BACK TO SCHOOL UPDATES!

Check out this year’s back-to-school updates from BrainPop! With new ways to browse by core curriculum, expanded access to our most engaging learning activities, and built-in reading scaffolds that meet students where they are, BrainPOP helps teachers do what they do best—ignite curiosity, build knowledge, and differentiate with ease.

This IU13 IMS BrainPOP Bulletin has highlighted some of our favorite updates below: 

Browse by ELA Core

• Discover a new way to discover BrainPOP 3-8 and BrainPOP Jr. topics—now aligned to the scope and sequence of your ELA core curriculum*. Simply choose the lesson you’re teaching that week, then explore activities that build the background knowledge and vocabulary students need to access (and get excited about!) the texts in your core program.
• Check out which curriculum alignments are now available

Connected Texts with Built-In Scaffolds

• Connected Texts* are high-interest reading passages that extend learning beyond the movie, reinforcing key vocabulary, deepening topic understanding, and promoting stronger comprehension.
• New this year, students can highlight any word or sentence to instantly access a simplified version or a grade-appropriate definition, providing just-in-time reading support. 
• Learn more about this new feature

Pause Points in BrainPOP Jr.

• Pause Points—already a fan favorite in BrainPOP 3-8—are now in BrainPOP Jr.! These short, interactive prompts, embedded into the movie, encourage students to pause, reflect, and respond as they watch. 
• Help young learners stay focused and engaged with prompts that encourage thinking, talking, and connecting ideas as they learn.
• Learn more about this new feature

Reminder Teachers - Don't miss out BrainPop classroom swag!

• Brighten and organize your classroom with these free, time-saving printables for weekly planning, building routines, and just for fun!
• Download stickers, posters, game templates and much more!

Information for this blog post is provided by our partners at BrainPop and was a summary of the full Back to School 2025 with BrainPOP from Summer 2025

The IU13 IMS BrainPOP Bulletin is designed to provide inspiration for your classroom. Be sure to log into your district's BrainPop account to access these resources

Spring is here!

Let's plant seeds of knowledge with new critical thinking skills and lesson ideas

Making Inferences

• Introduce learners to inferring—combining clues and prior knowledge to form ideas, a skill used every day.
• To students: "Inferring is something you do every day, whether or not you realize it: You combine clues you come across in the world with what you already know to form ideas. In a text, drawing inferences is about reading between the lines. Authors don’t state everything explicitly—that would get boring!"
• Explore this topic on BrainPop!

Earth Day - Natural Resources

• Highlight Earth Day by introducing learners to Earth's resources— from air and minerals to renewable vs nonrenewable—and why conservation matters.
• To students: "Have you ever considered how much use we make of our planet? From the air we breathe to the timber we use for shelter to the minerals we refine into metals, life just wouldn’t be livable without our natural resources. But what are the consequences of overuse? "
• Explore this topic on BrainPop that includes the new "Leveled Reading" feature!

Teachers - Don't miss out on classroom swag!

• Brighten and organize your classroom with these free, time-saving printables for weekly planning, building routines, and just for fun!
• Download stickers, posters, game templates and much more!

The BrainPOP Bulletin is designed to provide inspiration for your classroom. Monthly bulletins have fresh instructional ideas, classroom swag, and community announcements for classroom teachers. 

This Month's Strategy: Watch, Discuss, Rewatch

I Tried It: Watch, Discuss, Rewatch

• "Make BrainPOP movies a more active part of your class with Pause Points–while also providing an opportunity to practice essential literacy skills."
• Learn how educators have implemented this strategy using BrainPop.

Honoring Black History in the Classroom

• "A curriculum that integrates authentic and age-appropriate stories of history-making Black Americans helps provide a foundation of empathy and cultural literacy that allows all students to thrive in a multicultural society."
• Check out this BrainPop blog post for lesson and project ideas. 

Don't miss out on classroom swag!

• Brighten and organize your classroom with these free, time-saving printables for weekly planning, building routines, and just for fun!
• Download stickers, posters, game templates and much more!

The BrainPOP Bulletin is designed to provide inspiration for your classroom. Monthly bulletins have fresh instructional ideas, classroom swag, and community announcements for classroom teachers. 

This Month's Question - How can I keep my class engaged and energized before winter break?

How to Motivate Students to Work in Collaborative Teams

• "Boost and maintain classroom energy through the rest of 2024 by having students work together. From project-based learning to a culture of celebration, student collaboration can improve active listening, engagement, and more."
• Read up on BrainPOP educators' best classroom collaboration tips.

Five Brain Breaks Ideas for Middle School Students

• "Middle school students may need a minute, or five minutes, to fully get ready to start that lesson. There are quite a few distractions in and outside the classroom. Whether it’s the start of class or a break in between lessons, no brain break is too small or too big."
• Check out this BrainPop blog post for some unique classroom attention getters to boost learning all day.

ICYMI: 3 Reasons AI Should Be Part of Your Digital Citizenship Lessons

• "Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a term that has made many rounds in the news cycle this year. As with any emerging technology, it has come with various (and even divided) opinions, especially when it comes to its use in education. However, there’s one thing we can all agree on–AI isn’t going anywhere." 
• Read the recent BrainPop Teaching Strategies blog post to learn more.

Don't miss fresh new classroom swag!

• Brighten and organize your classroom with these free, time-saving printables for weekly planning, building routines, and just for fun!
• Download stickers, posters, game templates and much more!

The BrainPOP Bulletin is designed to provide inspiration for your classroom. Monthly bulletins have fresh instructional ideas, classroom swag, and community announcements for classroom teachers. 

This Month's Question - How can I meet students where they are on their learning path?

 Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 

• Classrooms are filled with diverse learners, each with unique strengths and abilities. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides teachers with a framework to meet students where they are and create inclusive, empowering learning experiences. Check out BrainPop's guide for incorporating UDL best practices in your classroom!
• Go to the Guide!

Teaching Strategies: Quick Attention Getters to Boost K-3 Classrooms

• "It’s the first day back from a long weekend, or maybe it’s right before a big holiday break, and your class just won’t focus. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep those curious minds focused on a task or project. Our team of former teachers and admins, otherwise known as BrainPOPers, understand and have been just like you sitting in that energetic classroom."
• Check out this BrainPop blog post for some unique classroom attention getters to boost learning all day.

ICYMI: 3 Reasons AI Should Be Part of Your Digital Citizenship Lessons

• Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a term that has made many rounds in the news cycle this year. As with any emerging technology, it has come with various (and even divided) opinions, especially when it comes to its use in education. However, there’s one thing we can all agree on–AI isn’t going anywhere. 
• Read the recent BrainPop Teaching Strategies blog post to learn more.

Leveled Reading and Vocab Builder

• Our new learning activities Leveled Reading and Vocab Builder help build background knowledge across a wide range of subjects, making curricular material more impactful for all learners. Log in to try some activities for yourself!