Teaching is often a matter of using everything in your arsenal to get the kids to retain the information you want them to learn. As pointed out by Dr. James M. Marshall of San Diego State University, there is evidence that one of the most effective approaches to teaching children is to introduce videos into the mix. You should also put in place activities for the class that are related to the videos.
Essay
As an alternative to -- or in addition to -- a discussion, ask the students to write an in class essay based on the video. The length of the essay can vary according to age of the children, but the topics should be supplied by you. For example, you might ask the children to summarized the content of the video, or you might want them to expand on a particular point.
Video Review
You can also give the children a homework assignment in which they use the notes they took in class to check the assertions in the video. This fact-checking can be done using books, magazines or newspapers at the local or school library, or you can give them a sheet directling them to reliable Internet sources related to the topic.
Drawings
For younger children, have them draw some of the things they saw in the video. For example, if it was a video about sights in Europe, they can draw pictures of some of the ones shown, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum or the Parthenon. Of course, they don't have to be perfect representations, just recognizable. The children should label each one. You can post them to the bulletin board.
Cyberhunts
Tell the children to use the Internet and the resources in the library to perform research that compliments the video. This will allow them to expand their knowledge beyond what is shown in the video, and perhaps get them thinking critically so they can even challenge assumptions or contentions made in the video.
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