Classroom Ideas, Current Event Connection, Main

11 Things We Learned This Week

This week, we learned …

… why white school districts have so much more money.

Photograph by Lynn Johnson, National Geographic

How does the Census help inform to how schools are funded?

 

… climate change might make some clouds extinct. That’s right, clouds.

New climate models have speculated on the disappearance of stratocumulus (Sc) clouds. Click to download this awesome chart.
Infographic by NOAA and NASA

What do clouds have to do with weather and climate?

 

… creatures in the deepest, darkest part of the ocean are eating plastic.

Amphipods like this one inhabit the deepest ocean trenches, and ingest our most indigestible products.
Photograph by Anand Varma, National Geographic

How is plastic pollution redefining our ocean?

 

… the mixed emotions of hikers chasing retreating glaciers. Great read here!

A hiker leaps across a glacial pool in Denali National Park, Alaska.
Photograph by Aaron Huey, National Geographic

What is a glacier?

 

… the Marshall Islands are elevating themselves.

The Marshall Islands, including Rongelap Atoll here, lie just six feet above sea level.
Photograph by Emory Kristof, National Geographic

How might sea level rise impact coastal cities closer to home.

 

… Native Americans are using both Western and indigenous science to prepare for climate change.

A Karuk man waters his garden, where he grows herbs for healing body, mind, spirit. The Karuk are native to what is now California.
Photograph by Lynn Johnson, National Geographic

Consult our collection of resources to learn more about Native American perspectives.

 

… Lake Erie has the same legal rights as people.

The legislation will allow citizens to sue on behalf of the lake when it is polluted—like the runoff that contributed to this enormous toxic algal bloom.
Photograph by Peter Essick, National Geographic

Take a fresh look at Erie and our other freshwater favorites with the Great Lakes Literacy Principles!

 

… Dr. Seuss can be racist, but students keep reading him anyway.

Illustration by Greg Williams, courtesy Wikimedia. CC-BY-SA-2.5

Learn a little about Dr. Seuss’ role in WWII propaganda.

 

… NASA and the Navajo Nation are working together to understand the universe with both scientific and cultural knowledge.

A Diné (Navajo) cosmology can be reflected in STEM activities.
Illustration by Ken Dallison, National Geographic

Browse our collection of resources to better understand how Western science is recognizing indigenous knowledge.

 

… the world is made for men.

Everything from office air conditioning to a heart’s standard beats-per-minute has traditionally been calculated based on white men.Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Victoria Ochoa, U.S. Navy

How are organizations adapting to the needs and responsibilities of women?

 

… why we should all spend more time looking at maps.

You don’t need to convince us!

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