Classroom Ideas, Current Event Connection, Main

11 Things We Learned This Week

This week, we learned …

… you can learn a lot about American—really, Southern—identity by thinking about doughnuts. Read of the week!

Doughnuts …
Photographs by Evan Amos, courtesy Wikimedia. Public domain

What’s our favorite doughnut?

 

… the daily routine of “wake up, cross the border, go to school.”

The farmlands of Calexico, California, contrast with the suburban city of Mexicali, Baja California.
Photograph by Tim Drake, courtesy Wikimedia. CC-BY-SA-4.0

Use our lesson to help students understand the implications of political borders.

 

… how groundskeepers give baseball teams the winning edge.

A baseball player slides into home at Yankee Stadium in 1919.
Photograph by Paul Thompson, National Geographic

Navigate New York’s baseball stadiums, new and old, with our interactive map!

 

… where the world’s most unequal countries are.

A giant, bronze statue of Nelson Mandela has some big shoes. South Africa is the most unequal nation in terms of income distribution.
Photograph by James Nachtwey, National Geographic

How do you teach about inequality and distribution?

 

… half of all species on Earth are on the move.

Bison migrate out of Yellowstone National Park.
Photograph by Michael Nichols, National Geographic

What is a species range, and how does it change?

 

… how to resurrect a lost language.

What modern languages are a risk of extinction?

 

… why scientists are listening to insects’ wings

Scientists studying the buzz of the bees may offer insight to health, biology, and climatology.
Photograph by Mark Moffett, National Geographic

How might wingbeats help track an infestation of insects?

 

… how to make a computer chip (it’s more interesting than it sounds), and how to become a Lego master builder.

What are the basic parts of a circuit?

 

… millions of lakes are shallower than we thought.

The Earth is home to more than 100 million lakes of at least half an acre in size. This one is in Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve and National Park, Sichuan Province, China.
Photograph by Ami Vitale, National Geographic

What is “lake turnover”?

 

… Vermeer and other “Old Master” paintings aren’t that realistic.

Of course we’d illustrate with a picture of a geographer!
Painting by Jan Vermeer, courtesy Stadel. Public domain

Does this “Old Master” painting from the Dutch Golden Age look realistic?

​
… 26 tips to make a teacher’s workload manageable, and where US News says the best high schools in the country are.

A teacher manages conflict resolution at a preschool in Connecticut.
Photograph by Lynn Johnson, National Geographic

Don’t over-stress! Our Educator Spotlight series features inspiring activities and lessons that educators are implementing with their students that connect them to the world in bold and exciting ways.

Leave a Reply