Four steps to writing an essay are included in this video: heading, introduction, paragraphs, and conclusion. The steps have tips to writing each section. You can use this video as an introduction to your next essay-writing lesson.

As Robert Lewis explains, this video is directed toward ESL or ELL students who have to write something like the IELTS essay. He covers the basic questions: What is an essay? and How can we write a simple persuasive essay? Definitions...

Robert Lewis again discusses the IELTS essay, this time focusing on the common mistakes writers make. The camera goes from showing Lewis speaking to examples of essays, but the print is a bit small and not easy to read. It is not...

Be more persuasive with these strategies! Specific to the IELTS essay, Robert Lewis talks about persuasive techniques, such as using reason and appeal to authority, and how to apply them to your writing.

Lewis continues his look at persuasive strategies in writing, especially as they pertain to the IELTS essay. The focus narrows in even more on conjunctions and logic. Typical errors are shown.

Cause and effect, problem and solution, compare and contrast, illustration and example -- your class has undoubtedly seen these essay structures before. But how are they related? Watch a reading video about the ways relationships between...

What value could there possibly be in a story about a man who sets out to fight windmills? Turns out, quite a bit! A video and interactive lesson about the novel Don Quixote sets out to explain the answer to the question. Viewers track...

Is the modern American identity an outgrowth of European civilization, or is it a unique result of westward expansion? Frederick Jackson Turner's The Significance of the Frontier in American History raises an important question...

Is there life on Mars? Is it likely? A video lesson analyzes the possibility of life on Mars. The discovery of water on Mars changes how scientists think about the likelihood of life on the red planet. Part of the SciShow Space series,...

What would be the best place to live on Mars? A fascinating look at the geographical of Mars is sure to intrigue the future astronomers in your middle or high school class. A short video introduces learners to the different...

Is there life beyond Earth? If so, should we make contact with that life? Carl Sagan, along with other astronomers, packed the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 with sounds of the Earth and Earth's inhabitants, hoping to reach...

Reluctance to accept new technology is not a unique attribute to the 21st century. An informative video from Crash Course World History covers the rollout of the transcontinental railroad during the Industrial Revolution, and whether or...

Are the works of Sylvia Plath relevant to the modern reader? The narrator of a short video argues for why viewers should read the works of Sylvia Plath,  citing lines from Plath's poetry and images from her stories.

Are schools doing enough to address the opioid crisis in America? One school, Hope Academy in Indianapolis, focuses its entire curriculum on recovery from substance abuse. A nine-minute video from PBS documents the school's efforts to...

Imagine living in a neighborhood where the houses on your street keep moving farther away until your house is the only one in the reachable vicinity. That's what is happening in our universe, except your house is our galaxy, and the...

A reporter for the Chicago Daily News, based in Germany in 1933, is documenting Hitler's rise to power. As his stories grow more critical of the regime, he faces increasing pressure to stop. Eventually, even the American government...

How can pigs save lives? Examine the possibility of growing human organs from stem cells introduced into pig embryos. Learners discover the similarities and differences between pig and human organs, how stem cells function to create...

Is democracy on the rise, or is it declining worldwide? Take a look at Crash Course World History's take on the state of global democracy when compared to the governments of Singapore, China

Us, you, them. Personal pronouns are featured in a short video that models how these handy parts of speech improve the flow of sentences.  Also included in the resource are a short quiz and a complete transcript of the presentation....

What's good for all of us is good for each of us. The Tragedy of the Commons refers to a situation in which one person's decision to act in his or her own best interest negatively affects the rest of the population—and ultimately, him or...

In this lesson, you will learn how to identify the different parts of an essay by labeling the thesis, topic sentence, supporting details and elaboration. [6:27]

In this lesson, you will learn how to begin your response by first hooking the reader and then telling them clearly what you will be arguing. [7:39]

This video lesson focuses on the flow of essay writing from simple and general to complex and specific. The introduction begins simple and general until it reaches the thesis where it becomes more complex. The specifics continue through...

In this lesson, you will learn how to identify the purpose of an essay by using the action verbs and the subject in a prompt. [3:53]