LAUSD teachers have access to Brainpop and Brainpop Jr. videos through our district. These videos are great for providing background knowledge for different units across the subject areas. I browsed the social studies section and found videos on Ancient China and Lunar New Year. There are also videos on using maps and the continents and oceans, which would help younger students develop the skills to situate their study of East Asian culture and history within an understanding of geography.
On Brainpop, which is appropriate for older students, they also have a Lunar New Year video but no video on ancient China. They do however have videos on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, The Korean War, The Silk Road, and The Great Wall of China.
The selections are limited, but these few videos could help support building background knowledge and engagement in a unit. I might even choose to use the Ancient China and Lunar New Year videos in my centers when we do our Lunar New Year unit this year in my first grade classroom!
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