Posts on “ BrainPOP ESL ”

BrainPOP is always growing! Whether we’re adding new topics to BrainPOP, sharing our favorite educational games on GameUp or a building new levels on BrainPOP ESL, we’re hard at work curating and creating the best content to share with students.  So what’s been happening recently? Well, this week, we have 2 premieres!  Young artists will enjoy BrainPOPJr’s perspective on Georgia O’Keeffe and Pablo Picasso, while writers will be set straight by checking out the newest BrianPOP topic on Parallel Structure.  On GameUp, our newest games include: Employee Cafeteria, Employee Lounge, and Mine Shaft all from Maryland Public TV’s Lure of the Labyrinth project. Just a few weeks ago BrainPOP ESL announced the debut the first unit in level three, bringing the total number of lessons to 65!  We do our best to create content that will help you and the students who love it. But, as always, we want to hear from you! Please share any suggestions you may have in our educators forum.

  At BrainPOP we were thrilled to hear that our friend Anne Scatchell, an ELL and Bilingual Resource Teacher from Glenn Westlake Middle School in Illinois, had her article published in the fall edition of the ITBE (Illinois Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages and Bilingual Education) Newsletter!  As a self professed “huge fan of all the BrainPOP products,”  Anne highlights the benefits of BrainPOP’s highly visual content for English language learners to help with key concepts and vocabulary.  In addition, Anne discusses BrainPOP ESL, which offers a carefully delivered scope and sequence of English language learning in all four language domains.  Anne’s students watch the movies and flock to the “Words to Know” section for vocabulary development and the “Facts to Know” and “Know More” sections to demystify complex grammar concepts.  And of course, they love the games!  By providing an explicit sequence, “At a Glance,” BrainPOP ESL allows students to move through the curriculum at their own pace, but also allows more advanced students to identify what they need to learn, pick the lesson directly, and differentiate for themselves. Anne reminds us that people love BrainPOP for the clear, concise and humorous visual explanations, and now ELL teachers can get in on… Read the Rest»

Using BrainPOP ESL in the Classroom Tuesday, September 13 6:30 PM EST Duration: 1 Hour Get acquainted with BrainPOP ESL and all of its components. Learn how to search and plan for specific lessons, take advantage of teacher resources, and see how engaging the eight interactive features accompanying each movie can be. BrainPOP ESL makes learning English fun; we’ll show you how to harness its power in the classroom.

  What lesson are you most looking forward to teaching this year? Is there a particular topic or unit that you can’t wait to share with your students? Tell us about an upcoming lesson you have planned that highlights the creative use of BrainPOP, BrainPOP Jr., or BrainPOP ESL resources. You can browse our collection of Lesson Plans to get inspired, and use our quick Submission Form to send us your lesson plan. At the end of August, we’ll choose three educators and send them FREE BrainPOP t-shirts with a picture of Moby on the front! You’re eligible to win if you submit a lesson plan anytime between August 1-31. Good luck–we can’t wait to see the lessons you’re passionate about!  

  It is official, summer has arrived! Hopefully, you are already out chasing butterflies or at least winding down the school year with report cards. Perhaps you’re a twelve month BrainPOP Educator and summer means work as usual plus a few extra layers of sun screen.  Wherever today finds you, all of us at BrainPOP wish you a happy, safe, and fun-filled summer! Not to be a killjoy, but it’s never too early to start reflecting on what worked this school year and begin planning a strategy for the year to come! We have a few tips for getting ahead of the game using BrainPOP: Browse our Lists of Topics –> BrainPOP, BrainPOP Jr., and BrainPOP ESL all provide a list of what we’ve got to offer. Bookmark it, or print & keep in your planning notebook for easy access at grade level meetings. Use our Spotlights! Each month, BrainPOP features 2 Spotlights, or collections of resources for timely topics. Check out our archives and plan accordingly for common monthly themes. Academic Standards Tool –> super simple to see how BrainPOP ties into the curriculum you’re already teaching! Plan out what BrainPOP topics you will utilize to fill in the blanks over the course of… Read the Rest»

Chris Carter’s saga with BrainPOP ESL in Germany continues with week 7… Day Thirty The exercises in BrainPOP ESL Level 2 require more reading and more fill in the blank activities.  We have to help Moby accomplish a goal by choosing the correct word to complete a sentence.  Since not all my first graders can read English with fluency quite yet, so I find myself reading for them.  First, I read the main sentence then the four to ten possible answers.  I think three is more than enough. So much for me being able to sneak into the background for a little covert observation!  I had been drifting to the back of the room to watch my class while they watched Ben and Moby.  A teacher sure can learn a lot about their class from the back of the room!  Student P was not very happy about the last time I did that.  She ended up with a time-out for not being able to keep her hands to herself. Day Thirty Two A visitor from BrainPOP ESL came to our school today.  I gave him a tour of the school.  It must have looked like we do nothing but BrainPOP!  (I… Read the Rest»

Hi, BrainPOPpers! My name is Angela Watson, and I’m the Educational Editor for BrainPOP Jr. Part of my role is to oversee the development of lesson plans on BrainPOP Educators. Are you already humming the tune of School’s Out ? We’re excited to share a new summer and beyond opportunity for BrainPOP Educators. Starting in June, we’re going to award BrainPOP Educator t-shirts to the top three lesson plan submissions every month! For those of you eager to get your hands on a BrainPOP t-shirt, here is your golden opportunity! We’re looking for lessons that highlight creative uses of any BrainPOP resource, so please share your ideas for incorporating BrainPOP, BrainPOP Jr., or BrainPOP ESL into high-quality instruction and classroom activities. You can check out our existing lesson plans to get an idea of how other educators are using BrainPOP and see the type of lessons we’re looking for. We value your time and appreciate your expertise. We made the submission form quick and easy. Click here to submit your lesson plan.  Angela will contact you via email if your lesson plan is accepted and published, and let you know if you’re one of our 3 monthly t-shirt winners! That’s not… Read the Rest»

BrainPOP ESL: Basics and Beyond Wednesday, May 25, 2011 4:30 PM EST Duration: 1 Hour Get acquainted with the award-winning BrainPOP ESL, the newest addition to our suite of resources. Bev Fine takes you through the eight interactive features that support each movie and reinforce the lessons through practice in all four language skills. She’ll also take a look at teacher support material like lesson plans and activities that build differentiated and higher order thinking skills. RSVP: http://bpeslbasics.eventbrite.com/

Chris Carter’s saga with BrainPOP ESL in Germany continues with week 6… Day Twenty Five What a day!  This morning started out with surprise treats brought in from one of my student’s parents to celebrate a birthday. Everyone filled their bellies with chocolate and other sweets, resulting in 20 kids on a serious sugar high at 9:00 in the morning. How did BrainPOP Jr. fit into today’s routine?  Well, it provided me with about 15 minutes of calm in the classroom.  This turned out to be just enough time for me to recompose and change my plans to better fit their manic energy. Day Twenty Six The sugar high seems to have continued, as my students were just as boisterous and giggly as yesterday.   Again, BrainPOP Jr. gave me a period of calm while the learning continued.  Of course I don’t want to use video, even interactive video, to sedate my students but I also don’t want to understate the peaceful beauty of a quiet and fully focused class.  I’m glad Moby had my back. Day Twenty Seven Ah, finally a semi-normal day.  We were on a roll, so decided to stick with BrainPOP Jr. again this morning.  This time… Read the Rest»

Before the school year comes to a close, check out new and exciting content on BrainPOP, BrainPOP Jr. & BrainPOP ESL! The Latest on BrainPOP: ♦ Queen Elizabeth II ♦ Bicycle Saftey The Latest on BrainPOP Jr.: ♦ Helen Keller ♦ Long A ♦ Multiplying by 0 or 1 ♦ Percussion Instruments ♦ Verbs New on BrainPOP ESL: Level 2, Unit 5 is now live on BrainPOP ESL! The five new lessons cover comparative adjectives and adverbs; superlatives; adjectives that end in -ed and -ing; word order; and prepositions of time.