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Filmography - Education: Classroom learning – Subject-oriented

Titles available on DVD and streaming video as of March 2011

K-12 Classroom learning – Subject-oriented

Titles available on DVD and streaming video as of March 2011.

Most streaming videos listed are available exclusively to AU students, staff and faculty after an online authentications by AUID#.

Filmographies are created by doing multiple keyword searches in the ALADIN catalog to capture as many titles on a topic as possible. For complete up-to-date holdings (including VHS tapes) please refer to the library ALADIN catalog (www.catalog.wrlc.org).

 

 

The Chem Lab: Safety in Every Step. 2008. (20 min.). Maximize your knowledge and minimize your risk!That's the primary message of this program, an informative introduction to the chemistry laboratory that shows high school and first-year college students precisely how to conduct themselves in a safe and professional manner. Familiarity with the properties and safe handling of all materials used in the lab is stressed, including how to dispose of hazardous waste, and the proper use of safety gear and equipment is explained. How to react in the case of a lab emergency is also discussed. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. (19 minutes) Correlates to the National Science Education Standards developed by the National Academies of Science; Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy from the American Association for the Advancement of Science; and the National Education Technology Standards from the National Education Technology Standards Project. Streaming video.
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A Child's Guide to Language : Teaching a Second Language. (50 min.). Whether it's English, Spanish, Chinese, or Urdu, babies and young children are able to pick up their native language with remarkable ease; no one language seems any more difficult than any other. Yet few children who are taught a language in school have anything to show for it when they grow up. Why is learning a second or third language so difficult? Are the teaching methods at fault? Enough is now known about the process of language acquisition to suggest that language teaching can be more effective. This BBC Horizon program looks at some of the different language acquisition methods in use in schools around the world. Streaming video.
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Morgan Spurlock presents Class act. 2007. 1 videodisc (90 min.). A funny, provocative yet heart-felt story of drama teacher extraordinaire, Jay W. Jensen, who has touched the lives of thousands of students. A documentation of how the arts are disappearing from the American classroom. DVD 4447

Class Act: Jay W. Jensen and the Future of Arts Education in America-Educator's Edition. 2007. (88 min.). From the executive producers of Super Size Me and Director Sara Sackner, this program examines the deplorable atrophy of arts education in America's classrooms by contrasting the crisis with the story of one very dedicated, inspiring high school drama teacher: Jay W. Jensen, who over a 50-year career touched the lives of many with the transformational power of the arts. Renowned pupils-actor Andy Garcia, film director Brett Ratner, songwriter Desmond Child, and sportscaster Roy Firestone, to name only four-speak out alongside Alfie Kohn, author of The Schools Our Children Deserve; Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts; Robert Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts; Richard Deasy, director of the Arts Education Partnership; educators, administrators, and school board members; and students. A lucid argument for the vital importance of arts education in the American public school system. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Bonus material consists of celebrity interviews and a featurette (DVD only). (88 minutes + 33 minutes of bonus material). Streaming video.
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Classroom Challenge: Debating Darwin in the 21st Century. 2005. (23 min.). As the controversy over intelligent design and science education heats up, open-minded discussion about the issue can be in short supply. This ABC News program sorts through arguments on both sides, examines the debate in the context of America's larger political climate, and explores its fundamental questions: Are evolution and I.D. incompatible? Is exposure to both ideas harmful or beneficial to schoolchildren? Does fossil evidence make evolution immune to challenge? Astute commentary from ABC News' George Stephanopoulos sums up I.D.'s implications for students, teachers, and parents. Streaming video.
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The critical eye inside television advertising : a media education resource to stimulate critical thinking about advertising in the secondary classroom. 1993. 1 videodisc (30 min.). This interactive program instructs the viewer on what to watch for when viewing television advertising, and analyzes several types of productions including public service messages, political ads, and car ads. Issues discussed include marketing and production techniques. VDD 49

Curricular Infusion Taking Environmental Education into the Field. 2000. (61 min.). In this program, two down-to-earth middle school master teachers explain how they infuse scientific research into their lessons while ensuring that the fieldwork does not become a socializing field trip. Their secrets? Engaging pre-excursion preparation, comprehensive post-excursion follow-up, and clearly defined criteria for student accountability throughout. Statistical and analytical exercises, described in detail, can be used to show students how to predict the size of a population, sample it, and analyze the data using a dichotomous key, percentages, line graphs, bar graphs, and pie charts. Streaming video.
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Democracy Left Behind: NCLB and Civic Education. 2007. (58 min.). Do American schools adequately prepare students to take part in society? Can a complacent, ill-informed public trace its problems back to the nation's classrooms? This program examines the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act on the ability of public education to involve students in civic and governmental processes. Filmed in economically and culturally diverse schools, the program includes provocative interviews with teachers, administrators, and nationally known experts-all of whom discuss the challenges of helping children become knowledgeable citizens while fulfilling the needs of basic education. Scenes of teachers working to engage their students in participatory democracy are included. Streaming video.
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The education of Shelby Knox: Sex, lies & education. 2006. 1 videodisc (76 min.). A riveting tale of one girl's mission to bring sex education to schools in her ultra-conservative Texas town of Lubbock. DVD 3710

Freedom Writers: Fighting Hatred with Language Arts. 1998. (15 min.). When a racial incident occurred in her classroom, 23-year-old English teacher Erin Gruwell spun it into an ongoing dialogue that ultimately changed the lives of 150 inner-city students. In this program, ABC News correspondent Connie Chung documents the story of the group that came to be known as the Freedom Writers and their exemplary teacher. Challenging them to confront hatred through writing, Ms. Gruwell led her students to publish a nationally acclaimed book about their own experiences of violence and despair. To feel hopeless at 16 is such a tragedy. And so many kids do,she says. Streaming video.
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From Page to Stage: A Guide to Student Productions. 2009. (29 min.). Staging a successful play takes time, energy, and wisely used resources-whether the production is on Broadway or at a high school. This program shows how to select an appropriate script for a student theater group and produce the play in an organized, efficient manner. Viewers receive information on casting, planning and conducting rehearsals, and how to utilize the strengths and limitations of the performance space. The film also explores prop and costume decisions, illustrates smart publicity and marketing methods, and includes interviews with students, drama teachers, and theater professionals. Clips from student productions of various Shakespeare plays are featured. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. A part of the series Treading the Boards: Theater Fundamentals. Streaming video.
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Geographic Information Systems. 2008. (24 min.). The aim of this program is to excite students about geographic information systems and encourage the use of GIS in the classroom. Spotlighted applications of GIS include ways that urban planners in India are using it to map traffic flows; how it's being applied in London to plans for projected mass transit use during the 2012 Olympics; how it's being used by disaster response teams to prepare for possible nuclear reactor leaks; and ways that police are using it to track and reduce crime. Original title: Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Streaming video.
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Getting into Games. 2009. (30 min.). Electronic gaming has come a long way since the first Space Invaders machines appeared in local shopping centers. Today, video games are highly sophisticated and make up a lucrative global business-larger, by some calculations, than the film and music industries combined. This program features the expertise of gamers and game developers alike, venturing behind the scenes to explore the making of games as well as examining their uses in education and leisure. Viewers are also given a glimpse into the future of video game design and development. For coursework focusing on high-tech business, instructional technology, or the entertainment industry, this is an ideal teaching tool. Streaming video.
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Good Practices in the Classroom. 1994. (30 min.). This program surveys alternative assessment practices. Evaluation expert Carol Rolheiser and Paul LeMahieu of the Delaware Education and Development Center discuss the importance of portfolio assessment to the evaluation process, how this and other innovative methods work, and what factors to keep in mind when assessing the whole student. Streaming video.
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The great debaters. 2008. 1 videodisc (124 min.). Feature film. Melvin B. Tolson is a professor at Wiley College in Texas. Wiley is a small African-American college. In 1935, Tolson inspired students to form the school's first debate team. Tolson turns a group of underdog students into a historically elite debate team which goes on to challenge Harvard in the national championship. Inspired by a true story. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 4232

The Hobart Shakespeareans. 2005. 1 videodisc (57 min.). About Los Angeles elementary school teacher and winner of the American Teacher Award, Rafe Esquith, who teaches his students to understand and perform Shakespeare as a motivational teaching tool and unique method of education. DVD 2057

How Change Happens: Breaking the Teach as You Were Taught Cycle in Science and Math. 2000. (25 min.). This program, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, showcases innovative teaching techniques as performed by science and math professors at Hampshire College, the University of Massachusetts, and Springfield Technical Community College. In seminars and full-blown lectures, these instructors have succeeded in increasing their students' engagement with the subject matter by applying active learning, cooperative group work, and alternative test-taking techniques. How Change Happens is an excellent tool for stimulating discussion among faculty members about course and curriculum reform. Streaming video.
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How to Make Digital Stories. 2008. (25 min.). This video guides viewers through each step of making a one-minute/150-word digital story based on the theme Who Am I?, a project that relies on editing software such as Final Cut Pro to integrate digital snapshots, original or royalty-free music, and voiced-over narration into a multimedia essay. Technology is reshaping the way students learn and relate to each other; use How to Make Digital Stories to nurture multi-literacy and prepare your students for life in a world where digital expression and online collaboration are quickly becoming the norm. Ideal for courses in communications and computer science-and anywhere projects involving creative nonfiction can be used as a learning tool. Helpful for teacher education, as well. Viewable/printable educational resources are available online. Streaming video.
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How to Write and Produce Your Own High School Musical. 2008. (38 min.). Geared specifically to educators and produced by a working drama teacher, this program offers practical, hands-on guidance for creating an original high school musical. Viewers learn six essential components and ten key steps to writing and staging a production that entertains, engages, and boosts ticket sales! Designed for step-by-step viewing, the video is divided into two main sections-writing and producing-with the following chapters: What You Need, The Time-Table, The Writing Process, Plot Diagram, Conflict Development, Writing Music, The Finished Script, The Production Schedule, Blocking, Auditions and Callbacks, Rehearsals and Tech Week, Final Dress Rehearsal, and Opening Night. The DVD version contains bonus features, including additional tips and video excerpts. Streaming video.
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Inventing the Future: The K-16 Connection in Science. 2001. (33 min.). In spite of a growing dependence on technology, studies show that as students move through grade levels they become progressively less interested in the sciences. This program illustrates how teachers can use inquiry-based learning, a powerful teaching method, to motivate students to deepen their understanding about the world around them. Students tackle problems and ask questions instead of simply memorizing concepts in the abstract. What makes this video unique is that it shows teachers using this approach in their classes across grade levels, from kindergarten to college. Streaming video.
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Linear Functions: An Introduction. 2009. 1 streaming video file (21 min.). Linear functions are routinely used to model data, approximate change, and find the rate of change of a curve. In this program, Sharpie the Pencil shows students how to plot and sketch a linear graph from a linear equation and then how to derive a linear equation from a linear graph. In the process, the slope-intercept form of linear equation is illustrated, and the y-intercept and the gradient m are underscored as key ideas in determining the equation of a line. A part of the series Math. Streaming video.
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Math Can Take You Places. 2005. (50 min.). With American schools struggling to boost mathematics scores, math teachers need all the guidance they can get. This bilingual program contains a powerful tool-chest full of lesson demonstrations, professional development videos, and an interactive quiz-all designed to help educators develop real-world teaching examples and applications. Five segments feature a high-energy middle-school teacher in action, leading students through measurement, equivalency, domain/range/reasonableness, problem-solving, and patterns. Five additional segments focus on professional development, presenting tips from experienced teachers on honing algebraic thinking, incorporating video and the Internet, implementing manipulative learning tools, and showing how math is used in everyday life. English or Spanish soundtrack, DVD only. A viewable/printable instructor's guide-containing lesson plans, classroom activities, a helpful Web link, and more-is available online. Streaming video.
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The Math Factor. 1993. (26 min.). A pair of team teachers demonstrate how they surround their second-grade students with an exciting and challenging math environment. The program also shows the creative uses of a calendar and hands-on cooperative activities that revolve around a common math theme. (26 minutes). Streaming video.
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Measurement. 1995. (20 min.). This video describes how to estimate costs of products and services, determine the circumference of an object and its effect on motion, and calculate area and volume. Dramatized segments and computer animations illustrate ways to use measurements taken from blueprints to estimate construction costs; determine tire sizes, which affect vehicle speed; and calculate a running track's circumference to fairly stagger the start lines. Streaming video.
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Measurement: The Long and the Short of It. 2007. (16 min.). Emphasizing hands-on practice, this program is an excellent tool for introducing the basics of linear measurement: its history, terminology, systems, and practical applications. Using both customary and metric rulers, Measurement: The Long and the Short of It will guide your students through the process of taking measurements, performing related calculations using whole numbers and fractions, and arriving at answers they can feel confident with. By the time the program is over, students will understand exactly what measurement is-and why it's relevant to their lives. Includes a workbook. Correlates to all applicable state and national standards. A Shopware Production. Recommended for middle school, high school, and vocational/technical school. Streaming video.
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Mad hot ballroom. Widescreen DVD collection. 2005. 1 videodisc (106 min.). Eleven-year-old New York City public school kids journey into the world of ballroom dancing, and from their candid and hilarious perspectives, reveal pieces of themselves along the way. This school program started in 1994 and today has over 6,000 kids from 60 schools involved. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 6489

Pythagoras' Theorem: An Introduction. 2009. (21 min.). The Pythagorean Theorem is one of the most well known and widely used mathematical relationships in history. In this program, Pythagoras himself walks students through the theorem, offering practice problems and detailed explanations along the way. Parts of a right triangle are identified, hypotenuse and leg lengths are measured, and areas are calculated, while practical applications of the theorem illustrate how geometry can be put to work in the real world. A part of the series Math. Streaming video.
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Resolved. 2009. 1 videodisc (90 min.). Two inner-city seniors defy convention by emphasizing relevance and personal experience over their opponents' strategy of merely reciting the facts, in their quest to win the National Tournament of Champions. Former debaters Jane Pauley, Karl Rove and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito provide insightful commentary. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 6084

Spellbound. 2004. 1 videodisc (97 min.). Follows the lives of eight young Americans who share one goal: to win the 1999 National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. The Bee is as intense a competition as any Olympic match, for both the spellers and their families. The unbearable pressure becomes even more extraordinary when it is felt by ordinary teenagers. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 706

Teaching Writing: A Process Approach-Level 1. 2005. (44 min.). This program explores the process approach to writing instruction, asserting that the act of writing is more than simply the completion of a product; it is a complex, creative, and unpredictable progression of ideas and strategies. With commentary from veteran writing instructors-including Dr. Lois Matz Rosen, author of Within and Beyond the Writing Process in the Secondary English Classroom, and Michael Steinberg, author of The Writer's Way: A Process Approach to Writing-the program outlines specific group activities for each step in the process: invention, drafting, sharing work in progress, revising, and editing. Lively footage from high school and college classrooms shows instructors circulating among groups of highly engaged students, offering advice and suggestions through formative rather than summative evaluation. A stylish, inspiring guide to an effective and thoroughly tested teaching method, Teaching Writing provides vital preparation for any composition, journalism, or creative writing instructor. Recommended for teachers of grades 6-10. Correlates to English Language Arts standards and Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) Information. A viewable/printable instructor's guide and other educational resources are available online. A Cambridge Educational Production. Streaming video.
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Teaching Writing: A Process Approach-Level 2. 2005. (44 min.). This program explores the process approach to writing instruction, asserting that the act of writing is more than simply the completion of a product; it is a complex, creative, and unpredictable progression of ideas and strategies. With commentary from veteran writing instructors-including Dr. Lois Matz Rosen, author of Within and Beyond the Writing Process in the Secondary English Classroom, and Michael Steinberg, author of The Writer's Way: A Process Approach to Writing-the program outlines specific group activities for each step in the process: invention, drafting, sharing work in progress, revising, and editing. Lively footage from high school and college classrooms shows instructors circulating among groups of highly engaged students, offering advice and suggestions through formative rather than summative evaluation. A stylish, inspiring guide to an effective and thoroughly tested teaching method, Teaching Writing provides vital preparation for any composition, journalism, or creative writing instructor. Recommended for teachers of grades 11-14. Correlates to English Language Arts standards and Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) Information. A viewable/printable instructor's guide and other educational resources are available online. A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. Streaming video.
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Understanding Scientific Measurement. 2008. (20 min.). Operating on the premise that the physical world can be described by mathematical relationships, this program uses a simple yet powerful series of experiments to study a specific physical phenomenon-the motion of a steel spring. Viewers learn how to construct equations involving dependent variables, independent variables, and known constants in order to predict and measure acceleration and periods of oscillation. Also illustrated are the most effective ways to graph test results and a typical approach for writing a clear and persuasive report on an experiment-including its aim, apparatus, method, results, analysis, evaluation, and conclusion. Viewable/printable educational resources are available online. Original title: Measurement and the Search for Relationships: Understanding Scientific Measurement. Streaming video.
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A War on Science: Intelligent Design in the Classroom. 2006. (51 min.). Are advocates of the intelligent design theory really creationists in disguise? To what extent has the I.D. argument widened America's cultural divide? And if a clear winner emerges, who loses? This program thoroughly examines those questions, describing the theory's quasi-scientific origins and documenting the Pennsylvania court battle over teaching I.D. in biology classes. A historical overview of the creation vs. evolution debate in the United States is also included, highlighting 20th-century struggles over separation of church and state and the troubling implications these issues present for American education. Original BBCW broadcast title: A War on Science. Streaming video.
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Why History? 1997. (35 min.). Why History? puts the viewer in the passenger seat for an adventurous field trip through the heartland of the United States. Traveling highways and byways through six states, our host visits a variety of people and places in search of the true meaning of history. Why History? dispels the myth that history is limited to the study of names, dates, and events from the distant past. Instead, it reveals how analyzing and interpreting history is an integral part of understanding the past, present, and future of human activity-including social, political, scientific, economic, and cultural endeavors. From South Dakota to Oklahoma, heading across Missouri and over to Tennessee, the host stops to interview professors, historians, curators, and many others who offer insight on the nature of history and its place in our lives. This traveling classroom visits such places as Mark Twain's home; the Truman Library; Sun Studios (birthplace of rock and roll); Graceland; the National Civil Rights Museum; as well as old cow towns, rodeos, and the site of the Oklahoma City bombing. As the host and viewers discover the history of the Heartland, they also come to a broader understanding of history and how it relates to their own lives, their own communities, and the world. A Cambridge Educational Production. Streaming video.
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Writing Women's Lives. 1995. (60 min.). They come from diverse backgrounds and represent a cross-section of global culture, yet they all share a passion for the written word. In this documentary, authors Gloria Steinem, Doris Lessing, Amy Tan, Isabel Allende, Bharati Mukherjee, Harriet Doerr, June Jordan, and Mona Simpson speak out about their personal lives and openly share their thoughts and feelings on the themes of childhood; love, marriage, and children; starting out as writers; the creative process; publishing; politics; philosophy; success; and motivation. This delightful program is an essential part of any curriculum involving women's studies, creative writing, or contemporary literature. Streaming video.
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