PBS
Documenting the Dust Bowl
Paul Taylor's interviews and Dorothea Lange's photographs bring to life the unimaginable devastation of the Dust Bowl. After watching a short video from PBS, viewers are asked to imagine how they would react, whether they would stay or...
PBS
The Pain of History and Beloved
Readers of Toni Morrison's Beloved share their reasons for why the painful and powerful narrative should be on the list of books for the Great American Read program.
PBS
A Separate Peace
Jenna and Barbara Bush, daughters of former President George W. Bush, and author Armistead Maupin share with viewers their reasons for selecting John Knowles' A Separate Peace as one of their favorite books.
PBS
Ready Player One
Ready Player One has been praised as a novel that captures the vitality, the allure, and the essence of the virtual reality experience. Speakers in a short video share their rationale for why Ernest Clines' dystopian novel should be...
PBS
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Narrators of a short video offer their rationale for why Catch 22 should be included in the Great American Read program. They touch on the key themes in Heller's satirical and sobering novel about Captain John Yossarian and the catch-22s...
PBS
Joseph Heller's Hilarious Catch-22
Comedian Seth Meyers shares his rationale for why Catch 22 should get viewers to vote for inclusion of Joseph Heller's satire in the Great American Read program.
PBS
Heroes and Hope in Frank Herbert's Dune
Wil Wheaton shares his rationale for why readers should vote for Frank Herbert's Dune as their choice for the Great American Read program. His talk touches on the major themes of the novel and its central conflicts.
PBS
Dune
Dune remains one of the most popular science fiction tales ever written. Find out why with a short video that argues for including Frank Herbert's tale of sandworms and Fremen, Mentats and witches, villains and heroes in the Great...
PBS
The Importance of Chicano Representation in Bless Me, Ultima
The best books either enable readers to see themselves, their culture, and their way of life reflected in the story or to gain an understanding of a way of life different from their own. Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima is such a book....
PBS
And Then There Were None
Justice and murder are the heart of the best mysteries. The writers interviewed for this episode of the Great American Read try to convince viewers that the best of this genre is Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
PBS
1984 by George Orwell
Reverend Katrina Foster offers her rationale for why Winston Smith, the tragic hero of George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, is her favorite literary character.
TED-Ed
"Accents" by Denice Frohman
Scholars watch an animation of the poem "Accents" by Denice Frohman. The coloring and drawings in the animation encourage and enhance particular feelings brought out by the poem.
TED-Ed
"First Kiss" by Tim Seibles
Nothing compares to a first kiss. Viewers watch an art interpretation of Tim Seibles's poem "First Kiss." Viewers watch as the artists turn from one object to another as the narrator describes the emotions associated with a first kiss.
TED-Ed
"New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus
What might a poem about the Statue of Liberty sound like? Viewers of a short video discover the answer as they watch an animated interpretation of the poem "New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus.
TED-Ed
"The Opposites Game" by Brendan Constantine
What is the opposite of a gun? A classroom grapples with the complex question in Brendan Constantine's poem, "The Opposites Game." Using the resource, viewers watch an animated interpretation of the poem to discover how the poem's...
Crash Course
How to Avoid Burnout: Crash Course Business - Soft Skills #17
What's the best way to avoid burnout in the workplace? Using the final video from the business-focused series, pupils explore ways to manage self-care. Scholars learn how exercise, healthier eating, and proper sleep help people take...
Grid Club
Gulliver's Travels
A five-minute video showcases the children's tale, Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift. While the narrator reads rhymes, an animated Gulliver sets sail to visit several new destinations—each with a fantastic adventure....
Storynory
A Christmas Carol Part One
Prepare for the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future with an audio retelling of Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol. As learners listen to Ebenezer Scrooge's dynamic journeys through time, they reflect on the story's...
PBS
The Symbolism of Sunflower Seeds in Ghost
Ghost by Jason Reynolds is a coming-of-age book that resonates with teenagers who have experienced childhood trauma. Explore the novel with an interactive resource that focuses on the author's use of symbolism, particularly with...
PBS
Character Study: Scout Finch
Scout Finch, the rough-and-tumble protagonist of Harper Lee's iconic To Kill a Mockingbird, learns quite a bit about how the world works as she observes her father's defense of Tom Robinson. Learn more about Scout and her distinctive...
PBS
To Kill a Mockingbird Setting: A Portrait of a Southern Town in the 1930s
The characters of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird are formed and informed, in part, by the distinctive historical backdrop of Alabama during the Great Depression. Watch a video that details Lee's experience growing up in...
PBS
The Continuing Fight for Tom Robinson and To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960, but its messages remain just as true today as they were in Harper Lee's novel. Learners watch a video that details the story of Anthony Ray Hinton, who was sent to prison for a crime he...
PBS
Family and Identity through To Kill a Mockingbird
How does the Finch family structure set it apart from their community, even before Atticus begins defending Tom Robinson? Watch a video that discusses how Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird establishes a distinctly American world...
PBS
Chosen Family and The Outsiders
Can you choose your family after all? The greasers in S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders are as close as family, even though only Pony Boy and his brothers are related. A short video features commentary by hip-hop artist Danny Boy O'Connor...