TED-Ed
Mysteries of Vernacular: Hearse
What do a wolf, a rake, and frame have in common? They are all part of the background of the word hearse. View the video for an explanation, and accompanying animation, of just how the word hearse came to be. Check out the additional...
TED-Ed
Mysteries of Vernacular: Jade
Where does the word jade come from? This video recounts the history of the stone itself as it tracks the development of the word through the centuries. Flip the lesson to add your own questions and information to extend the lesson. While...
Fuse School
Condensation Polymers
What do drinking bottles and nylon have in common? They are both made with a condensation reaction. The video discusses how polymers join in a condensation reaction. It details the results of the reaction and why they combine in that...
California Academy of Science
The Climate is Changing but How's the Weather?
Do meteorologists and climate scientists use the same tools? The final lesson in a 13-part series on Exploring Energy compares and contrasts climate and weather. It describes the scientists who study each, the tools they use, their...
California Academy of Science
Buses and Biofuels: Sustainable Transportation
One-third of all carbon emissions comes from transportation in the United States. The third lesson in a 13-part series on Exploring Energy offers ideas on how to reduce emissions from cars, airplanes, large trucks, and more.
California Academy of Science
How to Measure a Changing Climate
Young scientists explore climate change by taking a look at many different disciplines. They hear from scientists who study soil, clouds, ice cores, ocean temperatures, and more. Then, they search public databases to draw their own...
California Academy of Science
The Chemistry of Clothes
Synthetic materials increase in popularity every year. Exploring Energy takes on the chemistry behind synthetic materials, including polyester. The resource opens with a video explaining the difference between natural and synthetic...
California Academy of Science
Your Digital Footprint: Data and Energy Use
Understanding energy usage requires knowing more than how much energy it takes to charge your cell phone. Scholars learn each text sent uses energy as does each video, game, and phone call. They observe the larger grid of data transfers...
California Academy of Science
Think Before You Eat
Small changes in individual diets add up quickly, which is the theme of the ninth lesson in the 13-part Our Hungry Planet unit. Viewers watch a video to learn basic facts before reading a handout and discussing their own choices.
California Academy of Science
Waste Water Recycling
What types of water qualify for recycling and how does the recycling process work? The eighth lesson in the 10-part series exploring Fresh Solutions presents both the financial and water savings associated with emerging recycling methods.
California Academy of Science
Recharging Aquifers
The ninth lesson in a 10-part series on Fresh Solutions explains how aquifers develop and how people currently use them. The video also explores how aquifers are being depleted faster than they refill and the long-term concerns about...
California Academy of Science
Water-Wise Farms
The seventh lesson on Fresh Solutions in the 10-part series addresses solutions implemented on farms. It focuses on the options currently in use and hopes for the future of water conservation and farming.
California Academy of Science
Desalination
Desalination requires around two gallons of sea water to make one gallon of fresh water—that's quite a ratio! Viewers consider the pros and cons of desalination as one option to providing fresh water. They learn about two different...
California Academy of Science
How Do We Meet the Growing Need for Water?
Some aquifers took thousands of years to collect water, yet they have been depleted in only a hundred years. Viewers learn about where humans use water and the serious concerns for the future of the water supply in the second of 10...
California Academy of Science
Bugs for Breakfast
More people in the world eat bugs as a source of protein than the number of people who don't eat bugs. Viewers consider bugs as a food source to solve multiple issues. Our Hungry Planet introduces bug-based food as a possible solution to...
California Academy of Science
Why Protect Pollinators?
Would you rather having biting flies or chocolate? The question may seem absurd, but cocoa trees rely on pollination from biting flies. Viewers come to understand the importance of pollinators to our food supply, flowers, and entire...
California Academy of Science
What's Up With Your Gut Microbiome?
Some scientists now consider the gut microbiome a distinct organ in the human body. Curious science scholars learn about this ecosystem thriving inside them and its important functions with a video from Our Hungry Planet. The 11th lesson...
California Academy of Science
Reducing Food Waste
The average American creates more than 240 pounds of food waste every year. Are there ways to reduce that number? The eighth lesson in the 13-part series covering Our Hungry Planet introduces multiple ideas for reducing food waste. It...
California Academy of Science
Vertical Farming
Half of crops from traditional farming never get harvested, while 90 percent of crops from vertical farming go into the food supply. As land runs out for farming and the need for crops increases, could vertical farming solve the problem?...
California Academy of Science
Urban Farming
More than 20 million Americans lack access to grocery stores. The sixth lesson in the 13-part unit on Our Hungry Planet introduces the concept of food deserts and ideas to correct this lack of access. Discussion questions provide a...
California Academy of Science
What is the Environmental Impact of Feeding the World?
One in every seven people suffer from a lack of basic food. Our Hungry Planet introduces this complex issue in the second lesson of an interesting 13-part unit. It discusses the space needed to grow and raise food, the transportation of...
California Academy of Science
Nuclear Energy: Is Fission the Future?
Nuclear energy powers the Mars rovers as well as provides energy in more than 30 countries around the world. While some believe nuclear energy is the future of energy production, others worry about the risk factors and radioactive waste....
California Academy of Science
What's the Deal With Fossil Fuels?
Plastic bags, laptops, and even toothpaste all contain petroleum. A lesson explains how to define fossil fuels, including petroleum, and the many uses for fossil fuels in our everyday lives. It also details why new sources need to...
California Academy of Science
Renewable Energy: Clean Tech Solutions
Renewable energy originally found application more than 790,000 years ago. A relevant and engaging lesson explains some of the current options for renewable energy. Technology changes quickly and many different options provide hope for...