Animated explainer videos
We all know how hooked students are on their digital devices, so we’ve created a collection of resources to harness that obsession.
Our short animated explainer videos, made using the Moovly animation app, can be downloaded in MP4 format and then played anywhere: projected onto the classroom whiteboard, watched individually or in groups on classroom sets of tablets, uploaded to an e-learning platform, or else shared with students for them to view independently on their own devices.
The video content combines cartoon/doodle-style still images, simple motion graphics and animated handwritten text to create engaging 2D animations that are sure to appeal to the target audience.
As well as being a type of video that students are familiar with and love watching in their own time anyway, these animated explainer videos incorporate the principle of dual coding: they encourage students to associate a fact, a grammar rule or a sound with an image, helping to facilitate retention.
Our short films take two different approaches: 1) presenting the learning point itself and 2) demonstrating how to do an activity. They are available for a variety of different subjects and age groups:
- English (primary/secondary/EAL/ESL)
- secondary MFL (French and Spanish)
- secondary geography
- primary maths and science.
Each video clip is between 50 seconds and four minutes long, and all are available to download as free samples.
1. Videos for explaining a language point
Mini punctuation tutorials for primary/secondary English, EAL or ESL
When do we use exclamation marks? and When do we use question marks? provide humorous animated summaries that make a memorable way of presenting information that is often perceived as dull. They are suitable as starters or plenaries, as revision recaps or for flipped learning. The former includes an activity on good and bad uses of exclamation marks, and learners will love the delightful monster growl for incorrect answers.
French phonics presentations for KS3 and KS4
The colourful and eye-catching explainer film Did you know? [en] raises students’ awareness of the sound–spelling correspondence between the nasal sound [en] and the digraphs 'en', 'em', 'an' and 'em'. It could be used as a starter, with Trouvez l’intrus: en as a follow-up or plenary – here, students spot the odd one out (the third person plural verb, with its silent 'ent' ending) and come up with their own examples of words containing [en].
French phonics: exception – la femme is a snappy black and white clip to remind students how to pronounce this essential vocabulary item, often cited in examiners’ reports as being mispronounced.
Three pairs of homophones are presented in Trois jeux de mots français. This entertaining approach makes a fun lesson starter to get students’ brains in gear.
The voiceover for each of these video clips is recorded by a native French speaker.
And a KS3/KS4 Spanish phonics presentation too
How to say the letter C in Spanish provides a clear and simple summary of the difference between hard C and soft C in Spanish, and of the [th] sound used in much of Spain and the [s] sound used in much of Latin America.
2. Videos for demonstrating how to do an activity
Geography ‘Take 10’ revision resources on global cities
These three case study revision resources are based on the memorisation techniques of dual coding and retrieval practice. Each consists of a strip of black and white images, with each image corresponding to a fact about that particular case study. The accompanying animation demonstrates to students how to connect the facts into a chain of knowledge in preparation for answering four exam-style questions. It works well as a whiteboard video to show to students before they attempt the task themselves.
Free samples are available for the following case studies:
To make the explanation particularly appealing and relevant to students, the voiceover has been recorded by teenage speakers.
Primary science and maths activities
With its delightful images of adult penguins and their chicks, The life cycle of a penguin is a longstanding favourite for KS1 science. Children put the stages of the life cycle in the correct order on a wheel. We’ve added a short animation clip to show children the correct answer and to demonstrate how to talk about each stage.
Sorting shapes on a Venn diagram, published in 2018, consists of a set of differentiated activities for KS2 geometry. We’ve added a short explainer video to show children how Venn diagrams work.
Both videos well as whiteboard animations to show to children before they do the activities themselves.
Feedback
Our ‘talking heads’ style languages videos are available to subscribers only, but this pilot set of 2D educational explainer videos is free for all to download. They will shortly be available on our YouTube channel, and you’re welcome to share them on social media.
Some are in black and white, and some are in colour; some include music as well as a voiceover, and some don’t; some include student activities, and some are straightforward presentations ...
We’d love to know which you feel work best and to hear any suggestions you may have for future animations. Please contact us on content@teachit.co.uk to let us know what you think.
