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LESSON MINI

Video Exploration

Grade:

6-12

Topic:

Arts and Literature

Unit:

Video Study
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Overview

Student taking notes while watching online video.
© insta_photos/stock.adobe.com

In this lesson mini, students explore and analyze significant videos related to the class’s topic of study. Students observe and describe how videos can bring information to life by comparing and contrasting video and text accounts of the same topic. They then complete a guided and detailed analysis of multiple videos to summarize key elements, including genre, special effects, and mood. Finally, they identify, analyze, and lead a class-wide discussion on a video of their choice and summarize how it contributes to the class’s understanding of the topic.

Ideas for Implementation
Core subjects
Arts and humanities
Library and media studies
STEM and technology
Physical education and health
Vocational and career-oriented courses
Interdisciplinary applications
Key Vocabulary & Definitions
analysis (noun): a detailed examination of the elements or structure of a subject, a situation, or an object
describe (verb): to represent or give an account in words
dramatization (noun): a theatrical representation of a particular incident
entertain (verb): to provide amusement
fiction (noun): an invented story
inform (verb): to communicate knowledge
mood (noun): the emotional response a filmmaker intends for the audience to experience while watching a film
narration (noun): spoken commentary
nonfiction (noun): an accurate account of real events
special effects (noun): visual or sound effects added to a video
tone (noun): the general character or attitude of a work
Authentic Learning Extensions
Authentic learning opportunities for studying image exploration involve real-world experiences and practical applications that help students understand these concepts meaningfully. Here are some examples:
Video Scavenger Hunt: Introduce a topic for a photo scavenger hunt such as “Our School” or “Screens and Teens.” Separate students into pairs, and give each pair a video camera. Give students a set amount of time to take videos that they feel fit the theme of the hunt. Then regroup and have each group present its video to the class. After all groups have presented, facilitate a discussion analyzing the assortment of videos students captured.
Watch Party: Invite students to watch a feature-length film or documentary and fill out the Video Analysis handout from Activity 2 as they watch. After the film, facilitate a discussion about what students noticed.

Choose Activity

Activity 1
Activity 2
Activity 3
Activity 4
Activity 5
3
Video Exploration

Activity

1:

Article vs. Video

By the end of the activity, students will be able to compare and contrast an informational text and a video about the same subject.

20-30

Minutes

Materials

Article from Britannica School or other approved database related to the topic of study
Video related to the topic of study
Whiteboard and display
Writing utensils (pencils or erasable pens only)

Resources

2-Circle Venn Diagram graphic organizer (one per pair and one for teacher display)
1
Tell students that today they will learn about the topic of study by watching a video and reading an informational text.
2
Display the first frame of the video to students. Lead a discussion about what students anticipate they will learn from the video based on clues such as the title of the video and what they see.
3
Display the article. Lead a discussion about what students anticipate they will learn based on clues such as the article title, subtitle, and images.
4
Separate students into pairs and give each pair a 2-Circle Venn Diagram graphic organizer. Tell students that they will use the graphic organizer to compare and contrast what they learn from the two sources. Have each student label their diagram, titling one circle “Article” and one circle “Video.”
5
Invite pairs to read the article. Encourage them to fill out the “Article” section of their Venn diagrams with notes about what they read.
6
Call on a few students to share key facts they learned from the article. For example, after reading an article on the Pearl Harbor Attack (article available in Britannica School), students might say:
The attack on Pearl Harbor led to official U.S. involvement in World War II.
Tensions between Japan and the U.S. had been forming for some time when the attack was carried out.
Approximately 2,300 people were killed in the attack.
7
Present the video. Encourage students to pay attention to details such as what they see, hear, and feel. Remind students to fill out the “Video” section of their Venn diagrams in pencil. Then as they watch the video, remind them to move any items that both the video and the article address into the center section.
8
Call on a few volunteers to share key facts that they learned from the video or that they moved to the center section of their Venn diagrams. For example, after watching a video on the Pearl Harbor Attack (video available in Britannica School), students might say:
The video showed the soldiers at Pearl Harbor playing ball, highlighting their humanity.
The footage of the attack emphasized the magnitude and chaos that defined the event.
Both sources stated that Franklin D. Roosevelt called December 7 the “date which will live in infamy.”
9
Lead a discussion about how informational texts and videos can contribute to a deep understanding of a topic. For example, you might ask:
What did you learn about the Pearl Harbor attack today?
How did the article contribute to your understanding of the attack?
How did the video contribute to your understanding of the attack?
10
Confirm that informational texts outline and summarize facts. Videos bring those facts to life through images and sounds, answering questions such as “What was it really like to live through that event?” or “How does that phenomenon look in real life?”
Different Resources: Give different pairs distinct but related sets of videos and articles to study. Invite them to fill out their Venn diagrams and then present what they learned from each of their sources to the class. Wrap up with a conversation about how both informational texts and videos can contribute to a deep understanding of a topic. This approach allows each pair to contribute different facts to the class’s understanding of the topic, while maintaining meaningful class-wide conversation about how each type of source supports understanding.
Article vs. Video vs. Photo: Invite students to draw a 3-Circle Venn Diagram and provide them with an informational article, a video, and an image to review. Ensure that the image you provide reveals something new about the topic. Invite students to identify the benefits of learning from images, as well as videos and informational texts. This approach elicits students’ appreciation for learning about a topic through alternative means.
Because images are still frames, viewers have time to focus on specific details.
Images that have been in existence for a long time provide modern viewers with a glimpse at life before film.
Visual art can reveal how people were thinking about contemporary events throughout history.
Parallel Teaching: For collaborative teaching and learning environments, this learning activity is well suited to a Parallel Teaching strategy. In this model, the class is divided into two groups, and each teacher delivers the same activity simultaneously to their group. This reduces the student-teacher ratio, allowing for more interaction and individualized attention. With smaller groups, students are more likely to participate actively and receive immediate feedback, which fosters a deeper understanding of the content and promotes a more engaging learning experience. Evidence suggests that small-group instruction leads to increased student engagement and improved academic outcomes.
Activity Introduction and Venn Diagram Creation: Both teachers preview the article and video with their groups and lead a discussion about what students anticipate learning from each source.
Article Reading: Each teacher separates students into pairs and invites them to read the article and fill out the “Article” section of the Venn diagram. If groups have five or fewer students, teachers facilitate a group-wide reading of the article, pausing occasionally to log information on the diagram.
Article Discussion: Each teacher reconvenes their group and reviews the information students wrote on their Venn diagrams.
Video Viewing: Each teacher displays the video for students, inviting them to pay attention to what they see, hear, and feel during the video and take notes on their Venn diagrams.
Video Discussion: Each teacher leads a discussion to review the notes students wrote or moved on their Venn diagrams.
Activity Wrap-Up: Both teachers lead their groups in a discussion about how both informational texts and videos can contribute to a deep understanding of a topic in different ways. Both teachers wrap up by summarizing that videos can bring the facts from an informational article to life with images and sounds and lead to a deeper understanding of the topic.
Video Exploration

Activity

2:

Video Analysis Stations

By the end of the activity, students will be able to identify and summarize key elements of a video, including the genre, special effects, and mood.

20-30

Minutes

Materials

Five or six videos on the topic of study and a way to play them simultaneously, plus one example video for class analysis
Whiteboard and display

Resources

Video Analysis handout (teacher display, and additional copies so that each group can complete a handout at each video station)
Prepare for the Activity: Set up five or six stations around your classroom, each with a ready-to-play video related to the topic of study and enough copies of the Video Analysis handout for each group of students who visit the station.
1
Tell students that during today’s activity they will analyze and summarize a few different videos to learn more about the topic the class is studying.
2
Display the Video Analysis handout. Explain that the prompts on the handout can help students analyze and construct a summary of a video.
3
Display the example video. Encourage students to consider the prompts on the handout as they watch.
4
Talk through each prompt on the Video Analysis handout with students. Define and give examples of key terms as necessary. Consider browsing a Britannica article on the topic to complete the “Contextualize” section. Conclude by co-constructing a summary with students on the displayed handout. For example, if your class analyzed a video on the Chile Earthquake of 1960 (video available in Britannica School), you might write the following:
The video is a contemporary newsreel detailing the largest recorded earthquake in the 20th century, which happened in Chile in May 1960. The newsreel is meant to inform Americans of the event and describe the destruction left behind. While the video is nonfiction and informational, the filmmaker added elements such as harrowing music and a grave tone to the narration to communicate the tragic nature of the event.
5
Explain that students will work in groups to analyze additional videos about the topic of study. Separate students into five or six groups and assign each group to a station.
6
Invite students to watch the video displayed at their station and then fill out a group-wide handout with their analysis. Instruct groups to have a different student fill out the group handout at each station, and remind them to keep all their handouts for reference during the closing discussion.
7
When students have had time to watch the videos and fill out their handouts, invite them to rotate stations. Continue to move students through the stations until all groups have analyzed all the videos.
8
Wrap up by leading a brief discussion about the videos. Ask each group to share its analysis of one video and invite a volunteer to read their summary aloud. Summarize important information that students included in their summaries, as well as ways students could improve their summaries.
One Group: Rather than sending students to stations, consider facilitating a whole-class activity with three videos. Encourage students to take notes on a new handout as they watch each video. Then talk through each question on the handout with students. Work with students to workshop a summary, building on multiple students’ suggestions and observations. This gives students multiple opportunities to witness and practice the thought processes necessary to effectively analyze a video.
Five-Paragraph Essay: Invite students to create a five-paragraph essay from their notes. This approach gives students an authentic application for their notes and analysis and exercises their writing skills. You may consider using the following structure:
Paragraph 1: Introduction to the video and overview of what the essay will address
Paragraph 2: Historical context and purpose of the video
Paragraph 3: A special effect and how it supports the purpose and mood
Paragraph 4: Another special effect and how it supports the purpose and mood
Paragraph 5: Conclusion and summary
Select a Video: Consider inviting each group to find, select, and analyze a video related to the topic of study. Check to ensure that each group chooses a different video. Then have students rotate through the stations to analyze each video. During the wrap-up discussion, ask students about their selection processes. For example, you might ask the following questions below. This approach prioritizes student choice and invites students to consider what makes a source significant.
What were you looking for in a video?
Why did you choose this video? What do you think it highlights about the topic?
What do you find interesting about the video you chose?
Team Teaching: For collaborative teaching and learning environments, this learning activity is well suited to a Team Teaching strategy. In this model, sometimes referred to as “tag team teaching,” both teachers deliver instruction together, often alternating or integrating their teaching styles seamlessly. This collaborative approach provides students with multiple perspectives and teaching styles, enriching their learning experience. By modeling effective teamwork and communication, this approach demonstrates how different viewpoints can enhance understanding and create a dynamic and interactive classroom environment. Evidence indicates that team teaching can enhance student engagement and provide a richer, more diverse educational experience.
Example Video Analysis: Teacher A introduces the Video Analysis handout and displays the example video. Teacher B guides students to analyze the example video using their handouts. Teacher A guides students in creating a summary of the example video.
Stations Activity: Teacher B explains the stations activity and separates students into groups. Both teachers visit groups as they work, offering support and modeling the activity as needed. Teacher A keeps track of time and tells the groups when to rotate stations.
Activity Wrap-Up: Teachers A and B alternate leading discussions about each of the videos, highlighting information that students included in their summaries as well as how students could improve their summaries.
Video Exploration

Activity

3:

Lead a Video Analysis

By the end of the activity, students will be able to research, identify, analyze, and present a video that contributes to an understanding of the topic of study.

>40

Minutes

Materials

Example video related to the topic of study
Whiteboard or display

Resources

Discussion Planning handout (one per student)
1
Remind students of the topic they’ve been studying and introduce the example video. For instance, if discussing water supply systems, you might use the Fog in the Atacama Desert video (video available in Britannica School). To introduce the video, you might say:
This is an informational video about an innovative solution to the water crisis that scientists are investigating in the driest part of the world. As you watch, pay attention to the water source scientists have identified and how water sourced there could be useful for humans.
2
Display the example video. Encourage students to consider the following question as they watch:
How does the video contribute to your understanding of [topic of study]?
3
After students have watched the video, lead a brief discussion about its significance. Make sure to include an engaging hook, a discussion about the video content, and a summary of how the video fits into a wider understanding of the topic. Consider the following example:
Introduction: Let’s explore an interesting fact about water sources. What are your thoughts or guesses about whether fog could be used for drinking water or farming? There’s no right or wrong answer here—I’m just curious about your ideas. The video states that harvesting just 4 percent of this region’s fog could provide drinking water for residents for an entire year! That’s an enormous amount of water.
Discussion Questions:

-The video states that the water comes from the ocean but is “desalinated” into fresh water by the sun when it evaporates. What do you think the word desalinated means? When the ocean water evaporates, the salt stays behind. Now the water is ready to drink and use to water crops.

-The water is then collected in enormous nets. The scientists in the video say that their system was inspired by native plants and how they collect fog water. What do the scientists mean by this? How do the native plants collect fog water? How is that similar to the scientists’ system?

-This is a great example of biomimicry. Biomimicry is the imitation of natural biological designs or processes in engineering or invention. Biomimicry is used to make and improve all kinds of things: from bullet trains to swimsuits to medical devices.

Summary: This video shows one really innovative and creative solution to the water crisis. It leads me to wonder what other sources of water scientists are investigating around the world, and how biomimicry can help us solve the water crisis for good.
4
Tell students that today they will find, analyze, and present a video that contributes to the class’s understanding of the topic of study, just as you did with the example video.
5
Divide the class into groups of two to four students and assign each group to a computer. Give each student a copy of the Discussion Planning handout, and invite students to search Britannica School, ImageQuest, or another royalty-free resource to find a video that meets the criteria listed on the handout.
6
Check to ensure that each group has selected a different video. Talk through each step of the handout, referring to the example video and discussion for reference. Then invite students to plan their presentations using the prompts and questions on the handout. Visit with students as they work, offering support as needed.
7
Call on each group to introduce, display, and lead an engaging discussion about their video according to their plan. If needed, use the questions from the handout to guide students as they present.
8
When all groups have presented their videos, lead a class-wide discussion about how the videos they collected contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the topic. For example, continuing with the example of water supply systems, you might ask the following:
How does your group’s video contribute to a full understanding of water supply systems?
How could we group our videos by subtopics? Which videos would go in the “Issues” bucket? “Inventions”? “History”?
What is one new thing you learned about water supply systems today?
Which was your favorite video? Why?
How has this activity changed or enriched your understanding of how water is found, harvested, and used?
One Video, Many Clips: Consider providing groups with different clips from one longer video. Have each group present its clip in the order that it appears in the video. Invite each group to lead a discussion at the end of its clip before moving onto the next group. After all students present, lead a discussion about how the entire video enriches the class’s understanding of the topic.
Class-Wide Activity: Have students choose one video from a preselected collection and plan a discussion together as a class. After the activity, consider separating students into groups and arranging for each group to lead their planned discussion with students from another class. This approach gives students who are new to video analysis a more supported introduction to the practice and allows you to guide students’ observations and discussions to better support their understanding.
Presentations: Consider instructing students in planning an engaging presentation of their video analysis rather than a discussion. This approach gives students practice integrating sources, presenting information, and speaking to a group.
Alternative Teaching: For collaborative teaching and learning environments, this learning activity is well suited to an Alternative Teaching strategy. In this model, one teacher instructs most of the class while the other works with a small group of students who need specialized attention or remediation. This provides targeted instruction for students who need extra help, ensuring they can keep up with their peers. It also provides opportunities for enrichment activities for advanced students, while addressing learning needs for all students to the appropriate level of challenge and support. Studies have shown that differentiated instruction significantly benefits students who have varied learning needs, leading to more equitable educational outcomes.
Activity Introduction and Example Video: Teacher A introduces the lesson and video to the whole class and plays the example video.
Example Discussion: Teacher B leads a brief, engaging discussion about the significance of the example video.
Discussion Planning Activity: Teacher A introduces the activity and separates most of the class into groups of two to four students. Teacher B gathers students who need specialized attention. As most of the class works in small groups, Teacher B facilitates the activity with their group, talking students through completing the Discussion Planning handout step-by-step.
Discussion Facilitation Activity: When the class reconvenes, each group presents its video and discussion. Teacher A prompts and supports other groups as needed, while Teacher B prompts and supports their group.
Activity Wrap-Up: Teacher A facilitates a class-wide discussion about how the videos students collected contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the topic.
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