Media Specialists
April 23, 2014 - April 29, 2014

Find the latest educational resources from Iowa Public Television.

Sink or Swim?
Grade Range: 5-8

Plastics are everywhere: from car parts to drinking bottles to sports equipment. Each plastic is chemically unique and has distinct properties that make it suitable for certain products. Plastics are classified #1 through #7. To find out what type of plastic a product is made from, check the bottom of the object and locate the number inside the recycle symbol. Even though some recycling centers only accept certain numbers, all plastics with this symbol are recyclable. Markets just don't exist for all recycled products.

Waste Deep
Grades: 7-13+

Enhance your health, science, and environmental studies curriculum with this video which features a landfill in South Jersey and examines the state of food waste in America today. Then, use the accompanying lesson plan, "Making Mountains Out of Landfills: Telling a Visual Story of Waste," to prepare students to visually track and document different kinds of trash in their community.

Ethanol Biofuel
Grades: 9-12

This video segment adapted from NOVA examines ethanol, a cleaner-burning fuel alternative to gasoline, and the efforts to produce it more efficiently. Today, most ethanol in the United States is made from corn kernels. But converting corn into ethanol requires lots of energy as well as corn, which might otherwise be used to feed people and livestock. The video features research efforts to use less valuable plant matter, called cellulosic biomass, and microorganisms that may be able to accomplish the conversion from plant matter to fuel in a single step.

Food Miles

Grades: 9-12

Consider the environmental impacts of America's current food system. In the 21st century global food economy, most foods travel an average of 1,500 miles from farm to plate. As renowned author Michael Pollan elaborates, the impacts of this fossil fuel-driven system are detrimental to the environment, but also to our health and social well-being. Writer Michael Shuman argues that investing in local food systems lessens the distance between who we are and what we eat, and creates wealth in the community.

Taming the 'Wild West' of Online Comments

Grade Range: 7-12

Engage your students in the conversation about the good and the bad of online commenting with this PBS NewsHour video and educational resources from April 21, 2014. More and more websites are including online commenting as a feature for their visitors, but sometimes the comment boards become venues for rudeness and insults. These comments can influence how a reader perceives the story. For further background and materials to support student understanding of the issue see the Teacher's Guide, Student Handout, and Informational Text by clicking Learn More.

Will Development Overshadow Myanmar's Rich Cultural History?

Grade Range: 7-12

Let students learn about the culture of Myanmar and its attempts at modernization with this PBS NewsHour video and educational resources from April 17, 2014. There is no urban landscape like Myanmar's Yangon city in the world. Largely isolated from the rest of the world for decades, Myanmar's capital city has been frozen in time, filled with temples and grand buildings from the colonial era. But as the country embraces a more open society, how will it manage to preserve its past while building its future? For further background and materials to support student understanding of the issue see the Teacher's Guide, Student Handout, and Informational Text by clicking Learn More.

Sheyann Webb

Grade Range: 3-12

Eight-year-old Sheyann Webb was among the youngest activists to demonstrate during the Civil Rights movement. In this interview, Webb recalls her decision to participate in the 1965 voting-rights march from Selma, Alabama, the resistance she encountered from her parents, and the violent force used by local officials to stop the march.

A Look at a Japanese Classroom

Grade Range: 3-12

Japan has one of the most successful school systems in the world. It is also one of the most demanding school systems. In this video from Wide Angle, Ken Higashiguchi, a first grader in a Japanese school, started preschool when he was only one year old. In the video, Ken is experiencing his second day of first grade. He has no problem reading the words of the school song with all of the other children. Ken's teachers and parents have high expectations for him to be independent and to work hard. They also want him to grow up to be happy.

Mannahatta 1609

Grade Range: 3-12

This video from Dutch New York explores the diverse ecosystem that Henry Hudson encountered when he arrived at "Mannahatta," the name given by the native Lenape people to the island now known as Manhattan. Dr. Eric Sanderson, Director of the Mannahatta Project, explains that Manahatta's ecosystem was more diverse than Yosemite or Yellowstone National Parks and describes the landscape, flora and fauna of the island in Henry Hudson's day.

50 States Part 1 Lesson Plan

Grade Range: 3-5

In this lesson, students travel virtually to 25 different states from Alabama to Missouri. While on their journey students explore geography, learn state capitals and interesting facts along the way. Movements are unique and incorporate highlights from each state such as surfing in California. This lesson incorporates social studies skills with psychomotor skills.

Curious George: Blast Off!

Grade Range: PreK-1

Curious George is the only one who can restock the International Space Station with supplies, which means he's going up to space in a rocket! After students watch the video, they build and launch their own air-powered rockets, which they test and retest to determine the best design.

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