These brief video segments can be used alone or in combination, to introduce a topic or to spark discussion among your students. The video segments can be adapted for any grade level – suggested focus questions are provided. Stream the video segments from the playlist below, or scroll to the bottom of the page to find downloadable QuickTime versions of the videos. These videos are also used in the lesson plan Chain Reaction (grades 9-12).

Background:
Seasonal changes impel a wide variety of creatures to begin migrations – sometimes on an epic scale – to feeding, mating, and breeding grounds. These journeys sometimes cover thousands of miles and require ingenious methods to accomplish. These video segments from the NATURE film “Earth Navigators” feature different animal species reacting to changes in their environments by migrating from one part of the earth to another.

Suggested Focus Questions:

Clip 1: Planetary Moves

1. What causes the seasons?
2. How does the earth’s travel around the sun relate to the movements of animals around the globe?
3. Name the four migrating animals in this clip. Where on the globe does each animal migrate?

Clip 2: Monarch Migration

1. How is the spring equinox defined?
2. What does the coming of spring trigger for monarch butterflies?
3. Where does the monarch’s migration begin? Where are they headed?

Clip 3: Hungry Beasts

1. Why do wildebeest migrate? Why do locust hoppers migrate? How is the migration of the two animals similar?
2. How many wildebeest might there be in a typical herd? Why do you think the wildebeest travel in such large groups?
3. Locate the Serengeti and Lake Victoria on a world map. Use the map to trace the wildebeest’s annual migratory path.

Clip 4: Arctic Summer

1. Define the summer solstice. What conditions can you expect above the Arctic circle in summer?
2. Why do so many birds spend the summer in the Arctic?

Downloadable QuickTime versions of the video segments:
(Note: To downoad a video, right-click on the video title and click “Save Link As…” or “Save Target As…” On a Mac, press the CTRL key and simultaneously click the mouse, then save the link.)

Clip 1: “Planetary Moves”

Clip 2: “Monarch Migration”

Clip 3: “Hungry Beasts”

Clip 4: “Arctic Summer“