.2: Fluency
RF.2.4	Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
RF.3: Fluency
RF.3.4	Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
RF.K: Print Concepts
RF.K.1	Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
Reading Informational
RI.K: Craft and Structure
RI.K.5	Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.

RI.K.6	Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.
RI.1: Craft and Structure
RI.1.5	Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
RI.1.10	With prompting and support, read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1.
RI.2: Craft and Structure
RI.2.4	Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
Key Ideas and Details
RI.2.1	Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
RI.3: Craft and Structure
RI.3.4	Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.
Key Ideas and Details
RI.3.1	Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Reading Literature
RL.K: Craft and Structure
RL.K.5	Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).
Key Ideas and Details
RL.K.3	With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
RL.1: Craft and Structure
RL.1.5	Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types.
Key Ideas and Details
RL.1.3	Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
RL.2: Key Ideas and Details
RL.2.3	Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
RL.3: Key Ideas and Details
RL.3.1	Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Writing
W.K: Text Types and Purposes
W.K.1	Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...).
W.2: Text Types and Purposes
W.2.1	Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

W.2.2	Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
W.3: Production and Distribution of Writing
W.3.6	With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
Text Types and Purposes
W.3.2	Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

BrainPOP Jr.

Top-notch educational videos a boon for elementary school teachers

Subjects and Skills: BrainPOP Jr.

Take a look inside

Lesson & Activity Ideas

Tool Overview

Learning Value

Rating Details

Overall Rating

Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

Key Standards Supported

Counting And Cardinality

Geometry

Measurement And Data

Number And Operations In Base Ten

Operations And Algebraic Thinking

Key Standards Supported

Language

Reading Foundational Skills

Reading Informational

Reading Literature

Writing

Teacher Reviews

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