There are a lot of great resources on the Internet that can benefit a language classroom. Short films and movies are a great FREE resource you can add to your teacher tool kit. There are a ton of great videos like Love Language and The Present that can influence learning, communication, and vocabulary building in your classroom.
Movies engage students and help them become more active in the learning process. They are a change from the day in and day out grind of traditional classes. Just think of what movies can do for you.
- Make you laugh
- Evoke
emotion - Make you cry
- Inspire you
- Teach a life lesson
You can show a short film and suddenly you have your student’s undivided attention. They want to do the work and learn.
Why Use Video Shorts?
Short, animated videos offer a quick narrative. Short videos are
- Making learning fun
- Engaging the visual learner
- Developing cognitive thinking
- Helping students think critically
- Allowing students to learn at a level higher than they are currently at (decode language)
What Makes a Video Great?
The goal of using a short video is to engage the students and help build language and communication skills. Many short videos and animated films have no dialogue which is perfect for an ASL class. When picking a video to use, try to find one that will:
- Support the lesson you are working on
- Engage your student population
- Have an engaging topic
- Can create a discussion
- Support all language skills (receptive and expressive)
- Have short narrative structures
There are a ton of video shorts out there for you to use. You just need to find one that relates to your students current skill level and topic you are studying.
Ideas for Videos
I like to look at video shorts like the ones mentioned above but really you can find so much out there. Try using a Pixar short animated videos or stories from Dawn Sign Press like Stone Soup.
I also like to use animated music videos. People love to make animations out of Ed Sheeran videos and I love them too. Just remember to mute them before playing them! With Valentine’s Day coming up, these videos can spread love and romance in your classroom.
Which videos will you try?
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