Finding truly effective and engaging math videos to use as a lesson hook can be tough, but I’ve rounded up my five favorites here.
Math Live is packed with great TV-like episodes in a cartoon format, introducing many different math concepts. It is a great tool for 3rd-6th grade teachers to use at the start of a new math unit. What’s great is that it is an engaging way to get students focused, while it introduces math concepts to show how math applies in everyday life.
However, there are tons of free, high-quality, engaging math videos available right now to use as lesson hooks!
Here are 5 free, high-engagement videos I recommend using at the start of some popular math units:
This engaging math video from Scratch Garden is a perfect lesson hook for teaching fractions. It uses fun visuals and simple language, making it ideal for introducing fractions to elementary students.
This engaging educational rap from Flocabulary is the perfect lesson hook for area and perimeter. It uses a fun, real-world scenario (building a backyard on Mars!) to explain both formulas and the difference between units. This is a must-watch for introducing area and perimeter to elementary students.
When the long division struggle is real, sometimes you need a catchy song! This fun Math Rap quickly covers the most critical steps students need to remember: Divide, Multiply, Subtract, and Bring Down. It’s the perfect, high-energy lesson hook to start your long division unit.
Need a fun, unforgettable way to introduce place value? This amazing math song from NUMBEROCK uses catchy lyrics and clear visuals of base ten blocks to explain the relationship between the ones, tens, and hundreds place. It’s the perfect high-energy place value lesson hook for elementary students!
When students are *hooked* by a challenge, their focus is instant. That’s the entire idea behind my Math Mysteries, which turn “doing a math worksheet” into “solving a crime.”
Below is a quick video that explains what my Math Mysteries are and how I use them to turn a simple worksheet into a high-engagement, problem-solving challenge!
The entire reason my Math Mysteries work is that they take all the necessary math standards (the things you have to teach, like long division and fractions) and wrap them up in a high-engagement, exciting case file. Students don’t think they’re “doing a worksheet”; they think they’re “solving a crime.”
It’s the ultimate, no-prep solution for turning that “lesson hook” energy into a focused, sustained problem-solving challenge. If you are looking for the next step after the video, the mystery is it.
