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This interactive media-based lesson is a guided education experience that takes students through one or more media segments with focus questions after each to check for comprehension, solicit interpretations and predictions, clarify important points, or provide opportunities for students to make connections to other topics or events.

This lesson has a progress tracker, allowing teachers to track individual student participation and review student responses to questions that are provided at the end of each segment. When you launch the resource, click on the Quick Assign option at the top of the page to get a unique Assignment Code and URL for your students to start using immediately.

Student may pause the media to control the pace and amount of information in each segment. Tell students they can play the same segment several times to increase critical thinking, analysis, observation and listening skills. Encourage your students to watch the video as active critics, rather than as passive consumers. When available, students should utilize PBS's Closed Captioned and video script options.

Make the most of the student interaction. Project the lesson on the classroom wall or white board for whole class participation or allow individual students or small groups to follow along at their own pace using a mobile device or in the technology lab.

Flip Your Classroom. Assign the lesson as homework to build background knowledge for in-class work and skip or shorten your lectures in class to make room for projects and hands-on experiences.

Students may need some contextual information for videos, in advance of viewing, to aid their comprehension. Background essays are included for many PBS LearningMedia resources, and can provide reading opportunities that correlate with the video content. Begin the lesson with an activity that introduces the topic and stimulates students' pre-existing knowledge.

Follow the lesson with a hands-on, interactive culminating activity that allows students to apply, reinforce, and demonstrate what they have learned during the lesson. Students can participate in collaborative, problem-solving projects that involve information searches, group creations and virtual gatherings.

As with all Internet activities, clearly demonstrate what students are expected to do during the lesson and monitor students closely while they are online to keep them on task.

Make Your Own Lesson!

The Lesson Builder allows you to combine videos, images and documents from PBS LearningMedia with an interactive quiz, and share it with your students using a URL or Assignment Code. Want to learn more? Watch this short video for a quick overview.

Make Your Own Storyboard!

Create a media-rich Storyboard to share with your class. Or, assign a project for your students to produce their own storyboard and illustrate concepts that they have learned. Watch this short video to see how it works.

Assign a Student Storyboard!

By making a Student Storyboard, your class can demonstrate mastery of content by creating and authoring their own media that uses existing PBS LearningMedia video assets. The Student Storyboard tool is a hands-on, interactive culminating activity that allows your students to apply, reinforce, and demonstrate what they have learned during the lesson. Students can participate in collaborative, problem-solving projects that involve information searches, group creations and virtual gatherings.

Make Your Own Puzzle!

Use this easy tool to make customized puzzles that introduce and reinforce vocabulary words, or give students practice with weekly sight words. Watch this short video to see how it works.