Laura Chase’s 11th-grade biology students investigated social inequities that impact their local communities. Collaborating with a humanities teacher, Laura asked her students to draw from the analytical skills they learned in science, the persuasive methods they learned in English, and the technical skills they learned in film in order to communicate their stories in a thoughtful way. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Exploring Social Inequities Through Storytelling
There aren’t many animals that are more likely to inspire fear than rattlesnakes. They are actually amazing and socially complex creatures! Rattlesnakes care for their young, sometimes babysit the young of other adults, and protect each other. However, they are gathered up and killed at events called rattlesnake roundups. Rattlesnake roundups are contests calling for hunters to bring in as many snakes as they can … Continue reading Snake Conservation Goes Hollywood
ARTS An Oscar-winning art director discusses how he designed an imaginary hotel in the fictional country of Zubrowka. (Nat Geo News) What style of hotel would you build in your own fictional country? Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit. Discussion Ideas Art director Adam Stockhausen just brought home his first Academy Award, for production design on Wes Anderson’s … Continue reading Geography of ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’
By Ryan Schleeter, National Geographic More than 50% of the world’s population already lives in cities, and this number is expected to grow to a whopping 70% by 2050. More and more people move to the world’s fastest-growing cities each day—Karachi, Pakistan; Shenzhen and Beijing, China; Lagos, Nigeria; and Bangkok, Thailand, lead the list. Most of these migrants move from rural areas to megacities, not … Continue reading Our Urban Future in Film
5 reasons to watch the new National Geographic film, The Last Lions
1. Dramatic storyline. The Lion King was a great animated film. Now, see the real-life story with just as much drama and excitement as the Disney version. In the new wildlife adventure, follow the epic journey of a lioness named Ma di Tau (“Mother of Lions”) as she battles to protect her cubs against a daunting onslaught of obstacles including a dangerous fire, a rival pride of lions, a crocodile-infested river, and a buffalo-ridden island–all in order to ensure the survival of her family.
2. Striking cinematography.The Last Lions features close-up footage of these majestic animals in their native Bostwana environment, captured by two of the world’s foremost filmmakers, big cat experts, and conservationists–National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence Beverly and Dereck Joubert. Over their 28-year career, the Jouberts have won five Emmys, a Peabody, the World Ecology Award, and an induction into the American Academy of Achievement. They recently have been awarded the Presidential Order of Merit by the government of Botswana for their life’s work. So you know they are serious film professionals with a serious mission to document the stories of African animals.
