In 2011 the BBC wildlife team broadcast another stunning
production, Frozen Planet, all
about the Earth's poles. What's this got to do with schools, you
may ask? BBC wildlife footage is fantastic for teaching a whole
range of science topics. You can cover adaptation, evolution,
habitats, weather and climate change to name but a few.
Clips from Frozen Planet are still available on the BBC's Wildlife Finder, which,
incidentally, is a brilliant resource. If you haven't used it,
investigate it now!
What other resources are available to support your teaching of
topics covered by Frozen Planet?
Planet Science
Firstly, check out Planet Science! We've been feeling
wintery lately. Have a look at:
We have several quizzes and articles to support teaching on
weather, wildlife and habitats. All our articles are linked to the
UK curricula.
Open University
The Open University has a free Frozen Planet
poster which you can download and print for your classroom.
Also on the Open University website is an interactive map
allowing you and your students to explore the polar regions in
detail. With information about polar science, exploration, wildlife
and climate change, it's an in-depth resource with lots of
potential for the classroom.
ARKive
ARKive, an interactive educational resource, has
lots of information about Arctic and Antarctic habitats and wildlife on
their fantastic website. ARKive's images and videos are free to use
in the classroom.
British Antarctic Survey
(BAS)
The British Antarctic Survey
provides a brilliant introduction to the realities of living and
working in such extreme conditions. Find out what the BAS does,
information about weather and climate in Antarctica, wildlife and
environmental challenges. BAS also has educational
resources covering a variety of topics, for ages 7 to 18.
Discovering...
Discovering the
Arctic and Discovering
Antarctica are educational websites produced by the Royal
Geographic Society, BAS and the Scottish Association for Marine
Science. With a wealth of information and educational resources
about the Earth's poles, the websites are a great starting point
for a polar lesson.
EducaPoles
The education and outreach website from the International Polar
Foundation, EducaPoles has a range of resources
available freely for teachers. Topics include energy, overfishing,
weather and water. Many of the resources are accompanied by easy
experiments to carry out in the classroom.
UK Polar Network (UKPN)
The UK Polar Network
education and outreach team promote polar science and research
in schools and organise events which allow students to learn more
about life and research in polar regions. UKPN members can visit
your school or sixth form college to talk about their work and
carry out workshops. If you're interested, contact them at education@polarnetwork.org.