Although words such as “remote learning” and “distance learning” have dominated our conversations this school year, the heart of every classroom is still the connection between a teacher and their students. With the right tools and resources, that connection can remain infinitely stronger than the wifi networks powering your virtual classroom.
Over 400 teachers from the DonorsChoose community shared their feedback and tips for the most popular programs enabling their students to learn from home. Here’s what teachers across the country had to say about BrainPop:
What is BrainPOP?
“BrainPop is a virtual library designed to assist teachers in exposing students to content in all subject areas: science, social studies, mathematics, health, and so much more. BrainPop provides teachers with quizzes and additional activities that engage students and are motivating. BrainPop is a mini movie theatre that your students will constantly ask to visit!” – Ms. Pearson, 1st Grade
Is BrainPOP a good fit for my classroom?
Teachers largely recommend BrainPOP for Kindergarten - 8th Grade students, though high school teachers note it can be a great review tool and early education teachers recommend BrainPOP Jr.!
What do teachers think of BrainPOP?
“I absolutely love using Brainpop as a way to introduce a topic or at the start of a unit. The students get excited when they hear the “Beep Beep” sound that Moby makes when I start a video. The program also comes with many extras such as a short quiz, worksheets, etc. I use it as a whole group tool most of the time, but in this time of distance learning, it also allows you to use BrainPOP as an assignment. ” – Mr. Starken, 9th grade
“The content is up to date and the resources are phenomenal, which include professional development and lesson plans.” – Mrs. Stoufer, 3rd Grade
“Depending on what we are learning about we may check in with Moby on BrainPOP or BrainPOP Jr. They put subjects in plain and easy to understand terms.” – Mr. French, 2nd/3rd Grade
But will my students like BrainPOP?
“My students see Moby the Robot as their friend and love the funny jokes between the little girl and him. My students love the BrainPOP music and dance along with it when it begins the videos.” – Mrs. Charleston, 1st Grade
“My kids love BrainPop! Often when I go to play a video my students have already found it on their own and watched it prior to a lesson.” – Ms. Geddes, 4th-6th Grades
BrainPOP Tips and Tricks
“Make sure to explore all the different categories. There is so much available if you take your time.” – Mr. French, 2nd/3rd Grade
“Text is read aloud to facilitate comprehension and closed captioning is available!” – Mrs. Charleston, 1st Grade
“There are layers of information. I highly suggest doing the professional development always being offered.” – Mrs. Stoufer, 3rd Grade
“I just learned of a feature that allows students to create their own videos. They love it and I use the videos to assess their understanding.” – Ms. Ghusein, Grades 4-8
BrainPOP Cost and Subscriptions
You can get a basic BrainPOP subscription without having to reach into your own pocket. BrainPOP is available on DonorsChoose through our vendor AKJ Education. Get started on a project today.
Other remote learning resources you may find helpful:
- DonorsChoose Teachers Review Remote Learning with Breakout Edu
- DonorsChoose Teachers Review Remote Learning with Flocabulary
- DonorsChoose Teachers Review Remote Learning with Nearpod
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You know what your students need, especially during this time of remote learning. The DonorsChoose community is here to help you get it. 3 out of 4 schools in the U.S. have a public school teacher who’s used DonorsChoose - that’s over 1.8 million classroom project requests funded. Yours could be next. Start your project today.
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