Curated OER
Introduction to Compare and Contrast
Oranges and bananas, what do they have in common and how are they different? Have an interactive, virtual grand discussion with narrator, Carrie Carter, who explains what it means to compare and contrast. Viewers also discover how to...
TED-Ed
How Miscommunication Happens (And How to Avoid It)
The transactional model of communication is used in this short video to explain how miscommunication happens and to offer suggestions for how to improve listening and communication skills.
Alison Neibling
Introduction to Poetry: The 3 R's
Get to the know the importance of the three R's of poetry (rhyme, repetition, and rhythm) with this video created to accompany your poetry instruction for a middle school audience. With detailed information, examples, and digital...
TED-Ed
The Controversial Origins of the Encyclopedia
Google, Wolfram/Alpha, Fact Monster? Kids may be familiar with these names, but have they heard of one of the original search tools? Here's a video that details one of the first encyclopedias and the controversies surrounding it.
TED-Ed
How to Make Your Writing Funnier
Did you ever notice the art of comedy is indeed an art? Check out this video that contains quick and catchy tips and tricks for crafting comedy that will tickle your funny bone.
TED-Ed
How to Write Fiction That Comes Alive
Launch a fiction writing unit with this video that encourages writers to craft their stories with language that permits readers to experience the illusions of their stories.
TED-Ed
Do Animals Have Language?
Do animals have language? To answer this question, Michele Bishop's video examines the four qualities often associated with language—discreteness, grammar, productivity, and displacement—that separate communications systems from language.
TED-Ed
A Poetic Experiment: Walt Whitman, Interpreted by Three Animators
Three animators provide different visual interpretations of Walt Whitman's "A Noiseless Patient Spider." What a great way to generate a discussion of interpretation, mood, and tone.
TED-Ed
Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo: One-Word Sentences and How They Work
Sentences made up of one word? Yes. Introduce kids to lexical ambiguity with a short video that shows how complete, grammatically correct sentences can be composed of one word used each time as a different part of speech.
TED-Ed
When to Use Apostrophes
It's tricky but it's essential. It's the apostrophe, of course. And this video is all about its usage.
TED-Ed
Where Did English Come From?
How did modern language evolve over the course of history? Discover the roots of the English language, spoken by over three billion people in the world today, and explore how historical conquests and intercultural exchanges are...
TheRedCarChannel
A Conversation with Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury's enthusiasm for books and libraries comes through in this short video and is sure to engage readers. Young writers will also be inspired by Bradbury's comments on his sources of inspiration and his writing process.
Biography
Truman Capote- Mini Biography
Truman Capote, originator of the true-crime novel, is the subject of a short mini-biography, an overview of his cultural impact and his most famous works.
Biography
John Steinbeck- Mini Biography
John Steinbeck, called the voice of working-class Americans, is the subject of this mini-biography that includes interviews and images to provide an overview of his life and works.
Biography
Edgar Allan Poe- Mini Biography
Show this mini-biography and nevermore will your young readers ask about the life of Edgar Allan Poe. 'Tis a short overview and nothing more.
Andrews McMeel Publishing
POW! A Peanuts Collection
Make a study of Charles M. Scultz's famous comic strip Peanuts in your language arts class. Class members read and discuss the baseball-themed book POW! A Peanuts Collection. After talking about themes and vocabulary, they complete...
Jen Johnson
Independent Clauses, Dependent Clauses, & Fragments
When is a clause a complete sentence, and when do you need to add a subordinate conjunction? Practice complex sentences and avoid fragments with a grammar video. With fun pictures and interesting graphics, the video will get through to...
senseipalmer
Independent vs. Dependent
Clarify the difference between independent and dependent causes with a video lecture. At just under five minutes long, it's a great tool for your grammar unit.
TV411
Dependent and Independent Clauses Join Forces
Young grammarians are often confused by clauses, especially the difference between dependent and independent clauses. Clarify the confusion with a color-coded worksheet that clearly defines and illustrates the differences and then gives...
Crash Course
Holden, JD, and the Red Cap- The Catcher in the Rye Part 2
In Part 2 of a course on The Catcher in the Rye, the narrator examines J.D. Salinger's life and considers how the author's experiences during World War II may have influenced his portrayal of Holden Caulfield. How Salinger creates...
Crash Course
Love or Lust? Romeo and Juliet Part II
"Do you believe that fate is inescapable, or that people forge their own lives?" This is the essential question at the heart of Romeo and Juliet, according to the narrator of a series on Shakespeare's tragedy. Short but dense, the video...
Crash Course
Of Pentameter & Bear Baiting - Romeo & Juliet Part I
Thinking about using Romeo and Juliet with your honors or AP class? Consider showing this video as an introduction and overview to Shakespeare, Elizabethan theatre, and the play. The narrator's obvious scholarship, fast pace, and quirky...
Crash Course
How and Why We Read
"Stories are about communication." Or so contends the narrator of a series of short videos. In this first video of the series, the narrator presents his argument for why people read, models the approaches that will be used, and...
Crash Course
Frankenstein Part II
Part 2 of the course on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein takes up the issue of the viewing the text as an example of the romantic novel, a format that causes the reader to consider difficult questions. The narrator asks viewers to consider...