How to Modernize Your ELA Curriculum: 9 TED Talks to Pair with American Literature

Teacher Tips:

• Plan for Tech Glitches: Print transcripts of the talks directly from the TED website so students can annotate the text directly or follow along if the internet drops.
• Always Preview First: Be sure to watch these talks ahead of time to ensure the content aligns with your school and community standards.
• Add Your Ideas: I’ve included suggested paired texts for each talk, but the possibilities are endless! Leave your favorite connections in the comments below.

1. Does Money Make You Mean? By Paul Piff

• Date: 2013 | Length: 16:35
• Summary: Social psychologist Paul Piff explores how privilege, wealth, and perceived entitlement directly impact empathy. Using clever, highly relatable behavioral experiments (like rigged Monopoly games), Piff illustrates how economic inequality alters human behavior and social dynamics.
• Literature Connections:
  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving
  • “A Retrieved Reformation” by O. Henry

2. Why I Love the Country That Once Betrayed Me by George Takei

• Date: 2014 | Length: 15:58
• Summary: Activist and actor George Takei shares his childhood experience of being forced into a Japanese American internment camp after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He details his family’s resilience and reflects on the paradox of American democracy—reminding us that democracy is only as great, and as fallible, as its people.
• Literature Connections:
  • Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston
  • Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
  • Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
  • Executive Order 9066
  • Poetry: “I, Too” by Langston Hughes, “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar

3. The New American Dream by Courtney Martin

• Date: 2016 | Length: 15:32
• Summary: Author Courtney Martin challenges traditional, wealth-centric definitions of success, arguing that true happiness stems from community, purpose, and creative fulfillment. She offers a sharp warning to younger generations: “The biggest danger is not failing to achieve the American Dream. The biggest danger is achieving a dream that you don’t actually believe in.”
• Literature Connections:
  • A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
  • The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
  • Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
  • Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

• Date: 2016 | Length: 14:56
• Summary: Salon owner and CEO Maureen Murunga unpacks how self-image, identity, and societal pressures dictate personal choices—specifically for Black women. She traces her own journey alongside historical shifts from the Civil Rights movement to today, posing a central question: When a Black person wears their hair naturally, are they making a statement or just being themselves?
• Literature Connections:
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
  • A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
  • “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker
  • “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy

5. Meet the Women Fighting on the Front Lines of an American War by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

• Date: 2015 | Length: 11:25
• Summary: Journalist Gayle Tzemach Lemmon shares the untold story of a groundbreaking, all-female military unit recruited to serve alongside Special Operations in Afghanistan. Despite being officially banned from combat, these women fought on the front lines, proving their strength and shattering gender norms.
• Literature Connections:
  • The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
  • Excerpt from Ashley’s War by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
  • “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell
  • Speeches: “Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth, “Declaration of Sentiments / On Women’s Rights” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
  • “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost

6. Less Stuff, More Happiness by Graham Hill

• Date: 2011 | Length: 6:14
• Summary: Can owning less actually lead to a richer life? In this punchy, short talk, designer Graham Hill argues for minimal living and “editing” our material clutter. He offers practical strategies and shows off his own ultra-efficient, multi-functional apartment.
• Literature Connections:
  • Walden and transcendentalist essays by Henry David Thoreau
  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson
  • “We Are All Connected” by Chief Seattle
  • “The Whistle” by Benjamin Franklin

7. A Passionate, Personal Case for Education by Michele Obama

• Date: 2009 | Length: 12:29
• Summary: Former First Lady Michelle Obama delivers an inspiring talk on how access to quality education changes lives, particularly for young women. Drawing on her personal background, she emphasizes that discipline, hard work, and education give individuals control over their own destinies and uplift entire communities.
• Literature Connections:
  • “Learning to Read and Write” by Frederick Douglass
  • Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington
  • Educated by Tara Westover
  • A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
  • “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes

8.  The Difference Between Healthy and Unhealthy Love

• Date: 2019 | Length: 12:05
• Summary: Inspired by the tragic death of college student Yeardley Love, Katie Hood (CEO of One Love Foundation) breaks down the subtle distinctions between love and control. Through clean animations and accessible scenarios, she outlines 5 key signs of an unhealthy relationship—a vital conversation for high school students analyzing literary dynamics.
• Literature Connections:
  • The Crucible by Arthur Miller
  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
  • “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
  • “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell

• Date: 2024 | Length: 14:02
• Summary: “Why can’t you just be normal?” Speaker Susan Issa addresses this universal teen fear through her own experience as a neurodivergent individual. She breaks down how “masking” and forcing ourselves to conform leads to profound loneliness—even in a crowd—and offers insights on how to process social anxiety to step into authentic self-acceptance.
• Literature Connections:
  • “Self Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  • The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
  • Poetry: “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” by Emily Dickinson, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman

Ready to Bring These Talks to Your High School Classroom?

• Looking for more ideas? Be sure to check out my other blog post for even more TED Talk recommendations and literary pairings!
• Save time on planning: If you’d like ready-to-print student graphic organizers and listening guides to accompany these talks, TED Talk Presentation Lesson, Handouts, Graphic Organizers – Print and Digital.