C-SPAN
On This Day: The Establishment of the Department of Education
When looking at educational policy, many politicians forget to consult experts—scholars! Video clips demonstrate the debate over educational policy. After watching the views of education secretaries and politicians, pupils decide how to...
TED-Ed
The Oddities of the First American Election
How did Americans come to decide who would be the first president of the United States? Examine the establishment of the electoral college, the selection of George Washington as president, and the evolution of the nation's electoral...
TED-Ed
How Containerization Shaped the Modern World
"It's the reason we have a thriving global market place, offering us the infinite variety of things, and it's the reason we can move cargoes from remote parts of the world at minimal cost." Learn about how small-town truck driver Malcom...
TED-Ed
Visualizing the World's Twitter Data
Watch as Jer Thorp, former analyst for the New York Times, presents models of human behavior based on Twitter activity. Use the video to show your class the impact and scale of social media during a technology unit. The presenter is...
TED-Ed
Penguins: Popularity, Peril and Poop
Penguins, one of the most beloved bird species in the world, are not only adorable, they are also in grave danger. Five-sixths of the world's penguin species are endangered or nearly endangered, mostly due to human activities such as...
TED-Ed
Why is Yawning Contagious?
How can a bodily function be contagious? It is a question scientists and psychologists are still grappling with, but some of the leading hypotheses are presented here in the case of the contagious yawn. Most likely, it is something we...
TED-Ed
Want to be an Activist? Start with Your Toys
Who says you have to be famous to have your voice heard? A well-spoken 14-year-old tells her story of activism, and how it had a ripple effect that ended with toy company Hasbro inventing a whole new line of gender-neutral cooking...
TED-Ed
Attack of the Killer Algae
Invasive species can remind us of a horror film! In this video, an algae, popularly used in home aquariums, gets out and takes over coastal ecosystems, destroying the native organisms. The bright side, however, is an example where the...
TED-Ed
The Secret Lives of Baby Fish
Dive into an exploration of the life cycles of coral reef fish with this short instructional video. Starting off as larvae floating in the oceans' currents, these little fish can travel thousands of miles, avoiding numerous hazards as...
TED-Ed
The Coelacanth: A Living Fossil of a Fish
It was just another day of fishing at the local pier when a man unknowingly reeled in a fish thought to be extinct for 65 million years. This short video explains how scientists were surprised to discover that this 360 million year old...
TED-Ed
Inside the Ant Colony
Step into the amazing world of ants as this video explores the surprisingly complex social structure that makes up the foundation of every ant colony. The truly amazing ability of these tiny creatures to share information without any...
TED-Ed
How Heavy Is Air?
It's amazing how easy it is to forget that every second of our lives we are being pushed on by an uncountable number air molecules. Explore with your class the concept of air pressure and how it affects our bodies, the earth's weather,...
TED-Ed
What Did Dogs Teach Humans About Diabetes? diseases
For thousands of years people recognized the symptoms of diabetes, but it wasn't until the early twentieth century that a treatment was finally discovered. This video explores the Nobel Prize winning scientists' whose work with canines...
TED-Ed
The Chemistry of Cold Packs
How can it take water hours to freeze, but a cold pack can go from room temperature to near freezing in an matter of moments? Find out with this short video that explores the endothermic reaction that make these modern marvels possible.
TED-Ed
How Cosmic Rays Help Us Understand the Universe
You may not realize it, but the earth is constantly receiving messages from all over outer space. Follow along as this video investigates how these cosmic rays carry information that can help humans better understand the composition of...
TED-Ed
Einstein's Brilliant Mistake: Entangled States
Mistakes aren't always a bad thing. Learn how one of Albert Einstein's greatest contributions to the field of quantum physics was actually a theory that ended up being proven wrong, with this short video on entangled states.
TED-Ed
The 2,400-Year Search for the Atom
From ancient Greek philosophers to early American Quakers, people have sought to understand the composition of matter for millennia. Follow along with this video as it explores the long scientific journey that eventually led to the...
TED-Ed
I'm Batman
When you think about bats, what comes to mind? Vampires? Rabies? After watching this short video you'll have a whole new appreciation for these terribly misunderstood mammals.
TED-Ed
The Mighty Mathematics of the Lever
Exactly what did Archimedes mean when he said, "Give me a place to stand, and I will move the Earth"? Watch this video and find out as it explains the mathematics behind levers, and explores a few fun hypothetical situations involving...
TED-Ed
How a Wound Heals Itself
Did you know that the biggest organ in the human body isn't the brain, the liver, or even the lungs? It's the skin. Follow along with this short video as it explores the structure of human skin and its amazing ability to regenerate itself.
TED-Ed
The Evolution of the Human Eye
Vision is arguably the most important of the five senses, but exactly how did we come by this amazing ability? Find out with this engaging video on the 500 million year evolution of the human eye.
TED-Ed
How Do the Lungs Work?
With the thousands of tasks our brain consciously performs on a daily basis, it's amazing that breathing isn't one of them. Learn how human bodies are able to automatically control the exchange of gas that keeps us alive with this short...
TED-Ed
Is Our Climate Headed for a Mathematical Tipping Point?
Raising the global temperature by two degrees may not seem like much, but the impact this would have on the planet is amazing. Follow along with this short video as it examines how even a small change to a system can turn its regular,...
TED-Ed
How Does Your Smartphone Know Your Location?
When your smartphone tells you the weather of your current location or gives you directions to the nearest gas station, there's more going on that you might realize. Follow along with this short video as it explains how satellites,...