Tool # 8

Videos are one of the best visuals for students. It’s entertaining and engaging. I use videos in my classroom curriculum frequently. I think videos reach all students, even if they are not native English speakers. The picture in itself gives a lot of information. Videos give student information and can be paused to explain or share or discuss. Sometimes students read information and it doesn’t really click, then they see a video and then it becomes clear. I chose this video of a childhood cartoon that I absolutely love. I found it on Hulu. It’s the Roadrunner and Coyote – minimal speaking, but the actions in the video allows students to interpret what each character was thinking.
via The Insider
Also, this particular video portrays a very good lesson – LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKE.

The second video I chose was a School House Rock – Unpack my Adjectives.

These are classics I grew up with that helped with learning. School House Rocks has so much to offer and can be found on YouTube. The quality might not be great, but students can definitely learn and understand new concepts. Students can watch these videos and find out information or for my example, write down the adjectives they heard.

My favorite and guilty pleasure is our wonderful subscription to United Streaming (Discovery Education). There is so much there for the kids, especially when teaching science or social studies. Magic School Bus is a huge hit and they learn so much and want to explore more about the topics after viewing the video. For Social Studies, we have Animated Heroes that help the students see these "Heroes" that have made an impact in our daily lives.

Thank you SBISD for United Streaming/Discovery Education!