Social Studies
December 18 - December 24, 2013

Find the latest educational resources from Iowa Public Television.

Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century
Grades: 6-12

Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century explores how exceptional instructors are increasingly using digital media and interactive practices to ignite their students' curiosity and ingenuity, help them become civically engaged, allow them to collaborate with peers worldwide, and empower them to direct their own learning.

TED Talks Education: Personal Grit as Key to Success

Grades: 9-12

What's the best predictor of success in a person's life, including when it comes to goals in education? "Grit," says psychologist Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth. What is grit?

Find out in her TED Talk, in which Duckworth explains that grit is a better indicator of personal success than IQ, family income and other factors. Duckworth is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Angela studies non-IQ competencies, including self-control and grit, that predict success both academically and professionally.

Plug In! How to Integrate Tablets, Smart Phones, Devices, and More
Grade Range: 13+

Join K-12 tech expert Leslie Fisher as she explores how to successfully integrate mobile technology into the classroom. Leslie will explore top applications, practical tips, and solutions for overcoming barriers along the way.

Effective Media-Rich Lessons
Grade Range: 13+

This video features Katelin Corbett and Evan Feldman, physics teachers at NEST+m in New York City. Corbett and Feldman plan their lessons together but present them - and use media such as video and interactive simulations - in very different ways. In the video, the two teachers discuss the benefits of using digital media in the classroom, model best practices, and share guidelines for effective use of media in the physics classroom. Their students also discuss how videos and interactive simulations help them to understand difficult concepts like Snell's Law and the index of refraction.

How 'Flipped Classrooms' Are Turning the Traditional School Day Upside Down

Grade Range: 7-12

Clintondale High School outside Detroit was one of the lowest performing schools in Michigan when they decided to "flip" their classrooms.

How will thousands of drones impact already crowded skies?

Grade Range: 7-12

The future of aviation could be an aircraft light enough, rugged enough and flexible enough to do just about anything in the air.

Ecosystem Changes
Grade Range: 3-5

In this video, students learn about the differences between Asian and African Elephants and how elephants make a dramatic impact on their ecosystems. After learning about elephants as "landscape architects," join the You at the Zoo student team and follow the inquiry process to investigate the different tasks of elephant's trunks. Use the Guided Viewing and Assessment in association with the Ecosystem Changes video to learn about diversity and the interdependence of life. With this guide, students will complete a pre and post viewing activity.

What Is A Refugee? Diving Deeper

Grade Range: 6-13+

Refugees can be caught in the middle of a war, persecuted for their religious belief, or can be singled out because of their race. Whatever the reason they flee their home country, the experience takes a toll and many organizations exist to help people in these situations. The International Institute of St. Louis is an organization that helps refugees and other immigrants adjust to a new life in the U.S. and in this clip, a woman from the institute explains a little more about what a refugee is.

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