As many students and educators transition to distance learning, you may want to employ additional tools to keep curriculum engaging in the absence of face to face interaction. ClassHook’s database of educational video clips is an excellent resource to bolster an online lesson plan.

For instance, you may find it helpful to utilize one of our clips in teaching history. For some students, distant historical events may feel irrelevant or disconnected from their lives today. ClassHook is stocked with a myriad of history related clips, from cartoons like The Simpsons, to classics like Gone With the Wind, and period pieces like John Adams. All can help to contextualize historical events and engage students in a larger narrative.

Imagine you are teaching a unit on the Salem Witch Trials. Bringing in a clip from The Simpsons that casts familiar characters in a reenactment of these events may make them feel more relatable. In the show’s characteristically satirical tone, this clip provides a humorous yet thought provoking portrayal of a witch trial and burning. 

After watching, you might raise questions like:

• What does this tell us about the nature of the accusations? Do they seem to have evidence to back them up?

• What is the logic of “the process”?

• How is Lisa’s criticism of what is taking place silenced?

By utilizing our Live Discussions feature or simply engaging in a virtual conversation with your class, this clip can instigate important discussion about the larger implications of this piece of history.