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Language Arts, Science, Geography |
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Grades 3-5 |
In this lesson students will learn about the rich and vibrant environment of the Kalahari Desert. They will learn about the diversity of life and land in the desert, create artistic responses to the film, and explore interactive Web site features to learn about the geography, wildlife, flora, topography, and people of this area. The students will work in collaborative research groups, create graphic organizers, and share what they have learned with their classmates.
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Language Arts, Science |
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Grades 3-5 |
In this lesson students will learn about the amazing world of hippopotamuses. They will conduct research in collaborative groups and create classroom presentations to share what they have learned with their classmates. First, students will create and play a classroom quiz game, "Everything You Need to Know About Hippo Beach." Next, they will create a mural that highlights the diverse information they have collected. In the last activity, students will write a letter describing an imaginary day spent on Hippo Beach.
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Life Science, Geography, Literature
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Grades 1-4 |
This lesson is designed to introduce students to the class of animals called reptiles. After viewing segments of the different NATURE episodes about reptiles, and by comparing each type of reptile to themselves, students will become familiar with what each type looks like, where it lives, what it eats, and its positive role in the environment. Using a problem-based approach, students will become "experts" on specific reptiles, noting similarities and differences in characteristics, and comparing reptiles to mammals. As a final project, the students will write and perform original vignettes about their reptile.
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Science, Language Arts, Social Studies |
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Grades 4-6 |
In this lesson, students discover that the giraffe population in Africa is facing constant threats to its survival, and that man poses the biggest threat of all. Not only is man clearing the giraffe habitat of trees to make room for a growing human population; man is also responsible for poaching giraffes for their pelt, meat, and tail. This lesson takes a problem-based learning approach to the threats faced by the giraffe population. Students use what they learn to decide which is more humane: to keep giraffes in their natural habitats, where they can maintain their quality of life, or to relocate them to wildlife preservations and zoos, where they can be watched and protected.
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Life Science, Geography |
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Grades 4-6 |
The NATURE episode BLOODY SUCKERS investigates the organisms that live off the blood of others. Some of the organisms are painted as being dangerous and harmful. Others are painted as being beneficial. This presents a quandary for students to explore: Are bloody suckers friend or foe? Applying a problem-based approach, students use what they learn from the program and Web-based research to explore this question and to stage a trial: Their teacher has been accused of being a bloody sucker, and it's the students' job to play the roles of prosecutor, defense, expert witnesses, and jurors. After the trial, students explain why they agree or disagree with the final verdict and the points raised by the prosecution and defense in a one to two page paper.
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Language Arts |
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Grades 4-6 |
From images of death or ill omen to images of placing the sun in the sky, the raven has captured the attention of civilizations throughout the centuries. In this lesson students will conduct research to learn about the fascinating ways and lore of the raven.
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Science, Math, Language Arts |
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Grades 4-6 |
In this lesson, students will view the NATURE program BIG RED ROOS. After watching the program, students will create food chains and food webs based on the information they have learned about red kangaroos and the Australian Outback, compute how high they can jump compared to the red kangaroo, and write an editorial on the topic of the killing of kangaroos.
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Science, Math, Language Arts |
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Grades 4-6 |
For centuries, polar bears have come to a certain peninsular in Canada to wait for the sea to freeze so that they can go out on the ice to hunt seals. In the 1930s, however, the town of Churchill was built at this very spot. Since this time, a struggle has ensued every autumn between the bears and the human population of the town. In this lesson, students will research the issues surrounding the close proximity of bears and people in Churchill, Canada.
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Language Arts |
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Grades 4-6 |
In this lesson students will learn about big-wave surfing from a variety of perspectives.
After watching the NATURE production CONDITION BLACK students will participate
in activities that focus on the ways that human beings respond to nature and challenge.
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Language Arts |
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Grades 4-6 |
In this lesson students will view the film DOGS: THE EARLY YEARS. They will use critical thinking skills to determine which breed of dog would best fit their personality and living situation. They will also write a short story from a dog's perspective.
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Language Arts, Science |
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Grades 4-6 |
In this lesson students will explore the relationship between human beings and animals. After watching the production ANIMALS BEHAVING BADLY, students will participate in a variety of activities designed to further their understanding of animal behavior. They will design experiments, conduct research on animal behavior, create a class book, and stage a mock news broadcast.
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Thirteen/WNET's Educational Publishing Department prepares educational kits to accompany
NATURE television programming. These guides are available in print and electronically,
as PDFs (Portable Document Format), through the Web.
Go to the Teacher's Guides
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