Curated OER
ABC Phonics Chant
Scan through the letters of the alphabet, their sounds, and a word that starts with that letter. The letter is flashed along with a picture of the word as a male voice says, "G, /guh/, grape." A quick, efficient resource that can be used...
TED-Ed
The Power of Simple Words
Eschew obfuscation! The message to writers in this short, humorous video is to choose simple, punchy language rather than supercilious, paunchy diction. After all, Dorothy does not say, “No coordinates exist like one’s domicile.”
TED-Ed
Development of English Drama
From mystery plays to Shakespeare! Progress chronologically through the evolution of English drama, which began as a way for English clergymen in the eleventh century to illustrate biblical stories to the mass of illiterate commoners....
TED-Ed
Three Anti-Social Skills to Improve Your Writing
"What?" she said. "That video just told me to eavesdrop, get to know imaginary people, and talk to myself. Interesting." It's all for a good cause, though! These three techniques will help your young writers improve their fictional...
TED-Ed
An Anti-Hero of Ones Own
The antihero, the flawed protagonist of so much of contemporary literature such as Fahrenheit 451, is the subject of a short video that traces the fall from grace of the divine heroes of classical literature to the flawed, far more human...
TED-Ed
Beware of Nominalizations (AKA Zombie Nouns)
Save your sentences from the zombie apocalypse! All you need are juicy, verb-driven sentences. Watch the video to find out how to awaken the living dead in your writing, and then how to put the dead to rest and the life back into your...
TED-Ed
The Power of a Great Introduction
How do you create a great introduction to a literary analysis? Why, you write it last, of course. The narrator of a short video on crafting a great introduction suggests tackling the introduction after you have crafted your thesis,...
Curated OER
Comma Story
Imagine the comma as a clever character, walking around town looking for conjunctions or subordinates to help. The video has an animated character for each of these parts of speech, and provides sample sentences that demonstrate where to...
TED-Ed
Mysteries of Vernacular: Noise
How are noise, nausea, and navel related? They all have the same Latin root! Naus, which once meant ship, went through several transformations to become noise as we know it today. Show your class just how this happened with the...
Curated OER
In on a Secret? That's Dramatic Irony
Struggling to get your learners to understand irony? Try out this video, which clarifies each type of irony before going into more depth on dramatic irony. The narrator relates this type of irony to both horror and comedy films and...
Curated OER
Become a Slam Poet in Five Steps
Teach your class five straightforward steps to help them work on their slam poetry. Beautifully illustrated, the video will catch the attention of your pupils and inspire them to compose their own work. After each step is explained, a...
TED-Ed
What is Verbal Irony?
Attitude and tone of voice are everything when it comes to verbal irony. In addition to modeling and defining verbal irony, the narrator of this short video also explains the difference between verbal irony and sarcasm, that bit of...
TED-Ed
Why Is There a "b" in Doubt?
Many doubt the reasoning for having a b in doubt, but do they know the whole story? Pupils can watch as a Latin word becomes the English doubt. The narrator explains the etymology of doubt, emphasizes the importance of meaning and...
TED-Ed
Slowing Down Time (in Writing & Film)
How do you slowmo a story? The narrator of a short video models how to slow down the pace of a narrative by using concepts drawn from slow motion filming. Just as slow motion in a film is achieved by speeding up the process so that more...
TED-Ed
How Did English Evolve?
War and conquest are not the only factors in language change and development, as the narrator of a short video points out in her lecture about the evolution of the English language. Using the phrases, "They gave us a hearty welcome," and...
TED-Ed
Inside a Cartoonist's World
Introduce your class to cartooning and the process of creating a comic. Liza Donnelly, cartoonist for The New Yorker, narrates the steps she takes to write and illustrate a cartoon. She also gets at the roles of a comic and how readers...
Curated OER
What's the Definition of Comedy? Banana.
Comedy eludes definition; however, there have been many attempts to assign a definition. The narrator explains concepts introduced by Henri Bergson and Aristotle as he approaches the topic. These ideas are animated with cartoons and are...
Curated OER
A Brief History of Plural Word...s
One of the most straightforward rules of the English language is to add an s to make a word plural, except for a few irregular words. However, English wasn't always like this. Watch a narrated, animated video that explains the history of...
Curated OER
Mysteries of Vernacular: Robot
Where does the word robot come from? Starting with a brief definition, the video explores the origins of the word, using neat animations to demonstrate the narration. The resource also comes with assessment questions, links to more...
Curated OER
Shakespearean Dating Tips
Want to get the attention of that special someone? Try out some metaphors! This colorfully animated video first points out the positives of Shakespeare’s works, before comparing complex metaphors about love to modern pick-up lines. The...
TED-Ed
Mysteries of the Vernacular: Bewilder
Help your class build an understanding of how words evolve over time with a video on the origins of bewilder. The narrator goes all the way back to Old English to find the beginnings of the word and moves through the centuries,...
TED-Ed
Tales of Passion
What is feminism? Listen as renowned author and activist Isabel Allende champions the cause of passionate individuals, and in particular, women who have gone against the grain and challenged the status quo in order to make the world...
TED-Ed
The Art of the Metaphor
Show this poetic and captivating video to your class to activate thought about figurative language. The narrator conjures up scenes with her use of metaphor and describes not only what a metaphor is, but what a metaphor can do. She uses...
TED-Ed
Insults by Shakespeare
Draw your class into Shakespeare's world with very old-school smack talk. Through these creative curses, Shakespeare efficiently sets the mood and develops relationships between characters. The narrator breaks down several examples from...