STEM
October 16-October 22, 2013

Find the latest educational resources from Iowa Public Television.

Rock Cycle Animation

Grades: 3-12

The rock cycle has no beginning and no end. Rather, it is an ongoing cycle in which rock - driven by tectonic processes such as volcanoes and earthquakes, the surface processes of weathering and erosion, and compaction - is created and destroyed. In this visualization and collection of animations from McDougal Littell/TERC, follow rock from its origins as magma through other stages of the cycle.

The Forest & The Air Cycle

Grades: 5-8

Trees take in carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen for humans to breathe. Trees and plants need carbon dioxide to live. They get their carbon dioxide from us we get our oxygen from them.

Lightning Produces Nitrates
Grade Range: 6-12

In this video excerpt from NOVA: "Earth From Space," learn about the global impact of lightning and how it produces an essential nutrient for living things. Satellite images show the distribution of electrical storms on Earth and the frequency of lightning strikes. Visualizations and narration describe the formation of lightning and its role in the production of nitrate, a vital nutrient for life. This video also explains how rain transports nitrate to the ground, where it is absorbed by plants and becomes a part of the food chain.

Stupid or Smart?
Grade Range: 6-12

WLVT PBS 39 and PSEA present

Write Now! video writing prompts. These prompts are tools for educators and students to use in the classroom to encourage creative writing. The topics covered in these clips are general/social topics that challenge students to evaluate common day occurrences or items in different ways.

Is Twitter the Newest Form of Literature?
Grade Range: 9-12

Everyone is familiar with Twitter, the uber-popular micro-blogging site, which limits the user to 140 characters. The tweet is perfect for sharing your favorite links and updating the world about your life, but it might also be the newest literary form! This massively constrained communication, which has remarkable similarities to the Haiku, has inspired creativity worthy of the name "literature."

Malala Yousafzai Champions Education for All Children
Grade Range: 7-12

After surviving an attack on her life, Malala has recovered and has dedicated herself to the goal that every child everywhere will receive an education.

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