Video creates opportunities for students to explore their creative sides, allowing them to do things they never dreamed possible. Xochitl Lara and Sherri Fleischer have each shared two examples of how they’re using Clips, a free app for iOS, in their classrooms to introduce students to the art of expression.

Photo of Xochitl Lara
Xochitl Lara
Fifth-grade science teacher
Zavala Elementary
Harlingen, Texas

Alternative energy commercial
Xochitl had her students work in small groups to study alternative energy. Each group researched their favorite alternative energy source and devised a campaign to market it. In past years, groups made posters to demonstrate their learning. This year, students used Clips on iPad to fuel their creativity, producing a commercial to educate their classmates about the benefits of their energy source.

This year my students were able to take their learning deeper using Clips. They used the app’s built-in posters and labels to make their commercials pop.

Weather report
For this project, each student chose a geographic location and studied its climate. Using Clips, students unleashed their imaginations by becoming meteorologists and hosting their own local weather show.

Instead of writing a report, students created video forecasts of their region’s temperature, wind speed, and humidity like meteorologists do on TV. Clips allowed students to shine a light on their unique creativity. They added built-in stickers and filters to spice up their videos.

Classroom vocabulary words
At the beginning of the school year, Sherri had her students work in groups with Clips to learn common classroom vocabulary words. Over the course of a class period, each group familiarized themselves with a term. They then flexed their creative muscle by making a Clips video about the term to help the rest of the class understand and remember it.

“This activity empowered students because they became the teachers and experts. The collection of videos became a great resource for students to refer back to over the course of the year.”

Mystery invention
In this assignment, students studied a notable invention. They gathered context clues and descriptive words, then created a Clips video explaining the invention without naming it until the end. This activity was particularly impactful for Sherri’s English-language learners because they were able to hear themselves talking and work on their enunciation, pronunciation, and vocabulary.

Having students listen to themselves speak and see the Live Titles has improved their ability to critique their own reading and speaking. Instead of breezing through text, they pay more attention to vocabulary words that are unfamiliar. Once they learn the word’s definition, their reading and speaking becomes more fluid and confident. Clips is a fun tool that keeps students engaged and motivated.



You can start integrating Clips into your class assignments today. Visit the Clips collection and learn how to use the app, explore more ideas for using it in your classroom, and watch Clips videos made by teachers.