In yesterday’s post about a website that archives short video animations for kids I mentioned that I would be writing about another source for videos to use in the classroom. The site is called, “Class Hook,” and I have mentioned it before in a post about using video clips. That post gave information about some tools that you can use to make your own clips if you are trying to use parts of longer films. But Class Hook actually provides clips for you.
I have worked in two different school districts, and one of them blocked Class Hook, so definitely try it out on campus before you choose to rely on it for a lesson. Even if it doesn’t work at school, you can still use it at home to find clips relevant to your content. Most of the clips come from videos already accessible on YouTube, which can be a work-around (if YouTube isn’t also blocked!). Class Hook’s tools will allow you to quickly narrow down the unlimited content that you would find in a Google search to a few suggestions.
Class Hook has a tiered pricing plan, but I can only tell you about my experience with the free version, which was perfectly adequate for my needs. On this plan, you can browse all of the clips, filter by grade strands, clip length, and by series. You can also choose a subject or search for a topic and create playlists.
An example of how I used Class Hook in class was when I was searching for a clip for my Engineering class. I knew there was something in Apollo 13 that I had once thought would be perfect, but I couldn’t remember the exact part of the movie. A quick search on Class Hook revealed, “A Square Peg in a Round Hole,” which was exactly what I was looking for.
For ideas on possible uses for Class Hook, take a look a this page. I doubt you will need it, though, as I’m sure you will see many potential benefits of this tool once you try it.
LOVE that scene from APOLLO 13! That scene and the “Battle of Wits” from PRINCESS BRIDE were ones I showed every year! Thank you for sharing another fantastic resource, Terri!