This is from a production of the play "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged", which aside from being hysterically funny would be a good way of making Shakespeare more accessible. There are at least references to every work in the canon throughout the play, and most of the big names have a "summary" in the show. There are more clips from it on youtube, this is just a favorite.
This clip from the Simpsons is a great resource to use when reading Poe's The Raven. It reads to poem out loud and acts it out in an entertaining way that i think high school students would get a kick out of! It would also help students understand the poem better and lead into a discussion about it.
This is a YouTube video that was a project for a high school public speaking class. It's a good example of how we can use technology to allow our students to use a little creativity and have a little fun with their assignments. Also, many of us may be asked to teach a speech class at the school where we are hired!
I watched this clip of the Beatles performing the play within a play, 'Pyramus and Thisbe' from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in a class and found it not only extremely amusing but also educational. Their interpretation can be seen as a credible imitation of the Mechanicals' performance or simply as entertainment in honor of Shakespeare-either way, it provokes discussion!
I found this clip of Mercutio's death scene from the 1996 Romeo and Juliet. I think it would be useful for the students to see what they are reading be preformed in a way they could relate to more. This clip can also be used in a discussion of whether this play is a tragedy or a comedy.
This video is really cool! And there are many more like it on youtube. Essentially the videos are of pictures of poets with animated mouths. They move corresponding to the words on an audio track of the poem, so it looks like they are speaking the poetry outloud. It's a good way to listen to a poem or reading your version while listening to the audio. Perhaps the listener can also see how others would approach reading and vocalizing the poem.
This is a trailer of an upcoming documentary presenting the ugly side of public education, and why it is failing our students. While this isn't the most optimistic view of public education, it's important to see where public education is lacking, and how you can make a difference.
This link is a fairly lengthy video of Obama's speech explaining his program R2T, and can help all teachers become more literate as to the new federal policies regarding education.
This is the first poem on a series on HBO called Def Poetry Jam that features spoken word poetry. Might be a good visual for a poetry unit on modern poetry/tying it back to the Beats in the 1950s which are the predecessors of modern spoken word.
The video explains why its important to use digital tools when teaching poetry to students. Its also gives examples of poetry that would hold a greater interest for the students and gives ideas on how to get students writing poetry on their own.