Exploring Antarctica as Scientists
BBC Antarctica Lesson Collection
Learning Objectives
Students will:
• Analyze BBC video clips and internet sources to gain deeper insights about Antarctic wildlife and research conditions;
• Create a journal entry from the perspective of a research scientist who shares their experience and findings;
• Consider why it is important for the scientific community to keep learning about Antarctica.
Resources for This Lesson
In Strange Sea Creatures Thrive Under the Ice, narrator Sir David Attenborough takes us below the ice to see how life has diversified. Strange creatures, including nudibranchs, thrive there. Nudibranchs are hermaphrodites that possess both male and female reproductive organs making mating a matter of finding any other nudibranch. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In The Sophisticated Feeding Technique of Humpback Whales, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the Southern Ocean and the humpback whales that feed there. When Antarctica broke off from South America, it created swirling currents that sweep up nutrients from the bottom of the ocean, making it one of the richest waters on earth. In the summer, humpback whales come there to feast on shoals of krill, blowing curtains of bubbles and spiraling inwards to capture the swarm. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Weddell Seal Pups: Surviving Antarctica, narrator Sir David Attenborough reveals the challenges newborn seal pups face in one of the harshest environments on Earth. From enduring subzero temperatures and blizzards to entering the icy water for the first time, every decision impacts their survival. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
Embark on an Antarctic research expedition with your students! Write a journal entry from the perspective of a research scientist about their experience in Antarctica.
In Strange Sea Creatures Thrive Under the Ice, narrator Sir David Attenborough takes us below the ice to see how life has diversified. Strange creatures, including nudibranchs, thrive there. Nudibranchs are hermaphrodites that possess both male and female reproductive organs making mating a matter of finding any other nudibranch. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In The Sophisticated Feeding Technique of Humpback Whales, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the Southern Ocean and the humpback whales that feed there. When Antarctica broke off from South America, it created swirling currents that sweep up nutrients from the bottom of the ocean, making it one of the richest waters on earth. In the summer, humpback whales come there to feast on shoals of krill, blowing curtains of bubbles and spiraling inwards to capture the swarm. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Weddell Seal Pups: Surviving Antarctica, narrator Sir David Attenborough reveals the challenges newborn seal pups face in one of the harshest environments on Earth. From enduring subzero temperatures and blizzards to entering the icy water for the first time, every decision impacts their survival. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
Embark on an Antarctic research expedition with your students! Write a journal entry from the perspective of a research scientist about their experience in Antarctica.
Teaching the Lesson
Engage
-
Let your students know they're about to watch an exciting clip from BBC’s Frozen Planet series, all about a scientific research station in Antarctica!
-
Hand out the 5Ws chart before the video and explain that they’ll use it to stay focused and sharpen their observation skills while watching.
-
Play the BBC video clip, Antarctic Research Station. Afterward, invite your class to share their thoughts and discuss the final question on the worksheet: “How has humanity opened up the ‘Last Frontier?’”
-
Wrap up by explaining how humanity has ventured into Antarctica by building innovative research stations. These structures allow scientists to live and work in the extreme cold, unlocking the mysteries of one of the most remote and unexplored places on Earth.
Analyze
-
Let your students know they’re about to step into the shoes of research scientists! Their mission? To travel (in their imaginations) to the Antarctic Research Station, study wildlife, and help uncover the secrets of Antarctica for the world.
-
Hand out the Antartica activity sheets and walk through the instructions together. Make sure they know:
-
They’ll pick two videos about Antarctic wildlife that spark their curiosity.
-
As they watch, they’ll jot down key facts on their activity sheet and think about what mysteries might still be waiting to be solved.
-
Using their notes, they’ll craft a journal entry, sharing what it’s like to explore and study wildlife in this icy frontier!
Collaboration & Create
-
Have your students team up with a partner to share their completed research and compare what they’ve learned.
-
Hand out the Antarctica Journal Activity Sheets and go over the directions as a class. Make sure your students understand:
-
They’ll use their notes from the BBC videos to summarize their findings so far.
-
If they need more details to complete the journal prompts, they can do a quick Internet search to gather additional information.
-
Wrap up the session with a class discussion: Why is it important for scientists to study Antarctica? How could the discoveries made there impact the world? Encourage thoughtful reflections and ideas!
More Like This
