This site is a dream come true for teachers at grade levels K-12. All subjects are covered in short highly informative video. You will also find quizzes (self-quizzes) and games (education based).
All too often, teachers struggle to find the visual supports to make content accessible to ELLs. Videos are a must if ELLs are to truly learn the content. Some teachers try to download YouTube videos to their laptops and play it from there once in school. This takes time and can be a frustrating experience separating the quality video from the non-academic material. How Stuff Works is backed by the Discovery Channel, the Science Channel and TLC. The clips are only 2-4 minutes so they are not too long, but long enough to grab student attention. In fact, some of the ELLs may have experienced the disasters talked about and therefore become class resources as the teacher delivers the lesson.
The quizzes cover everything covered on those channels. ELLs can see how much they know of course and there is certainly a benefit in that, but more importantly, teachers are giving them a reason to read. The sharper the reading skills, the more success they will experience in school.
As a reward for a job well done, students could be allowed some game time on the site. Teachers of course should check the games to make sure that they are not just fun, but have some content also:)
Enjoy the site!
Denise
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