Videos to Use in the Classroom

Use these videos to prompt conversation, add some laughter, and build community in your classroom. Check out the technology tips page for suggestions.

Global Short Film Network - short films with deeper meanings; many include discussion questions as well.

What can you do with video clips?

Some ideas taken from this article; others borrowed from Reach Out With English 102 course.

• Predict what happens next (and write, draw a picture, act it out...).

• Re-enact the scene in your own words.

• Discuss how you would react if you were in the scene.

• Summarize (generally) or describe (specifically) what happened in the clip - characters, setting, problem, solution (if any)

• Watch two clips and compare and contrast.

• (For videos with dialogue) - watch first with sound off. Discuss: what happened? What do you think the people said? Then, watch again with sound on. Did you get the idea of the video even without the sound?

• Show a video about a topic to introduce a new concept, unit, or theme.

• Have students write questions about the clip and exchange papers to answer each others' questions.

• Show a how-to video (like this one for an origami heart) and then have students follow the instructions.

This video explains how to use videos in English class and how to use www.safeshare.tv to shorten videos and avoid ads.