Discover the powerful story and lasting influence of Billie Holiday, one of the most important voices in American music history. Students will explore how her unforgettable style, emotional performances, and groundbreaking songs helped shape jazz culture while shining a light on the realities of segregation and racism in the United States.
This Kahoot examines Holiday’s life and music, including the rise of jazz clubs during the Harlem Renaissance, the challenges Black performers faced during segregation, and the impact of her famous protest song, "Strange Fruit." Students will build listening skills, expand vocabulary, and deepen their understanding of how music can inspire awareness, emotion, and social change.
Watch the related BBC videos (for mature viewers), Billie Holiday, a Voice Against Injustice and Billie Holiday and Strange Fruit, then invite your Grade 9–12 students to test their knowledge and explore the powerful connection between music, history, and culture.
Turn your classroom into a global exploration hub! This country report template invites students in Grades 3–8 to become curious investigators — uncovering what makes each country unique and sharing their discoveries in creative ways.
Designed with flexibility in mind, the resource includes two approachable formats:
- Snapshot Style: A lively, visual option that’s perfect for quick learning or younger students. Learners can sketch, label, and highlight key features — like flags, landmarks, foods, and traditions — while building confidence with short responses.
- Explorer Style: A more in-depth format for students ready to dig deeper. It guides learners through topics such as geography, wildlife, culture, and history, helping them organize ideas and develop clear, informative writing.
Best of all, this template pairs seamlessly with BBC videos — bringing countries to life through real-world sights, sounds, and stories. Students can watch, wonder, and then weave what they’ve learned into their own reports.
Quick Teacher Tips: Use country studies as a springboard into wider learning across subjects:
- Geography: Map skills, climate zones, landforms, and ecosystems
- Language Arts: Informational writing, summarizing, note-taking, and presenting
- History: Key events, timelines, and how the past shapes the present
- Math: Population comparisons, distances, currency conversions
- Arts & Culture: Traditional patterns, music, celebrations, and food
- Current Events: Tie in informational reading and media literacy by exploring what’s happening in that country today in an age-appropriate way.
In JoJo and Gran Gran Celebrate Lunar New Year, JoJo and her grandmother learn about the Lunar New Year from their friends. A real-life family shares how they make their own lion dance. This video is excerpted from BBC’s JoJo & Gran Gran, a children's animated television series following JoJo, an inquisitive and cheerful 4-and-a-half-year-old girl and her loving Gran Gran, who always has something new to teach her.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Story in Song introduces students to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement through music, humor, and powerful historical images. Told as a song, the video shares key moments from Dr. King’s life and his leadership in the fight for equality in a way that is clear, memorable, and engaging for students.
Excerpted from BBC’s Horrible Histories — a multi-award-winning musical and sketch comedy series — this short video uses a familiar, student-friendly format to help make an important part of U.S. history easier to understand. The combination of lyrics, visuals, and real moments from the era helps students connect with the ideas of fairness, courage, and peaceful protest.
At just two and a half minutes, this video is ideal for classrooms. Use it as a quick introduction to Martin Luther King Jr., a lively entry point into the Civil Rights Movement, or a meaningful way to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It works well as a lesson opener, a review tool, or a discussion starter about how people have worked together to create change in a democracy.
Think You’re a Winter Holidays Expert? Let’s Find Out!
Winter is a magical time of year, filled with lights, music, and celebrations around the world. There's so much to discover: Diwali’s glowing lamps, St. Lucia Day’s candlelit processions, the posadas of Mexico, Hanukkah’s spinning dreidels, Christmas trees, Kwanzaa candles, Lunar New Year’s red envelopes, and the winter solstice’s longest night.
But how much do you really know about these special winter holidays? This quiz is packed with fun facts, traditions, and a few surprises that only the most festive holiday experts will ace. Get ready to test your knowledge and see if you can shine bright like the season itself!
Meet the Icons of the 20th Century. From brilliant scientists and inspiring activists to legendary athletes and artists, these remarkable individuals changed the world in powerful ways. In this video playlist of clips from BBC's Icons: The Greatest Person of the 20th Century, meet Muhammad Ali, Helen Keller, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., Pablo Picasso, Jane Goodall, Pelé, Billie Holiday and others — each a trailblazer who shaped history through courage, creativity, and conviction. A perfect playlist to inspire young minds to think big and act boldly!
Make up a cooool tune and some sweeet moves to go with it. Then dance like no one's watching. Fill the blanks with words from the word back to make up a new song. Doodle yourself rockin' out to Bandit's bangin' beats and make up your own cool rock star name. Put yourself in Dance Mode and give the moves a go. Color in a music note when you've done 'em. Let's booooogie!
We've all had daydreams of the biggest, bestest party ever! What does your dream party look like, kiddo? Design the invitation by writing your name, filling in how old you will be, draw yourself playing a game, and more. Then plan the menu (sausage and ice cream?), circle the best place for your party (park or play place?), and check off some of the awesome stuff you'll get up to (play charades or musical statues?).
In Rapping in a Refugee Camp, host Radzi Chinyanganya introduces Hiba and Rama, two sisters who live in the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan. The sisters use rap as a creative outlet to express their struggles, dreams, and experiences of growing up in a refugee camp. Their music addresses the challenges they face as refugees, including the loss of their home, displacement, and the lack of education. The video also highlights their aspirations for the future and the power of youth empowerment through creativity. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
A new generation is finding new interest in the game of chess while a DJ plays music at the Chesscafe. Chess is the fastest growing game in the world and members of Gen Z are enjoying the café ’s in-person social interaction as an alternative to the ubiquitous bar scene. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
Football, rugby… esports? At Countesthorpe Academy, a secondary school in the UK, students can step into a full esports arena packed with high-end gaming computers — but it’s about a lot more than just playing games.
The school is one of the first to offer an esports qualification, helping students explore how the gaming industry really works and what kinds of careers exist behind the screens.
Esports might feel like entertainment, but it’s also a fast-growing global industry. In fact, the video game industry is now worth several times more than both the music and movie industries combined.
Students studying esports look at everything from how games make money and the strategies players use, to teamwork, mental health, and building skills like focus and resilience — skills that matter in gaming and way beyond it.
Discover the powerful story and lasting influence of Billie Holiday, one of the most important voices in American music history. Students will explore how her unforgettable style, emotional performances, and groundbreaking songs helped shape jazz culture while shining a light on the realities of segregation and racism in the United States.
This Kahoot examines Holiday’s life and music, including the rise of jazz clubs during the Harlem Renaissance, the challenges Black performers faced during segregation, and the impact of her famous protest song, "Strange Fruit." Students will build listening skills, expand vocabulary, and deepen their understanding of how music can inspire awareness, emotion, and social change.
Watch the related BBC videos (for mature viewers), Billie Holiday, a Voice Against Injustice and Billie Holiday and Strange Fruit, then invite your Grade 9–12 students to test their knowledge and explore the powerful connection between music, history, and culture.
Turn your classroom into a global exploration hub! This country report template invites students in Grades 3–8 to become curious investigators — uncovering what makes each country unique and sharing their discoveries in creative ways.
Designed with flexibility in mind, the resource includes two approachable formats:
- Snapshot Style: A lively, visual option that’s perfect for quick learning or younger students. Learners can sketch, label, and highlight key features — like flags, landmarks, foods, and traditions — while building confidence with short responses.
- Explorer Style: A more in-depth format for students ready to dig deeper. It guides learners through topics such as geography, wildlife, culture, and history, helping them organize ideas and develop clear, informative writing.
Best of all, this template pairs seamlessly with BBC videos — bringing countries to life through real-world sights, sounds, and stories. Students can watch, wonder, and then weave what they’ve learned into their own reports.
Quick Teacher Tips: Use country studies as a springboard into wider learning across subjects:
- Geography: Map skills, climate zones, landforms, and ecosystems
- Language Arts: Informational writing, summarizing, note-taking, and presenting
- History: Key events, timelines, and how the past shapes the present
- Math: Population comparisons, distances, currency conversions
- Arts & Culture: Traditional patterns, music, celebrations, and food
- Current Events: Tie in informational reading and media literacy by exploring what’s happening in that country today in an age-appropriate way.
In JoJo and Gran Gran Celebrate Lunar New Year, JoJo and her grandmother learn about the Lunar New Year from their friends. A real-life family shares how they make their own lion dance. This video is excerpted from BBC’s JoJo & Gran Gran, a children's animated television series following JoJo, an inquisitive and cheerful 4-and-a-half-year-old girl and her loving Gran Gran, who always has something new to teach her.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Story in Song introduces students to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement through music, humor, and powerful historical images. Told as a song, the video shares key moments from Dr. King’s life and his leadership in the fight for equality in a way that is clear, memorable, and engaging for students.
Excerpted from BBC’s Horrible Histories — a multi-award-winning musical and sketch comedy series — this short video uses a familiar, student-friendly format to help make an important part of U.S. history easier to understand. The combination of lyrics, visuals, and real moments from the era helps students connect with the ideas of fairness, courage, and peaceful protest.
At just two and a half minutes, this video is ideal for classrooms. Use it as a quick introduction to Martin Luther King Jr., a lively entry point into the Civil Rights Movement, or a meaningful way to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It works well as a lesson opener, a review tool, or a discussion starter about how people have worked together to create change in a democracy.
Think You’re a Winter Holidays Expert? Let’s Find Out!
Winter is a magical time of year, filled with lights, music, and celebrations around the world. There's so much to discover: Diwali’s glowing lamps, St. Lucia Day’s candlelit processions, the posadas of Mexico, Hanukkah’s spinning dreidels, Christmas trees, Kwanzaa candles, Lunar New Year’s red envelopes, and the winter solstice’s longest night.
But how much do you really know about these special winter holidays? This quiz is packed with fun facts, traditions, and a few surprises that only the most festive holiday experts will ace. Get ready to test your knowledge and see if you can shine bright like the season itself!
Meet the Icons of the 20th Century. From brilliant scientists and inspiring activists to legendary athletes and artists, these remarkable individuals changed the world in powerful ways. In this video playlist of clips from BBC's Icons: The Greatest Person of the 20th Century, meet Muhammad Ali, Helen Keller, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., Pablo Picasso, Jane Goodall, Pelé, Billie Holiday and others — each a trailblazer who shaped history through courage, creativity, and conviction. A perfect playlist to inspire young minds to think big and act boldly!
Make up a cooool tune and some sweeet moves to go with it. Then dance like no one's watching. Fill the blanks with words from the word back to make up a new song. Doodle yourself rockin' out to Bandit's bangin' beats and make up your own cool rock star name. Put yourself in Dance Mode and give the moves a go. Color in a music note when you've done 'em. Let's booooogie!
We've all had daydreams of the biggest, bestest party ever! What does your dream party look like, kiddo? Design the invitation by writing your name, filling in how old you will be, draw yourself playing a game, and more. Then plan the menu (sausage and ice cream?), circle the best place for your party (park or play place?), and check off some of the awesome stuff you'll get up to (play charades or musical statues?).
In Rapping in a Refugee Camp, host Radzi Chinyanganya introduces Hiba and Rama, two sisters who live in the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan. The sisters use rap as a creative outlet to express their struggles, dreams, and experiences of growing up in a refugee camp. Their music addresses the challenges they face as refugees, including the loss of their home, displacement, and the lack of education. The video also highlights their aspirations for the future and the power of youth empowerment through creativity. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
A new generation is finding new interest in the game of chess while a DJ plays music at the Chesscafe. Chess is the fastest growing game in the world and members of Gen Z are enjoying the café ’s in-person social interaction as an alternative to the ubiquitous bar scene. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
Football, rugby… esports? At Countesthorpe Academy, a secondary school in the UK, students can step into a full esports arena packed with high-end gaming computers — but it’s about a lot more than just playing games.
The school is one of the first to offer an esports qualification, helping students explore how the gaming industry really works and what kinds of careers exist behind the screens.
Esports might feel like entertainment, but it’s also a fast-growing global industry. In fact, the video game industry is now worth several times more than both the music and movie industries combined.
Students studying esports look at everything from how games make money and the strategies players use, to teamwork, mental health, and building skills like focus and resilience — skills that matter in gaming and way beyond it.