This month, BrainPOP’s Spotlight: American Indians covers topics from Pochahontas, Tecumseh, and Thanksgiving to the Iroquois Confederacy, French and Indian War, and Pueblo (BrainPOP Jr.). BrainPOP Educators features a Trail of Tears lesson plan as well.

Cell phones. Robots. Submarines. Body scans. They’re all cool, they’re all technology-driven, and they’re all part of our Spotlight: Cool Tech. You’ll also find topics like braces, fireworks, fuel cells, the international space station, nanotechnology, and more. For K-3 students, there’s Magnets and Simple Machines. Give the class our quiz on Lasers, or download some cool tech wallpaper.

Looking for a way to reinforce the vocabulary from your favorite BrainPOP unit? Try the game, “I Have/Who Has.”

Create and then distribute cards that feature one vocabulary word and the definition of a different vocabulary word from the same unit of study.

For example, if you’re exploring our Fossils unit, a card might contain the word “fossil” and the definition “inorganic substance,” which corresponds to the word “mineral.” Pick one student to start the game off by reading his or her word and definition as follows: “I have ‘fossil.’ Who has ‘inorganic substance?’” The student whose card contains the matching word - “mineral” - then jumps in. Continue the chain until everyone has responded. In such a way, students strengthen their vocabulary and learn valuable listening skills.

Comment below to tell us how you reinforce BrainPOP vocabulary in your classroom!

Welcome back to school, everyone. I hope you’re off to a fantastic start. I wanted to spend some time catching you up on our latest news and features, so you can take using BrainPOP to a new level this year! And it’s all FREE! A big part of me wants to go back to the classroom, just so I can use BrainPOP in all these new ways that I hadn’t thought of when I was teaching.

I’ll go into more depth with some of these features in the next few weeks, but for now, here’s a rundown!

Research - How does BrainPOP impact student achievement? Read the research.

BrainPOP ESL - Check out our newest product for English language learners and teachers. Free while in beta phase!

Getting Started - New to BrainPOP? We’ve got everything you need to be up and running in no time.

Spread the Word - Let your staff and community know you’ve got BrainPOP with our implementation tools.

Webinars - Whether you’re a new or experienced user, you are sure to gain fresh ideas from our webinars. RSVP for upcoming webinars or watch our archived webinars at your convenience.

Curriculum Calendar - Just published this summer, our calendar makes planning a breeze. Get a heads up on timely topics you can weave right into your curriculum, and access our Spotlights to help plan out your year.

Funding BrainPOP - Resources to help you fit BrainPOP into your funding strategy.

Spotlights - Find a ton of resources to launch into these important back-to-school topics: Digital Citizenship (free during September) and Science Skills.

Special Back to School Promotions - Upgrade, renew, and save on Media Lab and multi-year District and School Subscriptions. For details, please contact our District Relations team.

It’s crazy how quickly we have to shift from summer to school. I remember how intense and draining September can be. It’s my hope that the resources we offer on BrainPOP Educators can make your lives just a bit easier, while enriching your students’ education with a quality resource. Here’s to a happy, healthy school year!

Welcome Back to School! Today is the first day of school for many American school children. To celebrate, President Barack Obama will address our nation’s students to emphasize the value of education. Get a sneak peek of his brief prepared speech, and checkout BrainPOP’s movie on Presidential Power and BrainPOP Jr.’s movie on the President. BrainPOP’s Red, White, and Blue Spotlight is also a terrific resource for a quick review of the branches of government, democracy, or the U.S. constitution.

How are you celebrating the first day of school?

Welcome back to school! We’ve got two brand new Spotlights to help you kick off the new school year.

Our September Spotlight: Digital Citizenship is FREE all month. Make sure your students and children head back to classes armed with technology smarts. Spotlight: Digital Citizenship covers topics from blogs, cyberbullying, and social networking to email and IM, information privacy, and online sources. Take a digital etiquette quiz and download our coveted online safety poster. K-3 topics on BrainPOP Jr. include bullying and internet safety.

Classification, mineral identification, the periodic table of elements, microscopes, measuring matter (BrainPOP), science projects, inches and feet, and solids, liquids, and gases (BrainPOP Jr.) are just a few of the topics comprising our Spotlight: Science Skills. The featured quiz deals with the scientific method, and BrainPOP Educators offers science-themed video tutorials.

How are you incorporating BrainPOP into your class this September? Share ideas by posting comments below!

Checkout our new flipchart on Online Safety, available on Promethean Planet! It’s a great classroom resource for back-to-school. Use it with the BrainPOP Digital Citizenship Spotlight and free Internet Safety poster to teach your students how to interact and communicate safely online.

Debuted at the NECC conference this summer, the Online Safety flipchart features the BrainPOP movie, interactive vocabulary page, BrainPOP quiz, and more.

Promethean Planet offers many BrainPOP resources, including other BrainPOP flipcharts and the BrainPOP Resource Pack.

Share a comment! How could you use this resource in your classroom?

Tornados! Earthquakes! Floods! Who’s not fascinated by natural disasters? Our very own Dr. Kari Stubbs co-presented a fabulous workshop on teaching about Natural Disasters that made me want to run right back to the classroom. Not to worry if you couldn’t be there — all of the details and resources you’ll need to plan for it are here! If you’re interested in utilizing social learning networks, fostering global awareness and communication, and taking collaboration to the next level, then take a moment to check it out. To further entice you, one of BrainPOP’s August Spotlights will be on Natural Disasters, so check back in August to preview our movies and interactive activities to help support your teaching.

Not sure how to keep those wheels turning with your students over the summer? We’re here for you! We’ve got brand new spotlights for summer fun! Check out Red, White, & Blue and Animals, each chock full of related movies, interactive resources, and fun extras from BrainPOP Educators. Have a great 4th of July!

Don’t forget! Download our free Moby iron-on to create fun t-shirts to get into the spirit of Physical Fitness Month.

Print out the iron-on using any inkjet t-shirt transfer printer paper, like this one. We’d love to see photos of you wearing your shirts! Send them in!

Throughout May, visit our Spotlight: The Law for content covering such topics as branches of government, civil rights, Brown vs. Board of Education, the Scopes Monkey Trial, Miranda Rights, and much more. BrainPOP Jr. looks at local and state government and rights and responsibilities. Take a free quiz on the Constitution, and don’t miss a BrainPOP Educators lesson plan that shows you how to “Debate Your Rights.”