TED Talks are excellent resources for the classroom. There is a TED Talk for nearly every topic! Whether you are teaching academic content or a life skill, TED Talks allow students to hear about the topic from another perspective. TED Talks are engaging and hook the viewer to keep watching. Read on to learn about some of our favorite TED Talks for Middle Schoolers!
1. A Pro Wrestler's Guide to Confidence
Help your students build confidence by listening to the personal story of Mike Kinney. Students who struggle with a constant fear of rejection will benefit from listening to Kinney's wise words about finding inner confidence.
Learn more: TED
2. Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator
This eye-opening talk shows students that although procrastination might feel beneficial in the short term, procrastination will not help them achieve their greater life goals. This single story of Tim Urban's procrastination should teach your students to work hard for their goals.
Learn more: TED
3. How a 13-Year-Old Changed 'Impossible' to 'I'm Possible'
Sparsh Shah is a true child prodigy whose inspirational words show kids that nothing is impossible if they truly believe in themselves. His fearless story should encourage students to take risks and never give up.
Learn more: TEDx Talks
4. My story, from gangland daughter to star teacher
This TED Talk tells the true story of Pearl Arredondo and the challenges she had to face growing up around crime. Pearl Arredondo's story teaches students the importance of education and rising from a challenging situation. She also shares her experiences of becoming a school teacher.
Learn more: TED
5. The power of vulnerability
Brené Brown teaches students about emotions and brain functions. Ultimately, her goal is to show students the importance of being sincere with their words and showing their emotions in an empathetic way.
Learn more: TED
6. The danger of silence
In this TED Talk, Clint Smith talks about the importance of standing up for what you believe in. He encourages everyone, even everyday school students, to speak their minds to prevent false or hurtful information from spreading. Be sure to check out his other incredible videos.
Learn more: TED
7. How to build a fictional world
Everybody from book authors to video game designers needs to know how to build a fictional world. But how do they do it? This video will teach your students how to create characters and a setting for a fictional world.
Learn more: TED-Ed
8. Gettysburg College Commencement 2012 - Jacqueline Novogratz
In this graduation speech, CEO Jackqueline Novogratz encourages students to take action to solve problems, no matter how big the problem may seem. This is a college lecture that your students will be grateful to have viewed.
Learn more: TED-Ed
9. Can you outsmart the college admissions fallacy? - Elizabeth Cox
This unique video discusses the issues in the college admission process. Students can learn about how the process has changed over time and how it impacts their opportunities today.
Learn more: TED-Ed
10. A brief history of video games (Part I) - Safwat Saleem
This incredible video series explains how video games were first created. This video is great for budding engineers and software designers and shows students that a lot of thought and creativity is put into creating video games.
Learn more: TED-Ed
11. We should all be feminists
In this video, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie discusses the importance of feminism and how everybody needs to be a feminist in order to see progress for women. She shares her story and teaches students the importance of never giving up.
Learn more: TED
12. "High School Training Ground"
Malcolm London teaches students about high school through poetic expression. This video is perfect for older middle schoolers who are preparing for high school. London is a wonderful speaker who will capture your students' attention.
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13. Can you solve the bridge riddle? - Alex Gendler
For a fun and educational activity in class, look no further than this riddle series. This is a great way to get students to think both logically and creatively. TED-Ed has over sixty riddle videos for a challenging activity in class!
Learn more: TED-Ed
14. "All the World's a Stage" by William Shakespeare
If you're looking to make your poetry unit more interesting, try one of these animated videos that bring poems to life. In this specific video, students can watch a visual of Shakespeare's "All the World's a Stage". Breathe new life into the poem and have students make connections between the text and the images.
Learn more: TED-Ed
15. The unexpected math of origami - Evan Zodl
This video teaches students the complex work needed to create a piece of origami. Even the simplest pieces require many folds! Have students watch this video and then try origami out for themselves. They'll quickly see that this magnificent art form is more complicated than it seems.
Learn more: TED-Ed
16. Is Google killing your memory?
Researchers study the impact of Google on our memory and how constant searching is impacting our ability to recall learned information. This video is great for middle schoolers because they are now becoming used to using this technology and they can now learn the long-term effects of not taking the time to learn information.
Learn more: TED-Ed
17. What is echolocation?
In this video, students can learn more about echolocation (a term they hear a lot about in science class). This video would supplement a science lesson well and show students the importance of learning about echolocation. This video could inspire students to study animal science.
Learn more: TED-Ed
18. How a case gets to the US Supreme Court
Students can learn about how major decisions are made in the U.S. Students can complete an activity on how Supreme Court decisions impact their daily life.
Learn more: TED-Ed
19. What would happen if you stopped brushing your teeth?
With personal hygiene becoming more and more relevant to middle schoolers, students should learn about the reasons behind these hygiene habits. In particular, brushing teeth is incredibly important for students as they start taking on more responsibilities.
Learn more: TED-Ed
20. Why parrots can talk like humans
If you're studying animals or communication, this video is a great resource! Have students watch this and write a reflection on the importance of communication.
Learn more: TED-Ed
21. What would happen if the world went vegetarian?
With climate change as important issue students are learning about, teachers should share with students ways they can directly help the environment. This activity could be followed with a worksheet about other ways you can help make a difference in stopping climate change.
Learn more: TED-Ed
22. Ruby Bridges: The child who defied a mob and desegregated her school
Ruby Bridges was an incredibly important figure in the Civil Rights Movement. Students should watch this video to learn more about the fight for racial equality in America and how age does not impact their ability to make a change.
Learn more: TED-Ed
23. Is fire a solid, a liquid, or a gas? - Elizabeth Cox
In this video, students can learn more about fire and how chemistry impacts their daily life. The visuals in this video allow students to better understand fire and how it is not actually so simple.
Learn more: TED-Ed
24. Equality, sports, and Title IX - Erin Buzuvis and Kristine Newhall
Students can learn about the importance of equality, especially in the world of sports. In this video, students learn about Title IX and how laws needed to change in America to make sure sports were fair to everyone who wanted to play.
Learn more: TED-Ed
25. The complicated history of surfing - Scott Laderman
Surfing is one of the most popular sports around the world! In this video, students can learn about how surfing came to be and how the sport impacts the lives of so many people worldwide. This video could inspire your students to try out surfing!
Learn more: TED-Ed
26. How big is the ocean? - Scott Gass
Learning about the planet is incredibly important for studying science and social issues! Students can watch this video to learn about the ocean and how changes in the ocean would impact our daily lives.
Learn more: TED-Ed
27. Why is it so hard to escape poverty? - Ann-Helén Bay
Middle schoolers are becoming more and more aware of social issues. In this video, students learn about poverty and how people can take steps to make a difference in the cycle that creates wealth inequality.
Learn more: TED-Ed
28. What causes migraines? - Marianne Schwarz
In this video, students can learn more about the brain and how it functions. At this age, migraines also start to become more prevalent so students can learn more about them and ways to prevent them.
Learn more: TED-Ed
29. We can help you master public speaking - Chris Anderson
In this video, students can learn more about how to become master public speakers. This video would be great for a speech or debate class.
Learn more: TED-Ed
30. A brief history of divorce - Rod Phillips
Divorce is a challenging topic to talk about with kids. Use this video as an SEL resource to help students understand what divorce is and how it impacts so many people.
Learn more: TED-Ed
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