Introduce Students to Great Literature Classics…with Video
When you’re interested in watching a movie and want to learn more about it beforehand, what do you do? Well, you’re not likely to go into the theater cold, so you might watch the film’s trailer, clips from the film, or a video review to get a sense of whether or not you might be interested. Now, what if there were something like that for literature classics? Not every student wants to dive headfirst into War and Peace without knowing what they’re getting into.
Infobase has just what you need. With the school year coming to an end and Summer Reading rapidly approaching, Infobase has the resources that not only can help your students achieve a greater understanding of literature classics, but can maintain their interest in literature and learning throughout the summer months and well beyond.
Makematic’s Literature Classics
Let us introduce you to the Literature Classics series from Makematic. Available via Learn360 and Classroom Video On Demand, the series features 25 beautifully animated introductory videos, covering some of the most iconic titles in English literature. Each video explores key themes, historical context, and the life of the author—and is designed as an introduction to the text that inspires further reading and investigation.
The titles covered include:
- Oliver Twist
- Great Expectations
- The Scarlet Letter
- Frankenstein
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
- The Awakening
- Dracula
- The Tempest
- Emma
- Sense and Sensibility
- The Odyssey
- And more.
Spark students’ interest and curiosity by having them watch the series, then let them pick out the book whose story intrigued them the most. Or have them watch one of the titles while reading the associated book as assigned reading. With both Learn360 and Classroom Video On Demand, you could also use the quiz feature to add questions to the videos and assess how much students have learned from what they’ve read and watched.
Watch Classic Plays and Works with Bloom’s Literature
Those who subscribe to Bloom’s Literature know that the award-winning database is one of the best places students can start their research on the most studied authors and works, multicultural classics, contemporary literature, and more. But did you know that Bloom’s also features hundreds of full-length videos of great literary works?
The 800+ videos complement the full text of the 1,000 most essential works of classic literature, 2,600+ classic poems, and 100+ classic short stories students can find in Bloom’s Literature, not to mention the wide range of reference essays and scholarly criticism that Bloom’s is best known for. Give your students a visual component to the works they’re reading: when assigning Hamlet, show them the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet starring David Tennant. Studying Death of a Salesman? Introduce your students to the 1966 production starring the legendary Lee J. Cobb. Exploring The Glass Menagerie? Bloom’s has a 1973 production starring Katharine Hepburn.
Some of the other productions you’ll find in Bloom’s Literature include:
- Othello: The Shakespeare Series (1994 production starring William Marshall)
- Julius Caesar (1950 production starring Charlton Heston)
- Silas Marner (1985 production starring Ben Kingsley)
- A Farewell to Arms (1932 production starring Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes)
- Our Town (1940 production)
- Romeo and Juliet: Stratford Festival (2017 production)
- Doctor Faustus (2010 production at London’s Greenwich Theatre)
- Macbeth: The Shakespeare Series (1994 production)
- And hundreds more!
What Is Classroom Video On Demand?
Classroom Video On Demand is a cross-curricular video solution with 31,000+ titles expertly curated to support today’s curricula as well as education tools to enhance secondary learning, support AP/honors courses, and empower student success.
What Is Learn360?
Learn360 is a K–12 multimedia solution that features 38,000+ curated videos, along with educator guides and tools that help students build essential research skills, strengthen critical thinking and foster lifelong digital discernment habits.
What Is Bloom’s Literature?
Bloom’s Literature is a multimedia solution that enriches literature studies with overviews, criticism, author biographies, and background context. Support diverse learners with audio and video content, build critical-thinking skills, and connect literature to the real world.
