Get Your Classroom Popping with BrainPOP Educators!

As a classroom teacher BrainPOP Educators was one of the resources I loved using. Even if your school has not purchased a subscription, BrainPop Educators is a FREE resource they offer to all teachers. One of my favorite resources is their graphic organizers. With 55 graphic organizers and counting, they’ve become a valuable resource in my bag of tricks. Whether you are showing a BrainPOP or studying current events, you can find a useful graphic organizer no matter what content you teach. One day you might be teaching your students how to take proper notes through the use of outlines (a yearly battle I fought as a middle school teacher) and the next day you could be tapping into your student’s artistic side by having them create a comic strip through the use of a storyboard. BrainPOP Educators makes changing things up easy and saves you time by not having to reinvent the wheel.

Another valuable tool is their jazzed up flashcard templates (in the shape of Tim, BrainPOP’s main character). Teaching my students how to study was often a struggle. As part of their review and/or homework, I would print off flashcard templates (shrinking two pages into one on the copier to save paper) and assign it as their wrap up activity for the day. Perception is key, so I knew having them create three simple flashcards 2-3 nights a week was going to be more successful instead of assuming they would make note cards on their own to study with.

Last but certainly not least, there are lesson plans (K-12) and free webinars teachers can access through BrainPOP Educators. I’ve seen some great real life math lessons like “Good Advice on Credit Cards” that examines the advantages and disadvantages of using credit cards. Then there is “We’re Banking on It” which helps students understand the basic purpose banks serve in our economy and why/how they lend money. With over 850+ free resources, lesson ideas, graphic organizers, posters, etc., it’s definitely worth a look. Check it out!