As teachers today, we need to (or are implored to) consider the students learning styles whenever we plan a lesson.  Some students are visual learners, while others are more hands on learners.  If we plan lesson that include a little bit of everything, we ensure that all students are successful.  In the case of my middle school students, I have found that they have a hard time visualizing the whole picture.  From this, I learned to include video clips that help summarize an idea or a whole idea.  I personally do not recommend showing entire videos as students tend to tune out within the first half hour, but short clips 5-15 minutes keeps the students engaged and interested because they know they are going to move on to something else.

One of my favorite videos is the Civil War in four minutes which is offered by the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum.  This video used to be online, but has since been taken down due to copyright issues.  You can still purchase this video for 12.99 and it is totally worth the price!!  It shows how the battles influence the line of control between the north and south.  The fact that it is only four minutes enables students to stay engaged.

Do you have any favorite video clips?