How BrainPOP Sparks Deeper Learning in Elko County

When Sarah Jolley, Technology Coordinator and Digital Coach for Elko County School District in Nevada and a Certified BrainPOP Educator (CBE), first introduced BrainPOP to teachers there, she quickly noticed an immediate shift. A longtime BrainPOP user, Sarah recognizes that the platform gives every student the background knowledge they need to participate in meaningful discussion.

She often points out that the real impact comes when teachers extend the learning beyond the movie itself, drawing on what the characters do and turning it into real-world experiences for students. For many educators, the surprise is discovering just how flexible BrainPOP can be: what begins as a short animated video becomes a springboard for hands-on activities, small-group conversations, and deeper exploration.

“The biggest ‘a-ha’ moment for teachers is always, ‘oh, it’s not just the video…’ The videos are amazing, but you can do so much with it—and engage students in a different way,” says Jolley.

Covering one of the nation’s largest geographic districts, Elko’s schools range from rural K–12 sites to bustling elementary campuses. Yet in every classroom, BrainPOP has become a trusted anchor for lessons, helping educators teach with confidence by simplifying complex topics and sparking lively, student-driven discussions.

How BrainPOP Helps Elko County Educators Teach with Confidence

Elko teachers consistently point to background knowledge as the great equalizer. BrainPOP’s movies (on both BrainPOP Jr. and BrainPOP 3-8), Pause Points, and activities set the stage for rich conversation and hands-on exploration.

Building Baseline Knowledge

Teachers use BrainPOP movies to introduce key concepts so every learner can join the conversation, whether they’re tackling a simple life-science idea in BrainPOP Jr. or digging into complex technology topics in BrainPOP 3–8.

Flexible Lesson Design

Classrooms across the district follow a similar routine: watch a BrainPOP movie together, pause to question and discuss, then shift to small-group or individual activities. This consistent yet adaptable formula supports differentiation and deeper understanding.

Teachers also value BrainPOP’s built-in supports such as closed captions and a multilingual mode available for most movies, which help every student access complex content and participate fully in discussion.

Confidence Through Routine

Teachers describe BrainPOP as a dependable anchor they can plan around. They start lessons with a movie to spark curiosity, use Pause Points to prompt conversation, and guide students into hands-on activities that deepen understanding. As one Elko teacher explained, “BrainPOP builds that knowledge—it gives students the baseline they need to have those discussions in class.”

Delivering Learning Kids Ask For with BrainPOP

BrainPOP’s blend of humor and rigor doesn’t just inform, it inspires curiosity and joy.

Active Participation

Even reluctant speakers eagerly join class debates after a BrainPOP movie. “Playing the video for the whole class and then allowing for Pause Point discussions really allows them to shine and engage,” says sixth-grade teacher Sarah Blois. Pause Points invite every student to contribute, creating a level playing field for discussion.

Hands-On Extensions

Second-grade teacher Samantha Pemelton led her class through a lesson on the BrainPOP Jr. Sun topic, where students replicated an outdoor experiment shown in the movie. Holly Wirth’s fourth graders solved multi-step word problems with red markers, pretending they were writing in ketchup just like Mateo did in the BrainPOP movie on this concept. And Sarah Blois used the Artificial Intelligence topic as a springboard for critical questions and class debate with her sixth graders.

Authentic Connections

Elko teachers regularly draw on details from the movies to design real-world activities, helping students connect concepts to their own experiences. Sarah Jolley noted that some of the most engaging lessons happen when teachers “take something the characters are doing in the video and make it real for the children,” turning an animated moment into a hands-on project.

District-Wide Impact

Elko’s success highlights how having a Certified BrainPOP Educator (CBE) or BrainPOP School Champion can actively spark and guide meaningful use of BrainPOP across the district. With Jolley encouraging teachers to integrate movies and activities into everyday lessons, educators clearly see how BrainPOP supports their instructional goals. The classroom-level impact, in turn, gives district leaders confidence that the program is advancing their broader priorities and delivering a strong return on investment.

Teachers are also excited about BrainPOP’s alignment* with McGraw-Hill’s Wonders ELA curriculum, which will make it even easier to connect movies and activities directly to their weekly units.

*Learn more about BrainPOP’s Browse by ELA Core feature, now available in BrainPOP Jr. and BrainPOP 3-8.

The Elko Takeaway

BrainPOP helps teachers simplify complex concepts and deliver engaging, rigorous learning that sticks. For nearly a decade, since Jolley first subscribed as a classroom teacher in 2017, this partnership has equipped educators with tools to turn everyday moments into lasting connections that help every learner thrive. That’s why, across grade levels and subjects, BrainPOP consistently becomes the best part of a learner’s day and a trusted partner for educators.  

Jackie Glassman is a curriculum designer, editor, and content strategist who builds meaningful learning experiences that meet K–8 students where they are. She blends rigor, empathy, and creativity to develop standards-aligned, culturally responsive curriculum rooted in how students truly learn. Jackie is also a dedicated yogi and her favorite BrainPOP character is Moby.