Media Specialists
September 25-October 2, 2013

Find the latest educational resources from Iowa Public Television.

Geospatial Revolution: Food Deserts

Grades: 7-12

Food deserts is a term used to describe a region where the population has poor access to healthy, fresh, nutritious food. They exist in both rural

and urban areas and are turning into a public health concern. GIS technology is supporting the solution to this problem by vividly identifying the problem area and influencing policy-making. This video segment from Penn State Public Broadcasting's Geospatial Revolution describes one Philadelphia community's successful efforts at doing the same.

Should We Grow GM Crops?
Grades: 9-12

This FRONTLINE/NOVA: "Harvest of Fear" poll asks users to consider a series of arguments for or against growing genetically modified (GM) crops, and then vote on whether they think GM crops should be grown. A tally of votes is presented at the end so each user can see where other users stand on the issue.

Super WHY's Book Jumble

Grades: PreK-1

Four storybooks have fallen off the book shelf and now they are all jumbled up. Super WHY needs help putting the stories back together in order.

Woofster's Puppy Day Care
Grade Range: PreK-1

Help Woofster take care of the puppies at his puppy day care by reading what they need in this Super Why! game.

After Slavery
Grade Range: 8-11

This video segment from the PBS series Finding Your Roots discusses the steps people took to help freed slaves following the abolition of slavery. In his second Inaugural Address, President Lincoln called for the re-building of the country. In response, Quakers, including Kevin Bacon's ancestor Lydia Atkinson, became very involved in the education of newly freed slaves.

What Do You Get From That?

Grade Range: PreK-1

Cows give us the milk we drink every day. We use that milk to make lots of other things we enjoy like ice cream, cheese, butter and cream. In this video, children learn about different animals on a farm and the everyday items we get from them.

Race Against Limits
Grade Range: 4-13+

In the Baltimore Harbor, there is a school that can help acclimate just about anyone to sailing a boat. The Downtown Sailing Center in Baltimore instructs many different people on the basics of sailing. They focus on instructing inner-city children and those with disabilities and handicaps. The Downtown Sailing Center even has specific boats with accommodations for those with various handicaps, such as those due to spinal cord injury for example. Each year, there is a hosted activity called, "Ya Gotta Regatta." This event is a race, but not necessarily just a competitive race. It's a place where all learners can demonstrate the skills they've acquired about sailing. Every participant has a chance to be a winner and feel confident about themselves.

Voyager Becomes First Spacecraft to Enter Interstellar Space
Grade Range: 7-12

NASA has announced that the Voyager 1 spacecraft, which left Earth in 1977, is now the first man-made object to ever reach interstellar space.

�Arte y M�s! Counting Bears (Contando osos)
Grade Range: PreK-3

Se�ora Alicia invites students to count with her. She reviews the numbers up to 20 by counting 19 bears and Goldilocks or Ricitos de Oro (19+1=20). This video was adapted from �Arte y m�s!, originally produced by KET as a complete curriculum for primary-level Spanish based on arts and humanities content. Spanish teachers can use these resources in traditional or online instruction to reinforce language acquisition and teach about Latin American culture.

Islamic Art
Grade Range: 5-12

The Islamic Empire once stretched from the Atlantic Ocean in the West, to India and the borders of China in the East. Over many centuries, the artistic traditions of these different regions merged into an identifiably Islamic style. The traveling exhibition "Palace and Mosque" from London's Victoria and Albert Museum features a world-renowned Islamic art collection. In this video from Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, a guided tour of the exhibition by Tim Stanley, senior curator for the Middle East at the Victoria and Albert Museum, provides a historical perspective and cultural context for understanding Islam through religious art.

Architecture 2030
Grade Range: 9-12

Learn about efforts to protect the environment by changing the way buildings are planned, designed and constructed. Buildings are responsible for almost half of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Can a collaborative effort - government leaders, architects, regulatory agencies and building suppliers - avert a climate crisis through policy change and education? Architect-turned-activist Ed Mazria may have the answer. His Architecture 2030 organization is galvanizing commitment to a carbon-neutral building sector by the year 2030.

Ethics: Cheating and Plagiarism
Grade Range: 7-13+

In this clip, teens speak frankly about the reasons they feel the need to cheat. They also raise questions about the definition of cheating and when, if ever, it can be considered acceptable. We then meet ninth graders from a New Jersey high school who are required to participate in a series of ethics courses covering a variety of topics.

Immigration Debate
Grades: 6-12

Stacey Delikat reports from Arizona about their 2010 immigration law and the national debate that has ensued because of it.

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