National Geographic creates and shares so many amazing resources for educators it is mind boggling. I was privileged to participate in the National Geographic Educator Summit #NatGeoEdSummit where one of the many things shared was about their research at Mount Everest. The photos, storytelling and data were amazing but @NatGeoEducation takes it further to create resources for classrooms to use this data in classrooms.
Link to the Unit
PBL – Project Based Learning
In collaboration with Educurious National Geographic has a PBL project available for you to do with your students.
PBL stands for Project Based Learning.
- Students learn the content through the project.
- Students are using real data, solving real problems, and sharing with real audiences.
- Students are working on the project throughout the unit.
- Each product will be unique.
- Students experience a launch for the unit and have a need to know.
Real Data
One thing I am passionate about using real data rather than contrived questions. Who is Bob and why is he carrying 40 watermelons? It is easier than ever to access information. Giving our students access to real data no only prepares them for a data rich world that requires them to be digitally literate but provides a meandingful context for what they are learning.
National Geographic is sharing REAL TIME data from Mount Everest for students to analyze.
Essential Questions
Good essential questions spark curiosity, a desire to know the answer. After learning about Mount Everest, a video, and if possible utilizing some VR to have students have an encounter with the mountain ask the students
Why does Mount Everest’s ice matter?
Throughout the activities students get to think about how they use water and what would life be like without water.
Free
This project is fully developed and available for free. If you’ve hesitated to try out PBL this project is ready for you to use with your students. Help your students build empathy for the planet they live on and experience science and art in a whole new way.