TV411 engages adult learners by giving them multiple opportunities to improve their reading, writing and math skills, and learn basic science and financial literacy concepts.
Our lessons are made up of videos that embed basic skills and information in entertaining scenarios, and correlated web lessons that give the learner hands-on practice. Videos and web lessons can be used together or independently.
Many of the video segments on this website are drawn from the TV411 series that is still broadcast on public television stations nationwide. Other videos, such as TV411 What’s Cooking?, were created specifically for this website.
Planning a Lesson with TV411 Materials
To use TV411 as part of your classroom instruction, we recommend the following approach:
1. Browse the website to find a video and web lesson that relate to the lesson you plan to teach—or for new ideas on what to teach. For example, if you’re working on fractions, there are several videos and web lessons that feature fractions in a range of every-day contexts.
2. Preview the video and the web lesson before you develop your lesson plan. Note any vocabulary terms you think students will not understand. Some lessons include a downloadable worksheet for students. Also, check the teacher's page to see if there is a downloadable lesson plan for the content you've chosen.
3. Watch the video segment as a whole class. Ask students to discuss what they learned from the video. Discuss any vocabulary unfamiliar to students.
Or
If you have several computers in the classroom, assign pairs or small groups of students to watch the videos and discuss among themselves. Then reassemble the class and ask the small groups to share what they learned.
4. Proceed with your own lesson and/or use the related web lesson at TV411.org. The web lesson can be experienced as a whole group activity (if you can project it in the classroom) or by individual students or small groups on computers.
5. Distribute the TV411 worksheet, if one is available. You can use it in class to reinforce the lesson, or assign it for homework.