Literature & Language Arts
(Our Community Reads Series is a selection of books read by community members and filmed
for T.V. viewing. See the separate Our Community Reads section for a complete listing of
these books.)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Number: VC250 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 27 min.
Travel on the Nautilus, a nuclear-powered submarine controlled by the evil genius Captain
Nemo.
A, My Name is Alice
Number: VC1419 Grade Level: P/I Length: 7 min.
Reader: Mike Follett
Author: Jane Bayer
Illustrator: Steven Kellogg
The well-known jump rope ditty which is built on letters of the alphabet is illustrated with
animals from all over the world. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Number: VC16 Grade Level: All Length: 2 hrs.
No Synopsis Available
Aesop's Fables: Ant and the Grasshopper
Number: VC265 Grade Level: P/I Length: 12 min.
An animated fable which points out the familiar moral that we can't play all the time but must
work and save for a time of need.
After the Hurricane
Number: VC1659 Grade Level: 4-9
Length: 27 min.
Hurricane Andrew, the most destructive natural disaster in U.S. history, slammed into South
Florida at 164 miles an hour. Andrew’s winds gusted so hard that they broke the wind gauge at
the National Hurricane Center. Andrew left 160,000 people homeless and wreaked
environmental damage that will take years to repair. Scientists fear the area may be entering a
new cycle of major hurricanes. Visit South Florida, and meet some of the people who are
rebuilding their lives in the wake of Hurricane Andrew. (Closed Captioned)
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Number: VC1457 Grade Level: P/I Length: 8 min.
Reader: Kenneth (Chip) Damato
Author: Judith Viorst
Illustrator: Ray Cruz
On a day when everything goes wrong for him, Alexander is consoled by the thought that other
people have bad days too. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Almo's A Man
Number: VC256 Grade Level: J/H Length: 39 min.
LeVar Burton plays David, a black teenager farm worker in the Deep South during the late
1930s. He persuades his mother to give him part of his earnings for a used handgun. He
accidentally kills a mule and his father demeans him in front of the land owner who demands
that he work 25 months to pay for the animal. At nightfall, armed with vague notions of
manhood and independence, Dave retrieves his gun and hops aboard a passing train.
Alphabet (Rock ‘N Learn)
Number: VC1672 Grade Level: P
Length: 35 min.
Developed by educators and pop musicians, this program includes: 1) Highly visual, colorful
action; 2) Catchy songs with a fun, pop sound; 3) Letter recognition; 4) Simple word/letter
associations; 5) Vocabulary enrichment; and 6) Practice writing letters and numbers.
Alphabet Train
Number: VC1673 Grade Level: P
Length: 60 min.
From A-to-Z, “Amtrak-to-Zephyr”, packed with one full hour of fun and learning, this exciting
video enhances children’s natural learning ability while exploring some of the coolest aspects of
real trains. The student will develop skills in vocabulary and phonics, and while interacting with
the children on the video will explore: “in & out”, “over & under”, “teamwork”, “above &
below”, “off & on”, “same & different”, all sorts of really cool trains and their sounds, train
safety, railroad jobs from “Brakeman-to-Yardmaster” and of course, The Alphabet.
Amazing Mallika
Number: VC1649
Grade Level:P
Length: 15 min.
A tiger cub who lives in India’s Ranthambhore Park wild life preserve learns some ways to
control her quick temper. End pages in the accompanying book give factual information about
India. The instructional goals are: 1) To explore strategies for coping with anger; 2) To help
students develop techniques for anger management; 3) To familiarize students with the concepts
of endangered habitats and species; 4) To introduce information about tigers; and 5) To introduce
students to the culture of India and its people.
Amy and the Angel
Number: VC261 Grade Level: J/H Length: 30 min.
Depressed about her lack of social life and her parents' divorce, 17-year-old Amy considers
suicide. Then her guardian angel shows her how dismal life would have been if she'd never been
born. Amy realizes that things really aren't as bad as they seemed, and she now faces life with
new optimism and self-esteem.
Apples
Number: VC1062 Grade Level: K-J Length: 30 min.
Come on an exploration of our favorite fruit, the apple! Visit an apple orchard over the seasons
from winter pruning to fall harvesting. Hear the story of important apple pioneers, Johnny
Appleseed and John McIntosh. Look at apple cells through an electron microscope. Share in the
Halloween excitement of apply bobbing and candied apple making.
Baby Animals on the Farm
Number: VC1694 Grade Level: P
Length: 30 min.
This video features an up-close look at the world of farm animals.
Baby Farm Animals and Friends
Number: VC1674 Grade Level: P
Length: 30 min.
Join Teddy and his pal, Bunny, in their fun-filled day of adventure as they discover the world of
Baby Farm Animals. You’ll meet Brownie the calf, Katie the kitten, Thimble the bunny, Arnold
the piglet, Lightning the colt and so many more. See them in their natural beauty as they run and
play in a wondrous farm setting.
The Baker’s Dozen
Number: VC1430 Grade Level: P/I Length: 8 min.
Reader: Dan Hundrup
Author: Heather Forest
Illustrator: Susan Gaber
A greedy baker who offends a mysterious old woman suffers misfortune in his business, until he
discovers what happens when generosity replaces greed.
Bartleby
Number: VC863 Grade Level: J/H Length: 28 min.
The enigmatic, haunting story of the man who "preferred no to" has been imaginatively
translated into film, with authentic locales and period sets.
Basic Grammar Series: Modifiers
Number: VC567 Grade Level: P/I Length: 8 min.
This video teaches students how to test given words to find out if the words are adjectives or
adverbs.
Basic Grammar Series: Nouns
Number: VC565 Grade Level: P/I Length: 8 min.
This video teaches students how to test given words to find out if the words are nouns.
Basic Grammar Series: Verbs
Number: VC566 Grade Level: P/I Length: 8 min.
This video teaches students how to test given words to find out if the words are verbs.
Bea’s Own Good
Number:VC1650 Grade Level:P
Length:15 min.
A young French honeybee learns the rules to keep the honeycomb strong, to make the best
honey, and to keep the bees safe. Endpapers in the accompanying book feature factual
information about bees, the Chateau of Villandry, and France. The instructional goals are: 1)To
investigate the function of rules at home and at school; 2) To promote responsibility and selfcontrol; 3) To explore the lives of bees and other insects; and 4) To present information about the
culture and geography of France.
Beauty & the Beast
Number: VC273 Grade Level: P Length: 19 min.
Puppet animation tells the story of the handsome young prince who has been changed into an
ugly beast by an evil witch and of the young girl whose love for him, despite his appearance
breaks the spell.
Beauty and the Beast
Number: VC1465 Grade Level: P/I Length: 28 min.
Reader: Mike Divilbiss
Author: Marianna Mayer
Illustrator: Mercer Mayer
Through her great capacity to love, a kind and beautiful maid releases a handsome prince from
the spell which has made him an ugly beast. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Bernice Bobs Her Hair
Number: VC276 Grade Level: J/H Length: 48 min.
Shelly Duval plays Bernice, who is transformed from a reticent "ugly duckling" to a sought-after
vamp by her manipulative cousin Marjorie. Bernice becomes so adroit in using the social cliches
and conventions that she wins the hearts of all Marjorie's suitors. However, when she is trapped
into bobbing her hair to prove her mettle, Bernice loses her new-found beauty. Her revenge gives
the story a delightful, ironic twist.
The Big Red Barn
Number: VC1270 Grade Level: P/I Length: 8 min.
Barnyard animals are introduced in charming rhyme from Margaret Wise Brown's popular book.
Big Work Trucks
Number: VC1675 Grade Level: P
Length: 29 min.
You will tour the world’s largest truck factory in Kentucky to learn how bug trucks are built.
Then it’s off to learn about various types of big trucks, their drivers and the important work they
do. You will get to take a ride with Tami in the 210 ton dump truck she drives into and out of a
large mine. Meet Rocky as he drives you through a logging operation. Follow along with
George as he brings his beautiful tractor-trailer rig in for maintenance before he starts off on
another trip across country.
Biggest Bears!
Number: VC1676 Grade Level: P
Length: 22 min.
Through beautiful animal photography, original music and song, and through a fun-filled
educational story narrated by a five-year-old Alaskan boy, we discover the mighty Alaska grizzly
and take a really great romp through some of the wildest places in The Last Frontier. Visit giant
Alaska grizzlies and their friends including: eagles, dall sheep, caribou, fox, black bear, sea
otter.
The Blue and the Gray
Number: VC1458 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
Reader: Frank Bruneel
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Ned Bittinger
As a black boy and his white friend watch the construction of a house which will make them
neighbors on the site of a Civil War battlefield, they agree that their homes are monuments to
that war. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Blue Hotel, The
Number: VC280 Grade Level: J/H Length: 55 min.
The time is the 1880s. A young Swede arrives at the hotel of a moody, frontier Nebraska town.
He anticipates the Wild West of dime novels - and parlays that anticipation into his own death.
Unable to relate positively to his new environment, the Swede is antagonistic to the hotel keeper
and his fellow guests. A fateful card game results in accusations of cheating, a fight and a violent
climax.
Boarded Window, The
Number: VC281 Grade Level: J/H Length: 17 min.
Through flashback sequences, viewers see scenes from the lives of a hunter and his wife who
lived in a one-window cabin: the wife, fretful and feverish, in her last illness; the grief-stricken
husband who lovingly prepared her body for burial and dug her grave; and finally, the terrifying
flash in which a macabre incident explains why the window was boarded forever against the
world.
Book Connections: Exploring Friendships
Number: VC900 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 21 min.
Some of the most important experiences in students' lives involve their circle of friends. This
video examines such important topics as: peer pressure, honesty, loyalty, sacrifice and building
better friendships. Students will learn how to deal with these issues by enjoying a combination of
contemporary and classic adult fiction.
The Bunyans
Number: VC1460 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
Reader: James Hottois
Author: Audrey Wood
Illustrator: David Shannon
Paul Bunyan, his wife, and their children do some ordinary things which result in the formation
of Niagara Falls, Bryce Canyon, and other natural monuments. (Our Community Reads 1998
Series)
Call of the Wild
Number: VC17 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 14 min.
Set in Alaska, this beautiful tale of friendship is adapted from the classic novel by Jack London.
Can’t Drown This Town
Number: VC1660 Grade Level: 4-9
Length: 30 min.
The summer of 1993 brought disaster to areas of the Midwest. Floods destroyed homes and
property in a dramatic show of the Mississippi River’s catastrophic potential. Ste. Genevieve has
long struggled to contain the river’s rising waters during flood season, and the problems faced in
Ste. Genevieve illustrate the larger problem of river management. Examine the disastrous
impact of the 1993 flood in Ste. Genevieve, an astonishing illustration of the Mississippi River’s
great untamed power. (Closed Captioned)
Casey at the Bat
Number: VC292 Grade Level: P/I/J Length: 9 min.
Score high on interest with the poetic saga of the Mudville Nine. With two men out and two on
base, Casey steps up to the plate and learns a striking lesson about overconfidence and false
pride!
The Cat in the Hat
Number: VC1129 Grade Level: P Length: 30 min.
It's a rainy afternoon, and two kids with nothing to do are surprised and delighted to discover a
Cat in a Hat at their door. The Cat in the Hat is filled with tricks, and when he's not busy
searching the house for his missing moss-covered, three handled, family gredunza, he plays the
piano, and even gets the kids to sing along. Later, when mom returns home, the Cat in the Hat
proves that he's a kid's best friend by magically cleaning up the mess they all made!
Chaucer and the Medieval Period: English Literature
Number: VC731 Grade Level: J/H Length: 13 min.
The purpose of this video is to provide a visual background that will enliven and make more
meaningful the study of medieval English literature.
Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones
Number: VC1442 Grade Level: P/I Length: 4 min.
Reader: Martin Bochenek
Author: Ruth Heller
A pictorial introduction to the animals that lay eggs, including chickens as well as other birds,
reptiles, amphibians, fishes, insects, and even a few mammals. (Our Community Reads 1998
Series)
Christmas Carol
Number: VC1592 Grade Level: J/H Length: 100 min.
George C. Scott stars in this critically acclaimed version of Charles Dickens' holiday classic in
which one man discovers the true meaning of Christmas. Filmed entirely on location in the
historic English town of Shrewsbury, this lavish production vividly brings to life one of the
world's best-loved Christmas stories.
Christmas Gift, A
Number: VC595 Grade Level: P/I/J/H Length: 15 min.
This is a short claymation about a little street boy who stares in peoples windows watching their
Christmas celebrations and then shares his one piece of bread and cheese with an old woman
who has no food.
Colon, Semicolon and Quotation Marks
Number: VC759 Grade Level: I/J Length: 14 min.
Three separate and amusing sequences tell viewers about the colon, semicolon and quotation
marks.
Cop and the Anthem, The: The LCA Short Story Library Series
Number: VC306 Grade Level: J/H Length: 23 min.
Soapy is a bum desperately trying to go to jail for the winter so he can stay warm. Despite a
number of escapades, he fails to get locked up. Inspired by a hymn he hears outside a church,
Soapy decides to mend his ways - then, ironically, he is arrested for "loitering."
Country Cousin, The
Number: VC308 Grade Level: P Length: 9 min.
Abner, a country mouse, visits his cousin Monty, a city mouse. At first impressed by the
splendor of the city, Abner later becomes overwhelmed by the mass confusion and high-tails it
back to the simplicity of the country.
Creation, The
Number: VC597 Grade Level: P/I/J/H Length: 15 min.
This video is a claymation version of the Biblical story of creation.
The Cricket in Time Square
Number: VC1413 Grade Level: P/I Length: 14 min.
Reader: Bob Fulton
Author: George Selden
The adventures of a country cricket who unintentionally arrives in New York and is befriended
by Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Dandelions
Number: VC1426 Grade Level: P/I Length: 22 min.
Reader: JoAnn Thompson
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Greg Shed
Zoe and her family find strength in each other as they make a new home in the Nebraska
territory. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
D'Aulaire Biographies
Number: VC905 Grade Level: P/I/J Length: 43 min.
This video gives a short history about four famous men: Columbus, George Washington,
Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln.
Discover the Writer in You
Number: VC880 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 20 min.
This video is an informal collection of writing tips from men and women who earn their livings
as writers - writers of training manuals, educational media and other nuts-and-bolts kinds of
writing.
Disney's Animated Alphabet
Number: VC315 Grade Level: P Length: 16 min.
Each letter of the alphabet cleverly comes to life to enchant young viewers and to help them in
their quest to learn the ABCs.
Dogsong
Number: VC1454 Grade Level: P/I Length: 12 min.
Reader: Todd Klabenes
Author: Gary Paulsen
A fourteen-year-old Eskimo boy who feels assailed by the modernity of his life takes a 1400mile journey by dog sled across ice, tundra, and mountains seeking his own "song" of
himself. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Dr. Heidegger's Experiment
Number: VC1142 Grade Level: H Length: 21 min.
This program deals with two of the author's favorite themes: the consequences of tampering with
nature and of rejecting conventional morality.
El Nino
Number: VC1677 Grade Level: I/J/H
Length: 50 min.
Mike Wallace explores the history and mysteries and breakthroughs within the scientific world—
in this case El Nino.
Electronic Grandmother
Number: VC320 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 32 min.
This gentle and affecting film features Maureen Stapleton as a magical, ageless grandmother
whose warmth transforms a skeptical little girl and brings love to a motherless home.
The Elephant Eats, the Penguin Eats: Nouns
Number: VC1085 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
The noun, as a word classification, is introduced in this film. Nouns are defined as words that
"name for you." By taking a trip through the zoo and naming things that they see, children are
introduced to words that are nouns. Using high-interest visuals, this film shows that language and
reading are fun. A controlled vocabulary is presented orally and visually. Thyme, music, and
linguistic patterning help combine good learning with good feelings.
Emperor's New Clothes, The
Number: VC321 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
A creative combination of pantomime and modern dance tells the story of the clever weaver who
tricks a vain and foolish emperor into parading through his kingdom wearing an invisible suit of
clothes.
Enjoying a Good Story
Number: VC882 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 30 min.
Most young readers can identify such things in a story as characters, setting and plot. Most will
be able to describe the rising action and identify the climax in a story. This program is based on
these elements of fiction most likely to contribute to a youngster's enjoyment of a story.
Enough Already!
Number: VC1678 Grade Level: P Length: 26 min.
Liv Lerner narrates this beloved Yiddish folktale about being grateful for what you have. It
features colorful animation and lively original songs.
Extra Extra: Washington Post Newspaper
Number: VC1490 Grade Level: I Length: 28 min.
Children go on exciting, fun-filled real life Field Trip invites school aged children to go on a
special guided tour "up close and personal." It encourages independent exploration with
suggested reading and resources of further information.
Farming for Kids
Number: VC1680 Grade Level: P
Length: 30 min.
Join Farmer Bill in this award-winning video as he engages your child’s imagination with the
noise and live action of hi-tech farm equipment. Follow vegetable and grain production from
planting to harvest on a modern 7,000-acre family farm.
Favorite Children's Folktales, Told by Carol Hurst
Number: VC129 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 60 min.
The titles of the folktales on this video are: The Bear Hunt, Magic Tree, Silly Jack, Mr. Wiggle
and Mr. Waggle, and Br'er Rabbit: The Will of the Wisp
Ferdinand the Bull
Number: VC328 Grade Level: P/I/J Length: 8 min.
Ferdinand helps youngsters understand the value of individuality in this tale of a peace-loving
bull who would rather smell the flowers than fight.
Fire Trucks In Action
Number: VC1679 Grade Level: P
Length: 24 min.
This is a fire truck and fire safety video with easy to understand explanations of how fire
equipment works. The video covers important fire safety rules for children as well as these
exciting features: 1) Flashing lights and sirens; 2) Firefighters in action; 3) Fire trucks on the
move; 4) Fire safety rules; and 5) Pumpers, tankers, ladder and rescue trucks.
The Fourth Little Pig
Number: VC1415 Grade Level: P/I Length: 6 min.
Reader: Mike Hostetler, Ed. D
Author: Teresa Noel Celsi
The sister of the Three Little Pigs comes to visit and tries to persuade her brothers, who have
been hermits since an episode with a wolf, to overcome their fears and go outside. (Our
Community Reads 1998 Series)
Frogs are Funny; Frogs are Fat: Adjectives
Number: VC1086 Grade Level: P Length: 10 min.
Using high-interest visuals, this film involves children in language and reading experiences that
are meaningful and vivid. Words are presented orally and visually in the carefully designed
super-imposition of words over pictures, first individually, then in phrases, and, when
appropriate, in short sentences. Engaging rhyme and music help to create sentence patterns that
aid in the retention of the words.
Gawain and the Green Knight
Number: VC1701 Grade Level: H Length: 90 min.
This beautifully dramatized version of the late- 14th-centry poem offers a bonanza to the English
teacher: one of the best known of the Arthurian legends, a portrait of life in Arthurian days as
the Pearl Poet imagined it, a baker's dozen of discussion topics about human virtue and human
imperfectibility--and a fascinating plot involving a challenge by the Green Knight (green is of
course the color of magic), who departs Arthur's castle holding his own head, which Gawain has
just lopped off; Gawain's quest to keep his word and prove his worthiness while remaining alive;
and the very moral surprise ending.
Get Ready for School with Mrs. Phipps and Snoothy
Number: VC641 Grade Level: P Length: 5-12 min. segments
Children learn basic readiness skills: color recognition, basic shapes, birthday, address, phone
number, counting, number recognition to twenty, and letter recognition. It includes songs, finger
games and the antics of the children and “Snoothy”.
Gingerbread Man, The
Number: VC335 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
The gingerbread man outruns the little old woman who created him as well as a host of others.
When he appears to be trapped by a river, a fox offers to give him a ride across to help him
escape the others, but not necessarily the fox himself.
The Giving Tree
Number: VC1455 Grade Level: P/I Length: 6 min.
Reader: Paul Krause
Author: Shel Silverstein
A young boy grows to manhood and old age experiencing the love and generosity of a tree which
gives to him without thought of return. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Gold Bug, The
Number: VC336 Grade Level: I/J Length: 31 min.
A young boy on a supposedly deserted island finds a gold bug and an old piece of paper
containing a secret code. He then encounters an old man and his towering mute servant, who are
searching for Captain Kidd's buried treasure.
Grammar Rock
Number: VC1100 Grade Level: I Length: 30 min.
Join Schoolhouse Rocky as he takes you and your friends down to the Conjunction Junction
diner, where the special of the day is Grammar Rock. Learning the rules of grammar is easy
when you sing along with Schoolhouse Rock. Rocky serves up your favorite Grammar Rock
videos from the Jukebox including: Unpack Your Adjectives - How adjectives modify nouns.
Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here - Adverbs answer these question: How? Where?
When? Condition? Reason? Conjunction Junction - How conjunctions hook up words and
phrases and clauses! Interjection! -Handy interjections like, "Yow!. "Ouch!" and "Hey!" Rufus
Xavier Sarsaparilla - Using pronouns, because "saying all those nouns, can really wear you
down". Verb: That's What's Happening - A verb tells it like it is, to be, to see, to feel, to live.
A Noun is a Person Place or Thing - A noun's a special kind of word, it's any name you ever
heard. Busy Prepositions - Fly over the rainbow with the "Busy P's". The Tale of Mr. Morton "Mr. Morton is the subject of the sentence, and what the predicate says he does".
Grammar Time: Understanding Commas
Number: VC859 Grade Level: I/J Length: 20 min.
Punctuation allows for the understanding of written words. Se how incorrect use of the comma
can create confusion and then learn seven simple rules on using the comma correctly.
Greatest Man in the World, The
Number: VC341 Grade Level: J/H Length: 51 min.
When an illiterate lout becomes the first man to fly non-stop around the world, he instantly
captures national attention. Government officials and the press will stop at nothing to make the
man capable of such a feat into a hero worthy of honor and fit for public adulation.
The Greedy Triangle
Number: VC1443 Grade Level: P/I Length: 8 min.
Reader: Warren Stone
Author: Marilyn Burns
Illustrator: Gordon Silveria
Dissatisfied with its shape, a triangle keeps asking the local shapeshifter to add more lines and
angles until it doesn't know which side is up. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
The Green Book
Number: VC1428 Grade Level: P/I Length: 29 min.
Reader: Tom Tomberg
Author: Jill Paton Walsh
Illustrator: Lloyd Bloom
As their small stock of essential supplies dwindles, a group of refugees from earth struggle to
make their strange new planet provide life's necessities. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Green Eggs and Ham
Number: VC1130 Grade Level: P Length: 30 min.
With the Cat in the Hat as your host, this music filled triple treat from Dr. Seuss is sure to bring
triple smiles! You'll laugh at the story of Sam-I-Am, whose favorite dish is Green Eggs and
Ham. But be warned: Same likes to share his Green Eggs and Ham with everyone and he doesn't
take NO for an answer! You'll also meet the very prejudiced Sneetches who live on the beaches,
and the stubborn old Zax on the prairie of Prax.
Hana’s Year
Number:VC1651
Grade Level:P
Length: 17 min.
A young macaque monkey living in the mountains of Japan gets into trouble when she follows
the lead of a mischief-maker. Includes discussion question on peer pressure and information on
Japanese folk textiles. There is an accompanying book. The instructional goals are: 1) To
encourage students to take responsibility for their own actions; 2) To help students learn to
distinguish between positive and negative role models; 3) To present techniques for resisting
peer pressure; 4) To increase each student’s self-confidence and self-esteem; and 5) To introduce
the geography and culture of Japan.
Harriet Beecher Stowe's New England
Number: VC579 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 30 min.
This video explores the life and the writings of Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Haunts Of Edgar Allan Poe
Number: VC578 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 30 min.
This video explores the life and the writings of Edgar Allan Poe.
Heavy Equipment Operator (What do you want to be when you grow up?)
Number: VC1681
Grade Level: P
Length: 30 min.
Cranes, trucks and earthmovers—machines of every shape and size—they’re all in this jampacked, dirt flinging video. From moving mountains of Earth to lifting tons of steel in the air,
you’re right on top of the action and learning every step of the way.
Heroes & Cowards, Great Themes of Literature
Number: VC120 Grade Level: H Length: 31 min.
This video, taken from the feature "Lord Jim", treats the first part of Joseph Conrad's famous
novel. The hero is a young man who finds his heroic ideals for himself tested by the harsh
demands of reality. As the commentator for the series, Orson Welles, points out in his
introduction, the theme of one's image of self challenged, tested by events and found wanting, is
a common one in literature - and in life.
The Hoober-Bloob Highway
Number: VC1131 Grade Level: P Length: 30 min.
The Hoober-Bloob Highway is a ribbon of light that leads to a floating island, from which Mr.
Hoober-Bloob, assisted by a self-playing instrument, dispatches young humans to earth. Things
aren't always easy, but being there is a joy, with such delights as sunshine, summer, and just
being alive. This colorful lesson on life's trails and treats ends with a decidedly positive hearty
"gook luck!" and a happy "good life!"
How the Elephant got His Trunk
Number: VC496 Grade Level: P/I/J Length: 7 min.
An inquisitive young elephant with a stubby snout meets a crusty old crocodile who replies to his
questions by latching onto the elephant's nose. In no time at all, his nose is stretched into a long
trunk, and its new length proves so useful that all the elephants call upon the crocodile.
How the Leopard Got His Spots
Number: VC1170 Grade Level: P Length: 30 min.
In the exclusively yellowish-greyish-brownish colors of the High Veldt, hunting was easy for the
Leopard, because of all the animals, his fur was the yellowish-greyish-brownest. When the other
animals moved away, the hungry Leopard was forced to follow them down into the striped,
splotchy, spotted forest. But, with his bright skin the Leopard didn't stand a chance to hunt,
unless, of course, he acquired spots himself!
How the Rhinoceros Fot His Skin and How the Camel Got His Hump
Number: VC1171 Grade Level: P Length: 30 min.
These two tales form Kipling's "Just so Stories" are playful explanations of How the Rhinoceros
Got His Skin, and How the Camel Got His Hump. In the first, a Parsee rhino, and in the second,
pride and arrogance prove to be the downfall of a lazy camel.
How the Whale Got His Throat
Number: VC349 Grade Level: I Length: 8 min.
When the great whale swallows a sailor and his raft, he discovers that his meal cannot be
digested, so he spits the man and the raft back into the sea. The sailor, his life spared, teaches the
whale a lesson by lodging the raft in the mammal's gullet. According to this inventive tale, that is
how the whale got his throat and why it allows him to eat only small fish.
How to Behave in the Library
Number: VC45 (DVD) Grade Level: 3-5 Length: 11 min.
Nathaniel is supposed to write down all the rules and how to behave in the library. By the end of
the program Nathaniel and Emily understand the reason why each rule is important. They
discover that when you follow the rules you help make the library more enjoyable for everyone.
Huckleberry Finn
Number: VC248 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 74 min.
His name is Huck Finn His game is ridin' the mighty Mississippi in search of rough 'n' ready
adventure! He finds plenty of it, in Mark Twain's rollicking American classic.
Humphrey Thud
Number: VC1446 Grade Level: P/I Length: 7 min.
Reader: Pat Bates
Author: Camilla Ashforth
Horatio the rabbit does a magic trick that makes him disappear into his sock, but it does not work
with his friend Humphrey Thud the elephant. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
The Hunt
Number: VC1152 Grade Level: J Length: 30 min.
A man meets a hunter so jaded with killing that the only prize he yearns to stalk is human
prey. The chilling pursuit that follows is a cliff-hanger until the very end.
I Dig Dirt
Number: VC1682
Grade Level: P
Length: 30 min.
See super earth-moving equipment in action and up close. Marvel at the biggest dump trucks in
the world that move 240 tons of dirt in one load. Check out Ursa Major (the Big Dipper), the
world’s 2nd largest Walking Dragline. It weighs 15 million pounds, has a boom longer than a
football field, can dig a hole 200 feet deep, and “it walks.”
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed...
Number: VC1402 Grade Level: P/I Length: 5 min.
Reader: Adair Jamison
Author: Westcott, Nadie Bernard
A cumulative folk song in which the solution proves worse than the predicament when an old
lady swallows a fly. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
I Love Lucy: Job Switching and Lucy and Bob Hope
Number: VC1662 Grade Level: all Length: 53 min.
Job Switching: It’s role reversal time! Lucy and Ethel go to work—in a candy factory—and
Ricky and Fred become house-husbands, resulting in high-calorie hijinks galore! Includes the
unforgettable candy-wrapping scene.
Lucy and Bob Hope: Lucy’s determined to get Bob Hope to “play ball” and appear at Ricky’s
new night spot. Features Hope singing a special version of “Thanks for the Memories” at the
Club Babalu’s gala opening.
In Search of Dr. Seuss
Number: VC1669 Grade Level: all Length: 96 min.
Get ready. Get set. Be prepared to go. Where you'll end up no one will know. Take off with a
reporter (Kathy Najimy), in search of the real Dr. Seuss (aka Ted Geisel). Follow Kathy up and
down and all around the most wildly creative and colorful world you've ever seen--the unique
world of Dr. Seuss. A world that combines wonderful and wacky live-action with classic
animation to tell the story of the man who made generations of children love to read. Several of
Dr. Seuss' stories are interspersed.
Inger’s Promise
Number:VC1652
Grade Level:P
Length: 18 min.
Inger, an ambitious young reindeer buck, finally proves that he is reliable when the herd is
surprised by a spring snowstorm in the Lapland area of Norway. There is an accompanying
book. The instructional goals are: 1) To identify tasks which enable children to become more
trustworthy; 2) To encourage children to accept age-appropriate responsibilities and
commitments; 3) To foster the development of tenacity and commitment to reach goals; 4) To
promote growth in self-confidence and self-esteem; 5) To introduce information about reindeer
and other Arctic wildlife; 6) To explore the geography of Norway and Norwegian Lapland; 7) To
investigate the Sami people and their changing way of life.
Initial Consonants: What Are Letter For Series (Revised)
Number: VC1083 Grade Level: P/I Length: 13 min.
To help children learn and remember the relationship between sounds and letters, teachers often
give them key words. This film provides "key motion picture words:" memorable, colorful, and
humorous scenes combined with word sounds and superimposed letters and words. The film
opens with the ABC song and a brief answer to the question, "What are letters for?" Then, for
each consonant, children see the letter and pictures that vividly represent a word with the letter in
an initial position. They see and hear the related words, and can read and say them with the
narrator.
Introduction to Aesop
Number: VC357 Grade Level: P Length: 14 min.
This video features an animated overview of Aesop's life with examples of his fables, including
the popular "The Hare and the Tortoise."
Invisible Boy
Number: VC358 Grade Level: J/H Length: 23 min.
When a young boy named Charlie visits his mountain-dwelling, decidedly eccentric old aunt, he
is put off by her solitary strangeness and unmoved by her love for him. Charlie can't wait to go
home - until the old lady entices him with a fancy bit of hocus-pocus, that makes him think he
has become invisible.
Island, The
Number: VC360 Grade Level: H Length: 30 min.
A young WWI officer sets out to pursue his affair with the wealthy and beautiful Mrs. Santander,
who invites him to her lavish mansion on a strangely deserted island. The captain becomes a
victim of a shocking and ingenious trap.
J. Thurber's The Night The Ghost Got In
Number: VC1091 Grade Level: J/H Length: 16 min.
We all know how our imaginations and our tendency to jump to conclusions can get us into
trouble. Both of these quirks of human nature got young James Thurber into a mess late one
night: he was bathing and thought he heard a noise. The hilarious chain of events that follow will
amuse everyone, and may lead us to ponder the vagaries of human communication.
Jack London's to Build A Fire
Number: VC1089 Grade Level: J/H Length: 15 min.
What is it like to feel cold invade your body to its very center? This screen adaptation of Jack
London's famous short story dramatizes the encounter of man and nature at its most dangerous.
London was fascinated by men who did not recognize that nature was often deadly because it
was so deceptively beautiful. The story has many other dimensions, but the contrast between
nature's appearance and reality is captured powerfully in this film. As in London's story, the
protagonist does not see the contrast until too late and we are brought through tension to
resignation with him as the inevitable consequence reveals itself. Tension is truly gut tightening.
John Henry
Number: VC1128 Grade Level: P/I Length: 30 min.
Academy Award winner Denzel Washington tells the legend of John Henry, the mightiest,
doggone greatest nation builder this country's ever seen, who single-handedly defeats the steam
drill in a steel-driving competition. Blues legend B. B. King provides a rousing score that truly
befits this larger-than-life hero.
Julie Taymore: Setting a Scene
Number: VC879 Grade Level: I/J Length: 30 min.
Theater transforms words on a page into verbal and visual magic through a combination of art
forms. Director Julie Taymore rehearses scenes from the the Tempest , and using puppets, masks
and music, creates an imaginary world that brings Shakespeare alive for children.
Julius Caesar Part I
Number: VC66 Grade Level: J/H Length: 60 min.
No Synopsis Available
Julius Caesar Part II
Number: VC67 Grade Level: J/H Length: 60 min.
No Synopsis Available
Jumping Frog, The: Adapted From the Mark Twain Story
Number: VC365 Grade Level: I Length: 24 min.
Jimmy, a modern-day young scoundrel, challenges a new boy to a bicycle race and wins by
cheating. Their teacher asks Jimmy to read the Mark Twain story aloud to the class. As he reads,
Jimmy's vivid imagination casts himself and his friends as characters in the story. An appealing
introduction to Twain's original version, and a gentle lesson about the value of honesty and
friendship.
Just Lather, That's All
Number: VC366 Grade Level: H Length: 21 min.
A Latin-American army captain plays a psychological "cat-and-mouse" game with the
revolutionary barber who is shaving him. A taut thriller about the hunter and the hunted.
Kidnapped
Number: VC367 Grade Level: J/H Length: 28 min.
This thrilling video version of David Balfour's heroic attempts to reclaim his inherited property
will inspire students to read Stevenson's original literary classic for themselves.
The King’s Commissioners
Number: VC1421 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
Reader: Bob Liming
Author: Aileen Friedman
Illustrator: Susan Guevara
While trying to keep track of his many royal commissioners, the king learns some new ways of
counting. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Koala Lou
Number: VC1435 Grade Level: P/I Length: 9 min.
Reader: Mark Bone
Author: Mem Fox
Illustrator: Pamela Lofts
A young koala, longing to hear her mother speak lovingly to her as she did before other children
came along, plans to win her distracted parent's attention. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
The Lady, or the Tiger?
Number: VC1153 Grade Level: H Length: 16 min.
A semibarbaric king administers justice to those accused of serious crimes by submitting them to
impartial chance. The fate of an accused man is decided when he opens one of two doors in a
public arena. Behind one is a hungry tiger; behind the other, a beautiful lady. A young man dares
to fall in love with the king's daughter. When the king discovers their affair, he imprisons the
unhappy youth. The princess uses her influence to learn the secret of the doors, and she discovers
that the beautiful lady is one who has aroused her jealousy. The young lover enters the arena, and
the princess signals with a slight gesture. The point of the story is this: Did the tiger come out of
that door, or did the lady? Which emotion is paramount, the princess's jealousy or her desire to
spare her lover's life?
Lambert, the Sheepish Lion
Number: VC368 Grade Level: P Length: 8 min.
When the stork delivers Lambert the lion cub to a flock of lambs, they jeer at him because he's
different. But he earns their respect when he saves them from a hungry wolf!
Legend of Johnny Appleseed
Number: VC373 Grade Level: P/I/J Length: 20 min.
If history has added some amiable exaggerations to the facts about this frontiersman who planted
apple trees throughout the midwestern United States, they've only served to emphasize the
qualities of love and faith that makes this story a perennial favorite.
Let’s Go to the Farm
Number: VC1684
Grade Level: P
Length: 60 min.
This live-action program goes on-location to a farm in Vermont in order to show children all
aspects of farm life. Children will learn how crops are harvested, how maple syrup is made and
more.
Let's Make Up A Story
Number: VC1107 Grade Level: P Length: 11 min.
With just a bit of imagination you can be anyone, go anywhere, do anything. Children will
delight in the puppet animated figures and the live animals that portray some of their favorite
storybook characters. We expose youngsters to a myriad of possible choices for characters,
settings, plots and endings, real and make believe. As we pique their imagination with questions
that require children to respond by doing their own thing, by making up stories. Making up
stories is exciting, it is fun, it is their own special world that children can create.
Letter Sounds (Rock ‘N Learn)
Number: VC1683
Grade Level: P
Length: 38 min.
Colorful graphics and cool music get children excited about learning. A fun and unique alphabet
song starts things off, followed by the most common sounds each letter makes. Then children
race the clock to say the sounds before they hear the answers. In another exciting game, learners
name the letters that make the sounds heard in silly sentences. Finally, the payoff: children
experience the thrill of combining letters to make words.
Life Stories: Introducing Biographies
Number: VC881 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 14 min.
In addition to detailing the joys of reading biographies, this program also provides some practical
tips on writing a good biography. Biographical references are introduced and suggestions for
developing a good life story are provided.
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse
Number: VC1453 Grade Level: P/I Length: 13 min.
Reader: Mike Bilkiss
Author: Kevin Henkes
Lilly loves everything about school, especially her teacher, but when he asks her to wait a while
before showing her new purse, she does something for which she is very sorry later. (Our
Community Reads 1998 Series)
The Little Engine That Could
Number: VC1110 Grade Level: P Length: 11 min.
This award-winning collection of classic characters and timeless tales will delight and captivate
children of all ages. These enchanting films recreate in delightful animation, the classic stories
that have charmed generations and continue to cast their spells on youngsters.
Little House, The
Number: VC376 Grade Level: P/I Length: 8 min.
Sterling Holloway narrates this charming story of a little house in the country at the turn of the
century which suffers when the lights and noise of the city invade the peace and quiet of the
countryside.
Little Kidnappers
Number: VC118 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 94 min.
The Little Kidnappers is the charming story of Harry & Davy MacKenzie and their adventures in
their new home of Nova Scotia, Canada. The young orphans have traveled to a new country to
live with their stern grandfather, played brilliantly by Charlton Heston. Leo Wheatley gives a
wonderful performance as Harry, who find a baby that appears to be abandoned on the beach,
and innocently decides to adopt it with his brother, Davy (Charles Miller). The two boys
unknowingly cause an uproar in the town and a massive search for the missing infant.
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Number: VC594 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 104 min.
This is a timeless tale of a young boy swept from dire poverty in the New York slums into
wealth beyond his wildest dreams.
Little Red Riding Hood
Number: VC377 Grade Level: P/I Length: 13 min.
Young viewers will follow Little Red Riding Hood through the woods to her grandmother's
house, watch the trickery of the wolf, and rejoice when the hunter saves her from an unpleasant
fate.
The Lorax
Number: VC1132 Grade Level: P/I Length: 30 min.
While a cute little Lorax speaks for the trees, a Once-ler is chopping down the forest to make
highly profitable Thneeds. The Greedy Once-ler won't listen in the Lorax. And so, the whole
Once-ler family is working in the big Once-ler factory, traveling on the four-lane Once-ler
highway, and driving out all of the forest creatures except for the brave Lorax. He continues to
speak for the trees and in the end, with all the trees gone, even the Once-ler gets the message!
Love You Forever and David’s Father
Number: VC1416 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
Reader: Sunny Dean
Author: Robert N. Munsch
A young mother tells her son, throughout his childhood, how she loves him until a time when the
son has a daughter of his own and passes on the same message of love.
Author of David’s Father: Robert N. Munsch
Illustrator: Michael Martchenko
Julie discovers that her new friend's father is a giant. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
The Lure of the Library
Number: VC46 (DVD) Grade Level: P Length: 14 min.
The Sharp Wits have piles of books all over the clubhouse. It is driving them crazy because they
can't find a certain book. They go to the library where they learn about the Dewey Decimal
System. The first thing they discover is that all of the books that provide facts and information
are divided into the 10 main sections of the Dewey Decimal System. In other words, they are
organized by their subjects. They also discover that each book has its own individual call
number. Finally they find out that the fiction books are located in their own separate area of the
library. (cc)
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile: The Musical
Number: VC612 Grade Level: P/I Length: 25 min.
This is a story of the Primm family and their pet crocodile, Lyle. The family meets Lyle when
they move into a new home and find him reclining in their bathtub. It goes on to tell of the
adventures of the Primm family and their new pet.
Madeline: The Musical
Number: VC611 Grade Level: P/I Length: 20 min.
This musical takes us on a child's-eye tour of Paris courtesy of Madeline, a mischievous sprite
whose unflappable good spirits have mysteriously darkened. Her problem, it turns out, is
appendicitis. In spite of her friends' concern, surgery leaves Madeline laughing, full of spunk and
song.
Magic School Bus Hops Home
Number: VC1685
Grade Level: P/I
Length: 30 min.
Wanda goes over the top when she turns the entire classroom into a comfortable new home for
her beloved pet frog, Bella. It’s everything a frog could want…or so Wanda thinks. However,
when Bella jumps out an open window, Wanda learns to rethink her idea of what a frog needs.
Magic School Bus Kicks up a Storm: How to Become Weather-wise
Number: VC1686
Grade Level: P/I
Length: 30 min.
It’s a hot and muggy summer day, and the heat’s gone to Ralphie’s head. The Friz asks, “What
makes the weather?” Then the bus transforms into a Weathermobile and in a wild ride through
the skies gives Ralphie the opportunity to become the meteorological superhero of his dreams.
Mama, Do You Love Me?
Number: VC1405 Grade Level: P/I Length: 5 min.
Reader: Tina Alexanderson
Author: Barbara M.Joosse
A child living in the Arctic learns that a mother's love is unconditional. (Our Community Reads
1998 Series)
Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, The
Number: VC247 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 40 min.
Hadleyburg has a reputation for unshakable honesty. The smug townspeople are proud of this
virtue and keep themselves honest by simply avoiding temptation. Robert Preston stars as the
stranger who plots a revenge on the hypocritical residents by promising a fortune to the citizen
who once showed him charity many years before. One by one the stranger tempts the leading
citizens to scheme for the money - until Hadleyburg's honest reputation is mud before the world.
Mark Twain: How I Came Into the Literary Profession
Number: VC382 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 25 min.
Here, in Twain's own words, taken from a selection of his well known stories, novels, essays
speeches and his autobiography, is a literary portrayal of the man himself, filmed in his house in
Hartford, Connecticut.
Mark Twain's Hannibal
Number: VC580 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 30 min.
This video explores the life and the writings of Mark Twain.
Math Curse
Number: VC1406 Grade Level: P/I Length: 19 min.
Reader: Ray Rosch
Author: Jon Scieszka
Illustrator: Lane Smith
When the teacher tells her class that they can think of almost everything as a math problem, one
student acquires a math anxiety which becomes a real curse. (Our Community Reads 1998
Series)
Mayday! Mayday!
Number: VC385 Grade Level: I Length: 50 min.
After a perilous crash in the mountains, young Mark and Allison set out in the wilderness to seek
help for their injured parents. The children face a series of dangers including a pack of wild dogs,
an angry rattlesnake and the ever-increasing threat of nightfall. To add to their frustrations, they
lose their survival pack and are unable to flag down a rescue plane that passes overhead. They
learn to rely on each other and courageously keep going.
Meanwhile Back at the Ranch
Number: VC1408 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
Readers: Colleen and Dean Mahoney
Author: Trinka Hakes Noble
Looking for some diversion, a bored rancher drives to the town of Sleepy Gulch little knowing
that some amazing things are happening to his wife and ranch during his absence. (Our
Community Reads 1998 Series)
Meet the Classic Authors: Dickens, Verne, Stevenson
Number: VC 159 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 15 min. each part
The purpose of this program is to introduce students to Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, Robert
Louis Stevenson, and to encourage them to read classic American literature.
Meet the Classic Authors: London, Kipling, Wells
Number: VC160 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 15 min. each part
The purpose of this program is to introduce students to Jack London, Rudyard Kipling, H. G.
Wells, and to encourage them to read classic American literature.
Meet the Classic Authors: Poe, Cooper, Irving
Number: VC161 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 15 min. each part
The purpose of this program is to introduce students to Edgar Allen Poe, Washington Irving,
James Fenimore Cooper, and to encourage them to read classic American literature.
Meet the Classic Authors: Twain, Alcott, Melville
Number: VC158 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 15 min. each part
The purpose of this program is to introduce students to Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, Herman
Melville, and to encourage them to read classic American literature.
Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
Number: VC389 Grade Level: I/J Length: 11 min.
This video helps develop an appreciation for literature based on our history, and it provides a
better understanding of the pre-revolutionary period. From the belfry steps of the Old North
Church to the Battle of Concord, the video re-creates in authentic settings the exciting events of
Longfellow's famous poem, Paul Revere's Ride.
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
Number: VC1236 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 10 min.
"Listen my children and you shall hear,
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere
On the eighteenth of April in seventy-five
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year..."
So begins one of the most famous poems in American history, a poem whose rhythms, rhyme
scheme and language capture the heart-racing mood of events that occurred on a particularly
momentous evening in the spring of 1775. Written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in the year
1866, Paul Revere's Ride tells of how a group of patriots, the Sons of Liberty, spread the word to
other American revolutionaries that the British army based in Boston was on the move against
them and their uprising.
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
Number: VC590 Grade Level: P/I Length: 30 min.
No Synopsis Available
Miller's Secret
Number: VC598 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 15 min.
This is a story that takes place in the South of France. Wheat was ground into flour by windmills
run by millers. When the steam mills came in the windmills went out, except for one. The video
explains how his secret kept his mill going.
Miss Nelson is Missing!
Number: VC1452 Grade Level: P/I Length: 6 min.
Reader: Rita Myers
Author: Harry Allard
Illustrator: James Marshall
The kids in room 207 take advantage of their teacher's good nature until she disappears and they
are faced with a vile substitute. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Molly's Pilgrim
Number: VC946 Grade Level: P/I/J/H Length: 24 min.
A young Russian Jewish girl, regularly teased by her American classmates for her ethnic
mannerisms, is given a class assignment to create a doll based on a Thanksgiving character. She
tries to make a Pilgrim doll, but her mother turns it into a Russian immigrant women doll,
because, to her mother, Russian Jews are Pilgrims too--they've come to America for religious
freedom. Molly brings the doll to class expecting further criticism from her classmates, but when
the teacher explains why the doll really does represent Thanksgiving, the class is suddenly
moved and wants to befriend Molly instead of ridicule her.
Monkey's Paw, The
Number: VC390 Grade Level: J/H Length: 27 min.
A grizzly old sailor visits an ex-shipmate, Samuel White, and his family. He leaves behind a
mystical monkey's paw said to grant the bearer three wishes. But he warns strongly against it.
However, the Whites can't resist making one humble wish. Indeed, it comes true - but in a fatal
way. The family then tries to use the paw's final wishes to reverse the tragedy, but again their
fulfilled wishes bring only sorrow.
Monkey See, Monkey Do: Verbs
Number: VC1087 Grade Level: P/I/ Length: 10 min.
This film deals with word classification. Monkeys are shown illustrating verbs, or "doing"
words. Action words from basic vocabulary lists are emphasized. Monkeys play, ride, swing,
jump, eat, and engage in other lively actions of a busy monkey day. Children see objects and
action, hear the words, think of words, read them in context, and review them in rhyme in an
engaging blend of the cognitive and the affective.
Morris, the Midget Moose
Number: VC391 Grade Level: P/I/J Length: 8 min.
Morris is a tiny moose with the largest antlers ever. He's embarrassed by his size until Balsom - a
big moose with the smallest antlers ever - shows up, and the pair learn to combine the best each
has to offer.
Mowgli's Brothers
Number: VC683 Grade Level: P/I Length: 30 min.
Based on the "Jungle Book". Learning about love, justice and the jungle code of loyalty, Mowgli
must make the ultimate choice when he challenges the jungle law to save the life of one he loves.
Mr. Lincoln’s Whiskers
Number: VC1409 Grade Level: P/I Length: 13 min.
Reader: Bob Brown
Author: Karen B. Winnick
The true story of Grace Bedell, who suggested that Abraham Lincoln grow a beard. (Our
Community Reads 1998 Series)
Mr. Rabbit & the Lovely Present
Number: VC1439 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
Reader: Dawn Harlow
Author: Charlotte Zolotow
Mr. Rabbit helps a young girl find a present for her mother, whose favorite colors are red,
yellow, green, and blue. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters
Number: VC1450 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
Reader: Marcia Banta
Author: Steptoe, John, 1950Mufaro's two beautiful daughters, one bad-tempered, one kind and sweet, go before the king,
who is choosing a wife. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Night Before Christmas
Number: VC1591 Grade Level: P Length 8 min.
This is the famous story by Clement Moore beautifully illustrated by Jan Brett.
El Nino
Number: VC1677
Grade Level: I/J/H
Length: 50 min.
Mike Wallace explores the history and mysteries and breakthroughs within the scientific world—
in this case El Nino.
North Winds And The Sun
Number: VC1090 Grade Level: P/I Length: 9 min.
From Greek and African legends come this story of the rivalry between two giant forces of
nature: the North Wind and the Sun. Because the North Wind cannot understand why he is not as
popular as the Sun, he proposes a contest to prove which is the stronger of the two. In the end,
the North Wind loses and viewers learn two valuable pieces of advice: that it is better to consider
what you are going to say before you say it, and that being the strongest does not necessarily
mean being the best.
Numbers Express
Number: VC1687
Grade Level: P
Length: 24 min.
A friendly engineer takes children on an exciting journey that introduces numbers, number
relationships and counting skill. Catchy, interactive songs and games educate and entertain
children as they ride the rails in a turn-of-the-century steam engine. Along the way, the Numbers
Express engineer invites children to play skill developing songs, games and activities. Included
at the end of this program is a segment that provides helpful tips, ideas and hands-on activities to
enhance a child’s learning experience.
Odessey, I: The Structure of the Epic
Number: VC860 Grade Level: J/H Length: 28 min.
Gilbert Highet exposes three interlocking tales: the story of Odysseus' escape from the island and
his return to Ithaca; the story of his son's growth to manhood; and finally, a flashback that
recounts Odysseus' wandering adventures.
Odessey, II: The Return of Odysseus
Number: VC861 Grade Level: J/H Length: 26 min.
This program focuses on Odysseus' actions after his return to Ithaca, showing how they reveal
his true character -- especially his cleverness and his courage.
Odessey, III: The Central Themes
Number: VC862 Grade Level: J/H Length: 29 min.
Gilbert Highet shows that the three diverging themes in The Odyssey are based on a moral truth:
Heroism demands both bravery and intelligence.
Officer Buckle and Gloria
Number: VC1418 Grade Level: P/I Length: 8 min.
Reader: Jack Baldwin
Author: Peggy Rathmann
The children at Napville Elementary School always ignore Officer Buckle's safety tips, until a
police dog named Gloria accompanies him when he gives his safety speeches. (Our Community
Reads 1998 Series)
Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
Number: VC1422 Grade Level: P/I Length: 9 min.
Reader: Dave Self
Author: Dr. Seuss
Advice in rhyme for proceeding in life; weathering fear, loneliness, and confusion; and being in
charge of your actions. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Old MacDonald Duck
Number: VC397 Grade Level: P/I Length; 8 min.
Donald does his chores and becomes increasingly frustrated by a pesky fly.
Old Yeller
Number: VC398 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 28 min.
A battle-scarred mongrel and a young boy struggling to fill his father's shoes from a touching
alliance of need and love. But when Old Yeller contracts rabies, the boy faces an agonizing
moment alone as he crosses the frontier from boyhood to manhood.
Once There was a Tree
Number: VC1451 Grade Level: P/I Length: 6 min.
Reader: John Tait
Author: Natalia Romanova
An old stump attracts many living creatures, even man, and when it is gone, a new tree attracts
the same creatures, who need it for a variety of reasons. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
One Gorilla
Number: VC1441 Grade Level: P/I Length: 4 min.
Reader: Keith Havens
Author: Atsuko Morozumi
A playful gorilla takes the reader/listener on a wild counting adventure. (Our Community Reads
1998 Series)
One Hundred Hungry Ants
Number: VC1462 Grade Level: P/I Length: 6 min.
Reader: Dennis Riendeau
Author: Elinor J. Pinczes
Illustrator: Bonnie MacKain
Children will learn the art of division as a group of enterprising ants divides and subdivides in
search of a picnic. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
One-Eyed Cat (Part 1)
Number: VC1437 Grade Level: P/I Length: 27 min.
Reader: Dana Boyd
Author: Paula Fox
An eleven-year-old shoots a stray cat with his new air rifle, subsequently suffers from guilt, and
eventually assumes responsibility for it. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
One-Eyed Cat (Part 2)
Number: VC1438 Grade Level: P/I Length: 9 min.
Reader: Dana Boyd
Author: Paula Fox
An eleven-year-old shoots a stray cat with his new air rifle, subsequently suffers from guilt, and
eventually assumes responsibility for it. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Origin of Writing and the Alphabet
Number: VC1582
Grade Level: I/J/H
Length: 22 min.
Students are shown the development of writing, beginning with the evolution of pictures and the
progressions into ideographic representation. It includes analysis of how the Phoenicians
changed writing and shows the evolution of pictographs and ideographs into alphabetic systems,
which simplify the writing process and make the written word accessible to the masses. (10/02)
Orphan Train Rider
Number: VC1429 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
Reader: E. Roland Brown
Author: Andrea Warren
Discusses the placement of over 200,000 orphaned or abandoned children in homes throughout
the Midwest from 1854 to 1929 by recounting the story of one boy and his brothers. (Our
Community Reads 1998 Series)
Painting the Wind
Number: VC1449 Grade Level: P/I Length: 19 min.
Reader: Stan Lyman
Author: Michelle Dionetti
Illustrator: Kevin Hawkes
Entranced by the paintings of the unconventional artist Vincent Van Gogh, for whom her mother
is working as a housekeeper, Claudine is saddened when the townspeople turn against him. (Our
Community Reads 1998 Series)
Paul Bunyan
Number: VC402 Grade Level: P/I/J Length: 17 min.
Enjoy the larger-than-life legend of the giant lumberjack and his blue ox, Babe - the greatest
logging team in the West!
Pecos Bill
Number: VC403 Grade Level: P Length: 17 min.
Pecos Bill, who embodies the essence of the American cowboy in the days of the "Lone Prairie."
Raised by coyotes, Bill grows up to perform such remarkable feats as "out-loping" antelope,
riding a cyclone and digging the Rio Grande and the Grand Canyon.
Pecos Bill
Number: VC1410 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
Reader: Carl White
Author: Steven Kellogg
Incidents from the life of Pecos Bill, from his childhood among the coyotes to his unusual
wedding day. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Planets (Eyewitness)
Number: VC1689
Grade Level: I/J
Length: 30 min.
Which planet would float in your bathtub if you had one that was big enough? What is the fireand-brimstone world of Venus really like? Planets journeys through space and time, witnessing
the birth of the sun and traveling to the outer limits of the solar system. The “journey” includes
visits to Earth’s close neighbors in space.
Plato’s Journey
Number:VC1653
Grade Level:P
Length:15 min.
After a series of lies told to him by other animals Plato goes on a journey to Olympia to compete
in a nonexistent goat race, he returns hurt and humiliated. End pages in an accompanying book
provide information about Greece and the Olympic games. The instructional goals are: 1)To
promote honesty as a virtue; 2) To explore the nature of different kinds of falsehoods and their
possible consequences; 3) To identify the hurtful consequences of dishonesty and deception; 4)
To present information about the history and culture of Greece; and 5) To provide information
about goats and other domestic animals.
Prefixes
Number: VC1077 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
A missing code word, a forgetful secret agent, and a winter snow festival provide the zany
backdrop for a vocabulary lesson on prefixes. The story begins as an absent-minded agent
discovers he has forgotten the secret code, a prefix, which he must use to identify himself to his
fellow agent. As the bumbling agent tries to locate the missing agent and prefix, viewers learn
about prefixes and their meanings. A prefix is defined as a letter or group of letters added to the
beginning of a word to change its meaning. Fifteen prefixes are presented visually as well as
orally.
The Principal’s New Clothes
Number: VC1411 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
Reader: Craig Lenzmeier
Author: Stephanie Calmenson
In this version of the Andersen tale the vain principal of P.S. 88 is persuaded by two tailors that
they will make him an amazing, one-of-a-kind, suit that will be visible only to intelligent people
who are good at their jobs. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
Number: VC716 Grade Level: J/H Length: 14 min.
This video is narrated by a man who gives a description about each of the characters. They are
all staying at the Tabard Inn on their way to Canterbury to visit the shrine of St. Thomas a
Becket.
Puffin Adventures (Audubon)
Number: VC1690
Grade Level: P/I
Length: 30 min.
Common Puffins spend their summers on the rocky shores on both sides of the Atlantic mating,
nesting, and raising families. They fly away in fall to spend the winter floating at sea—braving
fierce North Atlantic storms and chilly temperatures. But despite their amusing appearance, the
puffin’s life is one of constant struggle—and they face adversity with sheer determination and
strength.
Q is for Duck
NumberVC1464 Grade Level: P/I Length: 7 min.
Reader: Lorraine Hogaboam
Author: Mary Elting and Michael Folsom
While learning some facts about animals, the reader is challenged to guess why A is for zoo, B is
for dog, and C is for hen. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Quest
Number: VC1327 Grade Level: J/H Length: 30 min.
A visual spectacle written for the screen by Ray Bradbury. Quest is the story of a race of people
trapped on a strange planet where lack of sunlight and vegetation has reduced the life span to
eight short days. From the children born to this doomed race one child is selected to dispel the
darkness. Following in the footsteps of others who have tried before, he must find and open a
vast gate, letting in the Light which will bring peace and long life to his people.
The Quilt Story
Number: VC1456 Grade Level: P/I Length: 7min.
Reader: Joy Rapp
Author: Tony Johnston
Illustrator: Tomie De Paola
A pioneer mother lovingly stitches a beautiful quilt which warms and comforts her daughter
Abigail; many years later another mother mends and patches it for her little girl. (Our
Community Reads 1998 Series)
Ransom of Red Chief, The
Number: VC415 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 27 min.
A 1920s atmosphere sets off this zany story of two inept kidnappers who think that snatching the
son of a banker in a sleepy Alabama town will make them some fast and easy money. Sam and
Bill soon find out that young Johnny ("Red Chief, terror of the plains") is a handful. They cut the
kidnapping short and rush to pick up the money, but find the tables again turned.
A Regular Flood of Mishap
NumberVC1461 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
Reader: Jimelle Martin
Author: Tom Birdseye
Illustrator: Megan Lloyd
Six-year-old Ima Bean sets off such a "flood of mishaps" when she tries to help her grandpa that
she begins to worry whether she will ever be forgiven. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Reluctant Dragon, The
Number: VC416 Grade Level: P/I Length: 19 min.
The villagers believe all dragons are pests so they enlist the help of Sir Giles to dispose of one.
But this dragon would rather read poetry than fight!
Richard Scarry’s Best Counting Video Ever!
Number: VC1691
Grade Level: P
Length: 30 min.
Children will love helping Lily Bunny count from 1 to 20! “Tra la la, 1, 2, 3, come along and
count with me,” is the song that Lily sings as she starts off on her counting adventure. Along the
way she meets Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, Wrong-Way Roger, Bananas Gorilla, and many other
delightful Richard Scarry characters who each help her find funny things to count.
Rip Van Winkle
Number: VC599 Grade Level: P/I/J Length: 30 min.
No Synopsis Available
Roads to Canterbury
Number: VC717 Grade Level: J/H Length: 20 min.
The objectives of this video are to: teach students the historical background of The Canterbury
Tales, explain the significance of the many cathedrals in medieval England, explain the impact of
saints on people during medieval times, teach students how Christianity was taught and spread
throughout England, explain the importance of pilgrimages in medieval times.
Rolling Rice Ball, The
Number: VC760 Grade Level: P Length: 11 min.
This video shows: why the animals loved the woodcutter; the woodcutter's visit to the Land of
the Mice; what the mice gave the woodcutter; the greedy hunter's visit to the Land of the Mice;
why the hunter decided to become like the woodcutter.
Romeo & Juliet Part I
Number: VC64 Grade Level: J/H Length: 55 min.
No Synopsis Available
Romeo & Juliet Part II
Number: VC65 Grade Level: J/H Length: 111 min.
No Synopsis Available
Room for Heroes
Number: VC422 Grade Level: P/I/J Length: 14 min.
Introduces youngsters to some important folks from our American heritage: Johnny Appleseed,
Pecos Bill, Casey Jones, and Davy Crockett! Students will love the exploits of the legendary
heroes who represent American ideals, characteristics, and humor.
The Rough-Face Girl
Number: VC1407 Grade Level: P/I Length: 14 min.
Reader: Marilyn Huffaker
Author: Rafe Martin
In this Algonquin Indian version of the Cinderella story, the Rough-Face Girl and her two
beautiful but heartless sisters compete for the affections of the Invisible Being. (Our Community
Reads 1998 Series)
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (Part I)
Number: VC1424 Grade Level: P/I Length: 18 min.
Reader: William F. Davis
Author: Eleanor Coerr
Hospitalized with the dreaded atom bomb disease, leukemia, a child in Hiroshima races against
time to fold one thousand paper cranes to verify the legend that by doing so a sick person will
become healthy. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (Part II)
Number: VC1425 Grade Level: P/I Length: 23 min.
Reader: William F. Davis
Author: Eleanor Coerr
Illustrator: Ed Young
Hospitalized with the dreaded atom bomb disease, leukemia, a child in Hiroshima races against
time to fold one thousand paper cranes to verify the legend that by doing so a sick person will
become healthy. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Saga of Windwagon Smith, The
Number: VC423 Grade Level: P/I/J Length: 13 min.
Celebrate American ingenuity in this tall tale as Captain Windwagon Smith travels the prairie in
a schooner outfitted with mast, sails, and other seagoing equipment.
Saving Sweetness
Number: VC1423 Grade Level: P/I Length: 14 min.
Reader: Jarrett Fishpaw
Author: Diane Stanley
Illustrator: G. Brian Karas
The sheriff of a dusty western town rescues Sweetness, an unusually resourceful orphan, from
nasty old Mrs. Sump and her terrible orphanage. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Sea Squares
Number: VC1432 Grade Level: P/I Length: 5 min.
Reader: Mia Carlson
Author: Joy N. Hulme
Illustrator: Carol Schwartz
Rhyming text and illustrations of such sea animals as whale, gulls, clown fish, and seal provide
opportunities to practice counting and squaring numbers from one to ten. (Our Community
Reads 1998 Series)
Secret Garden, The
Number: VC249 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 107 min.
Mary Lennox, a recently-orphaned little girl, is sent to live in her uncle's oppressive house on the
Yorkshire moors. Still mourning the death of his wife, the bitter man often leaves Mary in the
servant's care. At first spoiled and unruly, the child begins to change when she discovers her
dead aunt's secret garden. She also discovers her young cousin, who has become bedridden
because he believes he's deformed, and through their experiences in the garden both children
bring life back to the gloomy estate as they find new strength in themselves.
Seven Blind Mice
Number: VC1420 Grade Level: P/I Length: 12 min.
Reader: A. L. (Butch) Alford
Author: Ed Young
Retells in verse the Indian fable of the blind men discovering different parts of an elephant and
arguing about its appearance. The illustrations depict the blind arguers as mice. (Our
Community Reads 1998 Series)
Shane
Number: VC226 Grade Level: H/Teacher Length: 117 min.
Based on Jack Shaeffer's novel, the story brings Alan Ladd, a drifter and retired gunfighter, to
the assistance of a homestead family terrorized by an aging cattleman and his hired gun.
Sheep Crossing
Number: VC1692
Grade Level: P/I
Length: 26 min.
With on-location footage of farms and fairs throughout New England, children explore the world
of sheep and wool The video features children working with young lambs, border collies at
work and a visit to spinneries to discover how yarn is made.
Sheep in a Shop
Number: VC1459 Grade Level: P/I Length: 5 min.
Reader: Bonnie Votaw
Author: Nancy (Nancy E.) Shaw
Illustrator: Margot Apple
Sheep hunt for a birthday present and make havoc of the shop, only to discover they haven't the
money to pay for things. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Signals for Sense (Punctuation Marks)
Number: VC1268 Grade Level: 1-4 Length: 11 min.
Punctuation? Who needs it? What’s it for? Singing, dancing punctuation marks act out their
special roles to show how these important signals help us make sense out of the sentences we
read or write. Delightful animation, special effects, and a fancifully imaginative talking dog help
us see how sentences are meant to look and sound when periods, commas, questions marks,
exclamation points, and capital letters are used correctly.
Silver Blaze
Number: VC121 Grade Level: J/H Length: 31 min.
Christopher Plummer stars as Sherlock Holmes in one of the legendary detective's most famous
adventures, involving the theft of a race horse, Silver Blaze, and the mysterious death of his
trainer.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: A Lesson in Cooperation
Number: VC439 Grade Level: P Length: 9 min.
The narrator draws from Snow White how cooperation makes life run more smoothly.
Solar Sea
Number: VC1688
Grade Level: I/J/H
Length: 60 min.
This video presents an unprecedented view of a power beyond the grasp of human imagination.
Experience the amazing effect of solar wind raging through the cosmos at a million miles per
hour. Look down from outer space at the fiery ring of gases known as Aurora Borealis. Bear
witness to the awesome power of the solar sea’s sunspots and flares in the most dazzling light
show ever seen from Planet Earth.
Soldier's Home
Number: VC246 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 41 min.
Harold Krebs went off to fight World War I. Then he came home...and found himself wishing it
had never ended. To Earnest Hemingway, the hardest part of the war was coming home.
Soup and Me
Number: VC446 Grade Level: I Length: 24 min.
Every time Rob and Soup get together, things start to hilariously go wrong. A genius for getting
in trouble, Soup and his side-splitting pranks turn the town upside down.
Squirrels Are Up; Squirrels Are Down: Adverbials of Place
Number: VC1088 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
Using high-interest visuals of animal, this video shows that language and reading are fun. A
controlled vocabulary is presented orally and visually. Rhyme, music, and linguistic patterning
combine good learning with good feelings.
Statue of Liberty
Number: VC1404 Grade Level: P/I Length: 7 min.
Reader: Jan Vassar
Author: Lucille Recht Penner
The story describes the construction and symbolism of the Statue of Liberty. (Our Community
Reads 1998 Series)
Stellaluna
Number: VC1433 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
Reader: John Weibler
Author: Janell Cannon
After she falls headfirst into a bird's nest, a baby bat is raised like a bird until she is reunited with
her mother. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Stephanie’s Ponytail
Number: VC1440 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
Reader: Susan Hutchinson
Author: Robert N. Munsch
The logical position for a ponytail on Stephanie’s head becomes a riotous adventure. (Our
Community Reads 1998 Series)
Tacky the Penguin
Number: VC1445 Grade Level: P/I Length: 6 min.
Reader: Jeff Hall
Author: Helen Lester
Illustrator: Lynn Munsinger
Tacky the penguin does not fit in with his sleek and graceful companions, but his odd behavior
comes in handy when hunters come with maps and traps. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Tap Dance Kid, The
Number: VC455 Grade Level: I/J Length: 33 min.
Eight-year-old Willie Sheridan tap dances through his days dreaming of performing on
Broadway. Encouraged and tutored by his Uncle Dipsey, a professional dancer, but strongly
opposed by his father, Willie finds that his 12-year-old sister Emma is the only one willing to
help him attain his goal.
Teammates
Number: VC1463 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
Reader: Lawrence Norris
Author: Peter Golenbock
Illustrator: Paul Bacon
This describes the racial prejudice experienced by Jackie Robinson when he joined the Brooklyn
Dodgers and became the first black player in major League baseball and depicts the acceptance
and support he received from his white teammate Pee Wee Reese. (Our Community Reads 1998
Series)
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney
Number: VC1447 Grade Level: P/I Length: 7 min.
Reader: Helen Binninger
Author: Judith Viorst
Illustrator: Erik Blegvad
In an attempt to overcome his grief, a boy tries to think of the ten best things about his dead
cat. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Thank You, Meiling
Number:VC1654
Grade Level:P
Length:15 min.
An illmannered duck learns how to be courteous on a trip to the market with a Chinese boy who is
buying mooncakes and lanterns to celebrate the Mid-autumn (Moon) Festival. It includes
information about the phases of the moon, Chinese history and culture, and the Moon Festival.
There is an accompanying book. The instructional goals are: 1) To discuss the importance of
courtesy in our daily lives; 2) To identify courteous behaviors; 3) To encourage students to use
courteous behaviors; 4) To present information about China and its people; 5) To present
information about ducks; and 6) To present information about the moon.
That’s Good! That’s Bad!
Number: VC1427 Grade Level: P/I Length: 6 min.
Reader: Jennifer Holly
Author: Margery Cuyler
Illustrator: David Catrow
A little boy has a series of adventures and misadventures with a bunch of wild animals. (Our
Community Reads 1998 Series)
Tortoise and the Hare, The
Number: VC464 Grade Level: P Length: 8 min.
There's a lot of fun as well as an important lesson to be learned in this familiar tale that illustrates
the winning qualities of modesty and perseverance.
Tragedie of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, The
Number: VC465 Grade Level: H Length: 22 min.
The drama and flavor of Elizabethan England are brought to life in this video which depicts a
rehearsal wherein Shakespeare and contemporary Richard Burbage work through some of
Hamlet's principal soliloquies. Viewers are not only afforded a glimpse into the play's most
integral scenes, but are also offered a unique line-by-line analysis, and an insight into plot and
character, by the playwright himself.
Tragedie of Macbeth, The
Number: VC466 Grade Level: H Length: 20 min.
This backstage dramatization of an actual Globe Theater rehearsal shows how Shakespeare
directed his actors by offering them his own insights into the play's most integral passages. This
guidance provides viewers with a unique understanding of the troubled, yet murderous persona
of Macbeth during key portions of the play. Viewers will also recognize how Shakespeare used
actual events of the time to form provocative undercurrents in this tragedy.
Tragedy to Triumph
Number: VC1193 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 37 min.
Blind and deaf from the age of nineteen months, Helen Keller became known as "The Wonder of
the World" and one of the foremost women of our time. This video tells the story of this amazing
women. Revealing how she went from an undisciplined child with severe challenges to one of
the true heroes of our world. We also meet the author of this miracle, Helen's teacher, Annie
Sullivan. And we learn first hand how this transformation took place.
Treasure Island
Number: VC467 Grade Level: I/J Length: 30 min.
It's all here: Thrilling moments from Stevenson's most famous adventure tale, translated to the
screen in brilliant, colorful detail! Students will be caught up at once in the action and excitement
of Jim Hawkins' thrilling journey across high seas and his battle of wits with Long John Silver in
search for buried treasure.
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Number: VC1401 Grade Level: P/I Length: 8 min.
Reader: Fred Fickenwirth
Author: Jon Scieszka
The wolf gives his own outlandish version of what really happened when he tangled with the
three little pigs. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Number: VC470 Grade Level: P/I/J/H Length: 25 min.
A human family and a mouse family, an anonymous letter in a newspaper that denies Santa is
real, a Santa with hurt feelings who decides not to include a town on his Christmas Eve rounds these are the charming elements that help to enrich and enlarge this animated adaptation of
Clement Moore's traditional poem.
Twelve Months, The
Number: VC600 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
This is story of a girl and her cruel stepmother and stepsister. The greed of the stepmother and
stepsister led to their demise while the girl showed that sharing was always in season.
Two Bad Ants
Number: VC1436 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
Reader: Jim Fisher
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
When two bad ants desert from their colony, they experience a dangerous adventure that
convinces them to return to their former safety. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Velveteen Rabbit, The
Number: VC601 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
No Synopsis Available
Visit With Tomie dePaola
Number: VC1028 Grade Level: P/I Length: 30 min.
Tomie dePaola is an artist who writes and illustrates books for children. Every day he gets lots of
letters from friends all over the world. If he visits everyone who invited him, he wouldn't have
time to write and to draw! Instead, in this videotape, he opens his home and 200-year-old
barn/studio for a tour and some conversation about how he creates his books and artwork.
Tomie believes that being an artist is the way you live your life. See how he lives his and enjoy a
visit with Tomie dePaola.
Volcano: Nature’s Inferno
Number: VC16
58Grade Level: 4-9 Length: 59 min.
Travel around the world for a firsthand look at volcanoes—perhaps the most dazzling but
destructive natural force on earth. Massive volcanic eruption can turn day into night, releasing
the power of an atomic blast, spewing toxic avalanches of lava, gas, and ash. National
Geographic Video transports you to some of the world’s most notorious volcanoes, including
Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines and Japan’s Mount Unzen. Join volcanologists in their
dangerous quest to forecast eruptions and save lives, putting you in the middle of the explosive
excitement and human drama of Volcano: Nature’s Inferno. (Closed Captioned)
Vowels: What Are Letters For Series (Revised)
Number: VC1084 Grade Level: P/I Length: 14 min.
To help children learn and remember the relationship between sounds and letters, teachers often
give them key words. This film provides "key motion picture words:" memorable, colorful, and
humorous scenes combined with word sounds and superimposed letters and words. The film
opens with the ABC song and a brief answer to the question, "What are letters for?" Then, for
each long and short sound of the vowels, children see the letter and pictures that vividly
represent a word with the letter in an initial or medial position. They see and hear the related
words, and can read and say then with the narrator.
Washington Irving's New York
Number: VC577 Grade Level: J/H Length: 30 min.
This video looks at the life and the writings of Washington Irving.
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
Number: VC1431 Grade Level: P/I Length: 5 min.
Reader: Keri-Ann Andrews
Author: Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
Brave bear hunters go through grass, a river, mud, and other obstacles before the inevitable
encounter with the bear forces a headlong retreat. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
What Are Letters For: Consonant Blends and Combinations
Number: VC1082 Grade Level: P/I Length: 13 min.
The video opens with the ABC song and a brief answer to the question, "What are letters for?"
Then, for each consonant, children see the letter and pictures that vividly represent a word with
the letter in an initial position. They see and hear the related words. and can read and say them
with the narrator. Their visual/oral/aural involvement is entertaining and memorable.
What Are Letters For: Vowel Combinations
Number: VC1081 Grade Level: P Length: 11 min.
In order to read, spell, and write, children must grasp the ways vowels work in English. This film
makes that difficult task vivid, fun, and memorable through a combination of visuals and graphic
demonstrations of the various vowel combinations. When Tumbleweed Tom meets the Cactus
Bug, they team up to visit a ranch and a fair, finding as many vowel combinations as they can.
When the Earth Quakes
Number: VC166
1Grade Level: 4-9 Length: 28 min.
Earthquakes have been recorded throughout history, and they have occurred all over the world
without warning. But despite intensive study, scientists have yet to perfect a formula for
predicting earthquakes. The frightening fact is that few regions of the world are completely safe
from seismic activity, and where quakes have struck before, they are sure to strike again. Take
an around-the-world look at earthquakes, one of nature’s deadliest forces. (Closed Captioned)
Where the Red Fern Grows
Number: VC1434 Grade Level: P/I Length: 18 min.
Reader: Bob Gilbert
Author: Wilson Rawls
A young boy living in the Ozarks achieves his heart's desire when he becomes the owner of two
Redbone hounds and teaches them to be champion hunters. (Our Community Reads 1998
Series)
White Dynamite and Curly Kidd
Number: VC1417 Grade Level: P/I Length: 7 min.
Reader: Lori Hurd
Author: Bill Martin and John Archambault
Illustrator: Ted Rand
Lucky Kidd watches her father ride a mean bull at the rodeo and thinks about becoming a bull
rider herself. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Whitefish Will Rides Again
Number: VC1403 Grade Level: P/I Length: 8 min.
Reader: Mike Hill
Author: Arthur Yorinks
A madcap western that proves harmonica tootin’ is mightier than pistol shootin’. (Our
Community Reads 1998 Series)
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge
Number: VC1444 Grade Level: P/I Length: 6 min.
Reader: Dr. John Rusche
Author: Mem Fox
Illustrator: Julie Vivas
A small boy tries to discover the meaning of "memory" so he can restore that of an elderly
friend. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
William Shakespeare: Background For the Works
Number: VC488 Grade Level: J/H Length: 18 min.
This enlightening program presents scenes from Shakespeare's plays, examples of his stagecraft
and the landscapes in which many of his plots are set. Examines how his life, locale and times
shaped literature.
William Shakespeare: Background For His Works
Number: VC1269 Grade Level: J/H Length: 22 min.
Behind the genius that has given the works of Shakespeare their preeminent position in the
literature of the English language is the Renaissance world of Elizabethan England. Scenes from
Shakespeare's plays illuminate the theater for which he wrote, while archival prints reveal
changes in society that influenced his selection of sources, settings and themes. As we follow the
evolution of his career as actor, playwright and theater shareholder through the reigns of
Elizabeth I and James I, we discover the values that give their timeless appeal.
Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore
Number: VC489 Grade Level: P/I Length: 26 min.
Poor Eeyore is even more depressed than usual because he thinks his friends have forgotten his
birthday. When Pooh discovers this, he and his friends try to patch things up in their delightfully
innocent way. Though things don't go exactly as planned, Eeyore realizes that it's the thought
that counts, and it becomes a happy day for him after all.
Word Families
Number: VC1080 Grade Level: P/I Length: 9 min.
A ride on an old steam train combines entertainment and learning. Using high interest visuals
and an inventive story line, students are introduced to the concept of word families. The
definition of a word family as words that have the same ending letters is emphasized throughout
the video. New words are formed by substituting consonant letters at the beginning of each word.
Words are presented orally and visually. The video is intended to stimulate a greater
understanding of how words are put together, and to aid in rapid word recognition.
Word Wise: Compund Words
Number: VC1076 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
The concept of compound words is taught via a canoe trip down the Colorado River. Viewers are
taught the process of forming new words by combining two words of different meanings into one
compound word with still another meaning. Words like backpack, pancake, dishpan, waterfall,
and toothbrush are taught.
Word Wise: Homonyms
Number: VC1156 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
If your students found a book of secret homonym passwords, would they know how to use it to
find the Sunken City of Homonym Bay? With the famous Daisy Daring leading the way, this
film will show them how, as well as showing them some lovely Caribbean scenery and
underwater photography. Daisy is shopping at a seaside store when a red scarved scuba diver
drops the mysterious book. With the aid of her friend, Captain Largo, Daisy sets out to follow the
clues that might lead to the legendary City in the Bay.
Word Wise: Root Words
Number: VC1078 Grade Level: P/I Length: 12 min.
Was this video really made by a visitor from another planet? the audience must decide for
themselves as they watch the Amazing Root Word Report. The film follows the adventures of a
spaceman disguised as an Earthling, as he attempts to learn about root or base words. He
discovers that a root or base word is the main part of a word. It tells what the word is mainly
about. Prefixes or suffixes (or both) can be added to the root word, but adding these suffixes
changes the word's meaning or how it is used. Twenty root or base words are presented orally
and visually forming more than forty four different words.
Word Wise: Suffixes
Number: VC1079 Grade Level: P/I Length: 12 min.
In this imaginative video, the people of the Hawaiian Islands find out what it would be like if
suffixes disappeared from our language. With the help of Dr. Judith Cook of the American
Suffix Society, the islanders (and the video audience) discover that a suffix is a letter or group of
letters added to the end of a word which gives that wood a new meaning or changes the way it
can be used in a sentence. As Dr. Cook and the island people solve this strange case of the
disappearing suffixes, they lean basic rules for affixing suffixes to words. Thirteen suffixes are
presented orally and visually throughout the video.
The Wreck of the Zephyr
Number: VC1414 Grade Level: P/I Length: 14 min.
Reader: Mike Grubbs
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
A boy's ambition to be the greatest sailor in the world brings him to ruin when he misuses his
new ability to sail his boat in the air. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
The Wretched Stone
Number: VC1412 Grade Level: P/I Length: 9 min.
Reader: Melva Prasil
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
A strange glowing stone picked up on a sea voyage captivates a ship's crew and has a terrible
transforming effect on them. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Writing Place, The: " The Fisherman and His Wife": Setting the Scene
Number: VC844 Grade Level: I/J Length: 15 min.
When a student chooses a story to read, it is the time and place that first shows them a different
world. The students who ask the big question, "Where and when does it take place?" will begin
to write stories full of such sights and sensations. As we follow the fisherman and his wife in
their move from shack to cottage to castle, out to the barnacled rock and back, we learn how
changes of setting affect personality, relationship, atmosphere, and the adjectives which describe
time and place. With these tools, the students will know how to show us a world by setting the
scene.
Writing Place, The: "Mollie Whuppie": Plots and Plans
Number: VC845 Grade Level: I/J Length: 15 min.
"What do I write about?" and, "how?' are the big questions writers struggle to answer when they
sit down to write. By looking at the life of Mollie Whuppie on the day when everything changes,
the students will discover how a story begins, develops and a probable middle, and reaches its
necessary end. As Mollie Whuppie escapes from the giant only to return again and again, we see
how point of attack, exposition, foreshadowing, and repetition structure actions to make sense
and give pleasure. By the end of the program, the students will understand how much control
they have as they plan their plots.
Writing Place, The: "Mr. Nitechka, The Tailor": Meet and Make Characters
Number: VC846 Grade Level: I/J Length: 15 min.
The eight qualities and the big questions allow students to follow a character as it is created. On
his way to the western city, Mr. Nitechka meets people with unique looks, needs, moods, and
wants. As he finds friends and enemies, the tailor must think and make the decisions which
develop his character and help him face his future. With these questions and qualities, students
will be able to meet characters in the world and make characters on the page.
Writing Place, The: "The Monk, the Croc, The River Snake": What They Say They Saw
Number: VC848 Grade Level: I/J Length: 15 min.
By asking the big questions, "Where does the story stand?" and, "Who tells the story?" the
students begin to recognize how point of view and the narrator control the way we see the world.
In first and third person versions of the same story, the Monk, the Croc, and the River Snake
show us the events through objective, subjective, stream of consciousness, and omniscient points
of view. When the program is over, the students will understnad how what we see and what we
know can change according to who is saying what they saw.
Writing Place, The: "Wiley and the Hairy Man": The Story Step-by-Step
Number: VC847 Grade Level: I/J Length: 15 min.
Through nine story steps and nine big questions, the students will understand the construction of
a story, step by step. As Wiley and the Hairy Man fight tooth and nail to get what they want, we
watch a classic, climactic plot take shape. When Disturbance means the Hairy man with his eyes
burning like fire and Plan means Wiley snatching a pig from the pen, the steps become active
and memorable. These nine story steps will allow the students to observe critically, discuss
precisely, and craft their own stories more skillfully--one step at a time.
You Can Write Anything! Beginnings
Number: VC852 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
The objectives are: to emphasize that writers must catch their readers' interest or the readers will
not read on, to illustrate some effective beginnings, to demonstrate that rewriting is part of
writing.
You Can Write Anything! Getting Ideas
Number: VC849 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
The objectives are: to show that writers are observant and that they can get ideas from anyone
and anything, to indicate that anyone can write, to demonstrate that sharing ideas is the start of
the writing process, to illustrate that a writer's personal experience is a good starting point for
writing.
You Can Write Anything! Reports
Number: VC857 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
The objectives are: to show that to write a good report writers must: (a) ask themselves what they
wish to know, (b) find the answers through research and interview techniques, (c) stick to the
facts, (d) eliminate their irrelevant, (e) organize their findings, (f) make a writing plan, (g) write
precisely and concisely, to motivate students to research a chosen topic and to write a report on
it.
You Can Write Anything! Stories 1: Planning
Number: VC853 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
Uncle Willard tells Amanda that putting yourself into your story and telling it from your own
point of view is one way to make it more exciting; also Amanda learns to importance of
planning her story before she writes it. (Close-Captioned)
You Can Write Anything! Stories 2: Characters
Number: VC854 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
Amanda and Keith discuss the stories they will enter into a contest. J.J. suggests that Amanda
correct the spelling and punctuation and edit her story, and that Keith should develop his hero’s
character more before they send their stories in. (Close-Captioned)
You Can Write Anything! Stories 3: Endings
Number: VC855 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
As a result of an adventure, Amanda and J.J. discuss different types of story endings and the
elements that make up a good ending. (Close-Captioned)
You Can Write Anything!: The Power of Words
Number: VC856 Grad Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
The objectives are: to focus on the power of language by illustrating the effect on the
listener/reader of the right word at the right time, to illustrate how analogies are an effective
means towards powerful language, to demonstrate that ads, letter writing, and advice columns
provide other means of communicating an effective message.
You Can Write Anything! Unlock Your Imagination|
Number: VC850 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
The objectives are: to stimulate writers to unlock their imaginations by applying the "What if"
technique to any person, place thing, situation, or even book character to create a new
imaginative story, to provide an imaginary story stimulus about a "Qwert", to demonstrate the
importance of proper setting in the development of a realistic imaginary story.
You Can Write Anything! Using Words
Number: VC851 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
The objectives are: to show that writers paint pictures in words for their readers, to illustrate that
writers use their senses when they create word pictures and focus on details, to help students
realize that their choice of words can result in accurate or inaccurate perceptions by the reader.
You Can Write Anything! Writing a Play
Number: VC858 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
The objectives are: to summarize and review the main points about writing presented in the
series, to indicate that written dialogue must match the character of the speaker, to indicate that
the stage directions provide the setting and tome of a play, to motivate the writing of a play.
You Don’t Look 40, Charlie Brown!
Number: VC1030 Grade Level: P/I/J/H Length: 47 min.
This is a fun-packed celebration of Charlie Brown and friends. Clips from favorite Peanuts
shows, interviews with series creator Charles Schulz and guest performances comprise a very
special program. Join the fun and witness how Snoopy’s voice is created. Learn the story
behind the creation of Linus’s security blanket. Find out where the Charlie Brown/Lucy football
gag came from. Dance to the first music video of the famed “Linus and Lucy” Peanuts theme.
These and much more are yours to enjoy.
The Z was Zapped
Number: VC1448 Grade Level: P/I Length: 7 min.
Reader: Lynn Moss
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Depicts how A was in an avalanche, B was badly bitten, C was cut to ribbons, and the other
letters of the alphabet suffered similar mishaps. (Our Community Reads 1998 Series)
Zoo Crew (What do you want to be when you grow up?
Number: VC1693
Grade Level: P
Length: 30 min.
Filmed at the world famous Cincinnati, San Antonio and Forth Worth Zoos, Zoo Crew shows
you the people who care for, and help conserve animals (and bugs!) from the outside world.