Incorporate YouTube Shorts and Popular Video Content into Your Language Classroom

Expanding Beyond Music: Roxxem Now Includes YouTube Shorts, Reels, Podcasts, and More 🎉

When we launched Roxxem, our mission was to help teachers bring music into the classroom with interactive games, ready-made lessons, and engaging assignments. But language and culture do not stop at music. Students live in a world of short videos, podcasts, and streaming clips, and now your classroom can too.

We’re excited to announce that Roxxem has expanded beyond music to include the world’s most popular content. You’ll now find a growing library of:

🎬 Trending short-form videos like TikToks, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts

🎤 Podcasts and interviews that highlight authentic voices and perspectives

🎥 Movie and TV clips that bring cultural moments to life

Why Popular Video Content Works for Language Learning

Decades of research confirm that using culturally relevant and authentic content in language classrooms makes a measurable difference in student outcomes:

Authentic media boosts participation. Lessons incorporating multimedia such as music, video, and popular content increased participation by 30–50% (Krashen, 2020).

Cultural context strengthens retention. Integrating cultural context into language learning improved vocabulary retention by up to 25% compared to rote memorization (European Centre for Modern Languages, 2019).

Idiomatic understanding improves with cultural input. Exposure to culture-rich lessons enhanced the ability to interpret idiomatic expressions by 30% (Byram & Feng, 2019).

Students are already immersed in TikToks, Reels, podcasts, and movie clips outside of class. By bringing this content inside the classroom, teachers bridge the gap between learning and lived culture, making lessons more engaging, memorable, and authentic.

How to Use Popular Content in Your Classroom with Roxxem

Every new piece of content on Roxxem comes with lesson ideas, classroom activities, and game templates so you can integrate it into your teaching without extra prep. Here are a few approaches you can take, along with space to add your own classroom examples:

1. Start Class with a TikTok or Reel

Use a short, engaging video as a quick warm-up to spark energy and interest.

"Everything I ate at the world of food trucks!" can help you kick off ESL class with conversation about food and dining vocabulary. Ask discussion questions like “which food was your favorite?” “what would you order at the world of food trucks?”

2. Spark Discussion with a Podcast Clip

Play a short segment from a podcast to build listening comprehension and launch meaningful discussions.

In this genuine interview, Kylian Mbappé shares his gratitude and faith. Whether it’s practicing listening with Whac-A-Word or sparking a discussion about Mbappé’s message, students are sure to stay engaged and learn.

3. Assign a Movie or TV Clip for Homework

Leverage familiar scenes as assignments with interactive questions and auto-graded activities.

Looking for a fun way to teach American culture? This clip of Rachel and Joshua from “Friends” makes ESL learning exciting! Assign it for homework, then kick off class with a lively discussion about students’ favorite phrases.

4. Explore Authentic Interviews or Conversations

Bring in clips of native speakers sharing real-life experiences to practice idioms, slang, and cultural references.

In these street interviews, students will hear what locals in Barcelona like to eat and drink. Play a live game of whac-a-word for students to practice listening comprehension and vocabulary related to food and dining.

👉 Log in to Roxxem today to explore the new library and try out reels, podcasts, and more in your next class.
👉 Not a Roxxem teacher yet? Sign up free and see how easy it is to turn popular content into powerful lessons.