Week of May 11-15 Learning Materials

Birds are Living Dinosaurs
Birds have colonized every environment on Earth, and they come in an astonishing variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. There are more than 10,000 species of bird alive today, so how did they come to be everywhere and so diverse?

Birds of Kundha Kulam
In this video segment from Nature, learn about the role of birds in the culture and agriculture of Kundha Kulam, a small village in India.

Birds of Prey
This video segment from IdahoPTV's Science Trek defines birds of prey and explains what characteristics they have that identify them as a raptor and help them catch their prey.

Darwin’s Observation of Birds
When Charles Darwin stepped ashore on the Galapagos Islands in September 1835, it was the start of five weeks that would change the world of science, although he did not know it at the time.

Sniffing Out Dog’s Senses
Discover just how powerful a dog’s sense of smell can be in this video from NOVA: Inside Animal Minds: Dogs & Super Senses.

Do Dogs Understand Fairness?
In this video excerpt from NOVA scienceNOW, learn how scientists are studying basic moral behavior in animals.

Your Favorite Smart Animal
Hear experts describe some of the capabilities of various animals, and vote for your favorite, in this interactive activity from NOVA scienceNOW.

Animals & Numeracy
Explore how humans and many other animals share a primitive sense of numbers in this video from NOVA: The Great Math Mystery.

Nature: Can Animals Predict Disaster?
In this video segment from Nature, scientists question how animals mysteriously survive natural disasters.

Animal Collection
Are you or do you have students who are animal lovers? Check out this fun and informative collection for K-5th graders, ANIMALS with seven sections — Animal Communication, Inheritance & Traits, Life Cycles, Needs of Living Things, Cool Critters, Master Defenders, and Ocean Life.

Bald Eagles UNTAMED
Learn about bald eagles and listen as Wildlife Center of Virginia staff members discuss species conservation successes, as well as the threats that eagles still face today.

Cool Critters: Golden Eagles QUEST
Meet one of the largest birds of prey, the golden eagle, and learn facts about this cool critter, in this video from QUEST produced by KQED.

Four Deadly Carnivorous Plants
Learn about four types of carnivorous plants, in this video from NOVA’s Gross Science series.

Carnivorous Plants of Cartwheel Bay
In this video segment from NatureScene, travel with host Jim Welch and naturalist Rudy Mancke to explore Cartwheel Bay and see examples of some of the area's carnivorous plants, such as the purple pitcher plant, trumpet pitcher plant, hooded pitcher plant and Venus fly trap.

Botany: Idaho Botanical Garden Tour
Take a tour of parts of the Idaho Botanical Garden to learn more about the plants around us. The garden is a living museum, fostering a love of nature and an understanding. Find out more about the English garden, carnivorous plants, and some interesting ways to grow food.

SciGirls: Dra. Amelia Merced:Bióloga/Biologist
Dr. Amelia is a microscopist in Puerto Rico researching plant development and diversity.
Video is in Spanish, with subtitles in both Spanish and English.

Plants Affect the Atmosphere
In this video excerpt from NOVA: “Earth From Space,” learn how the Amazon rainforest impacts the chemical composition of Earth’s atmosphere throughout the day.

Illuminating Photosynthesis
This interactive feature from NOVA explores the process plants use to convert solar energy into chemical energy.

Pakicetus:Walking Whale Ancestor
Whales weren’t always gargantuan water-dwelling mammals. In fact, their ancestor Pakicetus, was the size of a dog and walked on land. Pakicetus was a shore-dwelling creature with webbed feet that lived around 49 million years ago.

Whale Naturalist
Explore the career of a Whale Naturalist! Learn what it’s like to work aboard a boat in search of whales and marine life.

Whales in the Making
This graphic from Evolution traces the evolution of whales from land-dwelling mammals to the aquatic creatures we know today.

Oceans
Humans have only explored 5% of the Earth’s oceans. Find out what’s under the surface.

Whale Songs: NOVA Wonders: What are Animals Saying?
Learn how humpback whales use songs to attract mates, and how the songs change over time, in this video from NOVA Wonders: What Are Animals Saying?

Telescopes

Galileo: Discovering Jupiter’s Moons
The telescope forever changed astronomy by providing more detailed views of distant objects than was previously possible.

Hubble Telescope: Looking Deep
Since its launch is 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has provided scientists with a vast amount of quality data and has contributed to a number of important discoveries.

Treasures of the Earth
Learn why the James Webb Space Telescope uses gold-coated mirrors, in this video from NOVA: Treasures of the Earth: Metals. Gold is an almost perfect reflector of infrared light.

Robots

Collection from Touch Tomorrow
One Lesson Plan, 14 Videos, 1 Media Gallery

LEGO Robots
Despite meticulous planning and programming by its designers, an autonomous robot can encounter unexpected challenges. This is true for both LEGO® robots and Martian rovers.

Robotics- Science Trek
This video segment from IdahoPTV's Science Trekdefines a robot, explains the 3 parts of a robot, and informs us of some of the many different ways they are used.

Cars

The Impact of Technology: Cars
This video segment, adapted from A Science Odyssey: Bigger, Better, Faster, tells the story of Henry Ford's industrial revolution.

Plastic Race Car Competition
In this video segment adapted from Pennsylvania College of Technology and WVIA, follow a class of high school students participating in a technology competition and learn about how plastic products are made.

Clean Air, Electric Cars, and Alternate Transportation: Ecosense for Living
What can we do about air pollution? As individuals, our transportation choices make a big impact.

Rockets

Early Rocket Ventures
The Redstone Rocket was NASA's early venture into long-range rocketry and would later be used to put the first U.S. man in space.

NOVA scienceNOW: Franklin Chang-Diaz
In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, meet Franklin Chang-Díaz, an astronaut and scientist. Learn how he has been interested in rockets and space travel since he was a child in Costa Rica, and how he immigrated to the United States to pursue his dream of becoming an astronaut.

Speeding Up Space Travel
Learn about innovations in rocket technology that could change the way humans explore space in this video excerpt from NOVA scienceNOW: "Can We Make It to Mars?"

Blasting Off to Space!
Did you know the rocket that took us to the moon was designed in Alabama? Student Reporter Luke Partridge went to the US Space & Rocket Center to learn about rocket technology with head archivist Ed Stewart.

STEAM: Ideas that Shape Our World Collection
The STEAM collection (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) explores the world of ideas with leading innovators who spoke at the IdeaFestival in Louisville. Topics range from infectious disease and evolutionary biology to virtual reality, inventions, and alien minds.

Get the Math is about algebra in the real world. See how professionals use math in music, fashion, video games, restaurants, basketball, and special effects. Then take on interactive challenges related to those careers. Watch this intro video before trying one of the challenges below.

Math Mess
A "Math Mess" is an everyday problem that requires an inquisitive mind, determination and a little number sense to solve. Math Messes can pop up when you least expect them — and in each short, animated Math Mess video, you’ll meet some mathematically-challenged characters who are right smack in the middle of one.

Plastic in the Pacific QUEST
Examine the problem with the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch," in this QUEST video produced by KQED. Only about seven percent of the plastic used in the United States is recycled. Much of the rest ends up in landfills, or worse, oceans.

Global Ocean Circulation
In this video from NOVA: “Earth From Space,” learn about patterns of global ocean circulation, which distribute heat around the planet.

The Role of Ocean Currents in Climate
This ThinkTV segment demonstrates that ocean surface currents have a major impact on regional climate around the world, and explores the role of these currents in the creation of climate zones.

Robotic Sampling Systems Ocean Exploration: Inner Space
Robotic Sampling systems such as hands and claws are used by scientists to pick up objects on the seafloor to be studied. A robotic claw does not work well for delicate objects, so ocean engineers at URI are working on designing an alternative system.
Use this resource to observe robotic sampling systems in action and design an alternate solution to this problem.

Julius Caesar, Rhetoric and Relevance
Learn about how Shakespeare uses rhetoric in his play Julius Caesar in two videos from Shakespeare Uncovered.

Julius Caesar and the American Experience
Learn about the long-held American fascination with Julius Caesar in two videos from Shakespeare Uncovered.

Shakespeare’s Biography
Short video.

The Globe’s a Stage: Shakespeare’s Theater
In this lesson from Shakespeare Uncovered, students will develop their understanding of how William Shakespeare's plays were influenced by the physical space in which they were originally produced, the Globe Theatre. (This lesson is best used as an introduction to, or during the reading of, any play by Shakespeare.)

Shakespeare on Film
This lesson plan introduces students to Shakespeare's plays by comparing movie versions. The late twentieth century marked a resurgence of Shakespeare on film.

Measure for Measure and the #MeTooMovement
Sensitive Subject Matter
At a time when the #MeToo Movement and stories of sexual harassment and abuse by those in power dominate headlines, you might be surprised to discover that Shakespeare addressed this very issue 400 years ago in his play Measure for Measure.

Elements of Art
Explore the seven basic elements of art including Line, Shape, Form, Texture, Value, Space and Color. These are the building blocks of all art and are a good place to start when making, looking at or analyzing works of art.

Art School is a video series for people who want to learn about art. See interviews with contemporary artists working in performing, visual and media art, as well as how-to videos that demonstrate new ways to get creative and explain art-making techniques and concepts.

See how art became the great interface when distant cultures met for the first time. Interactive art experience for episode Encounters and The Second Moment of Creation.

Animated resources around Ken Burn’s new four hour documentary The Gene and interactive timeline from station WETA.

NOVA scienceNOW: How the Body Responds to Exercise
This video segment adapted from NOVA describes the effect of exercise on the body and defines one measure used to gauge aerobic fitness.

Your Body is an Ecosystem: NOVA Wonders: What’s Living in You?
Examine some of the science underlying a new paradigm for understanding how the body works, in these videos from NOVA Wonders: What’s Living in You?

How Fast Does Your Brain Send Messages to Your Body?
How fast does the eye send messages to the brain and the brain send messages to your hand muscles to react in time to catch a falling object?

Human Genome Project
In this video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life," Eric Lander of MIT's Whitehead Institute explains the effort to decode the human genome.

Discovering Human Origins in Africa
Learn about the discovery of Australopithecus africanus, in this video from NOVA: Dawn of Humanity.

Body Needs
Why do we eat? How do our bodies use the foods we eat? What organ or system in your body may not be getting enough of what it needs?

Seasonal Science: Frostbite
How are all the structures in your body affected by cold weather and why do our fingers, toes, and nose end up with frostbite first?

Explore the It’s Okay to be Smart series and lessons around evolution and genetics.

Explore numerous lesson plans and activities around various episodes of Latino Americans. Explore this timeline of important dates, become a part of the LATINO AMERICANS project, Mi Historia.

Asian Americans Community Engagement & Discussion Guide
Resources and assets for learning about the Asian American series.

The Chinese Exclusion Act
This teacher’s guide provides materials to support the documentary film, The Chinese Exclusion Act | AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, and is designed to meet certain national history, social studies, geography, and common core standards for grades 5-12.

Chinese Exclusion Act and Resource Materials
The Chinese Exclusion Act, provided as facsimile in this resource, was approved and signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882; it was the first significant restriction on immigration in the United States. It set a 10 year block on the entrance of Chinese laborers into the United States.

Home of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site
Discover the Roosevelts, the family home, the Presidential library, Val-Kill, once a family picnic site it became Eleanor Roosevelt’s cottage and then primary residence.

The Roosevelts Ken Burns in the Classroom
Ken Burns in the Classroom- The Roosevelts
NO CC
Support Materials to use in tandem with the on air programming of The Roosevelts.

Theodore Roosevelt and the Western Experience
ExamineS the 26th president of the United States. TR or Teddy as he has come to be known, balanced his identity of an intellectual from the East with the frontiersman of the West. His love of nature as a boy carried on throughout his life, influencing policy decisions as president that we still see today.