Take your students on a romp through the grasslands! From the African savanna to the Great Plains of North America grasslands are nature’s wide-open playground.
✨ Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the grasslands. (Don't miss the giraffes and bison!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs such as Planet Earth, The Americas With Simon Reeve, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.
- Free Printable: Use the Grasslands Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
In The Rocky Mountains of North America, narrator Douglas Henshall highlights the dynamic landscape of the Rockies. From the American Southwest to the Yukon, this extreme environment offers freedom, but also requires its inhabitants to have exceptional survival skills. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Mountains: Life Above the Clouds, which showcases wildlife thriving in the world's highest mountains.
In The Bison of North America, narrator Sir David Attenborough looks at the hunting of bison on the prairies. Bison numbers on the prairies dropped from 60 million to barely a thousand because of people hunting them and destroying their habitat. Thanks to rigorous protection, numbers are now recovering. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
The article "Leif Erikson: The Viking Who Sailed to America" from BBC's HistoryExtra explores the Norse explorer’s journey across the Atlantic nearly 500 years before Columbus.
In How Grizzly Bears Survive in the Mountains, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores an avalanche tumbling down a mountainside in North America. Grizzly bears coming out of hibernation must move quickly to the safer valley, where they will gorge themselves during spring and summer. Learn about how they also rub against trees to shed winter fur and spread their scent. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Twisters in the Great Plains, learn how when warm air from the Gulf of Mexico meets cold air from the Arctic, it results in tornadoes that spin at speeds of over 300 miles an hour. Over a thousand tornadoes touch down in the Great Plains each year. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Florida Manatees in Warm Springs, meet the manatees that are traveling to the warm spring waters in Florida. Unfortunately, these warm waters are popular with humans too, resulting in loss of wilderness and unintentional harm to the manatees. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In A Fall Chill in Southern Swamps, learn how American alligators adjust to the colder fall weather in the Southern swamps. Watch a manatee and her calf setting off on a journey to warmer waters. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
Get swept up in the drama of Earth’s extreme weather! This BBC video clip collection — featuring clips from Blue Planet, Blue Planet II, and other acclaimed BBC series — takes you into the heart of hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and more. Discover how these powerful forces shape our planet, challenge wildlife, and reveal the awe-inspiring power of nature.
Take your class on an exciting journey through Florida’s amazing wildlife and habitats! This playlist explores the warm springs where manatees gather in winter and shows how dolphins team up in Florida Bay to catch their food in clever ways. Along the way, your students will discover what makes Florida’s ecosystems so special and why they’re worth protecting. These clips are perfect for sparking curiosity, starting great classroom discussions, and inspiring kids to think like young scientists and conservationists.
From the iconic Red Rock formations of Arches National Park in Utah and the majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains, to the unique wetlands of the Everglades, journey through incredible landscapes. Encounter amazing animals like grizzly bears and bobcats, learn about the vital work of protecting ancient redwood forests, and discover how climate change is reshaping these precious wild spaces.
In The Giant Conifers of the Pacific Coast of North America, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how time and sunlight have resulted in some of the largest and oldest living things on Earth. Giant conifers can absorb moisture from fog to survive dry times and thrive here. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Take your students on a romp through the grasslands! From the African savanna to the Great Plains of North America grasslands are nature’s wide-open playground.
✨ Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the grasslands. (Don't miss the giraffes and bison!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs such as Planet Earth, The Americas With Simon Reeve, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.
- Free Printable: Use the Grasslands Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
In The Rocky Mountains of North America, narrator Douglas Henshall highlights the dynamic landscape of the Rockies. From the American Southwest to the Yukon, this extreme environment offers freedom, but also requires its inhabitants to have exceptional survival skills. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Mountains: Life Above the Clouds, which showcases wildlife thriving in the world's highest mountains.
In The Bison of North America, narrator Sir David Attenborough looks at the hunting of bison on the prairies. Bison numbers on the prairies dropped from 60 million to barely a thousand because of people hunting them and destroying their habitat. Thanks to rigorous protection, numbers are now recovering. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
The article "Leif Erikson: The Viking Who Sailed to America" from BBC's HistoryExtra explores the Norse explorer’s journey across the Atlantic nearly 500 years before Columbus.
In How Grizzly Bears Survive in the Mountains, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores an avalanche tumbling down a mountainside in North America. Grizzly bears coming out of hibernation must move quickly to the safer valley, where they will gorge themselves during spring and summer. Learn about how they also rub against trees to shed winter fur and spread their scent. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Twisters in the Great Plains, learn how when warm air from the Gulf of Mexico meets cold air from the Arctic, it results in tornadoes that spin at speeds of over 300 miles an hour. Over a thousand tornadoes touch down in the Great Plains each year. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Florida Manatees in Warm Springs, meet the manatees that are traveling to the warm spring waters in Florida. Unfortunately, these warm waters are popular with humans too, resulting in loss of wilderness and unintentional harm to the manatees. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In A Fall Chill in Southern Swamps, learn how American alligators adjust to the colder fall weather in the Southern swamps. Watch a manatee and her calf setting off on a journey to warmer waters. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
Get swept up in the drama of Earth’s extreme weather! This BBC video clip collection — featuring clips from Blue Planet, Blue Planet II, and other acclaimed BBC series — takes you into the heart of hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and more. Discover how these powerful forces shape our planet, challenge wildlife, and reveal the awe-inspiring power of nature.
Take your class on an exciting journey through Florida’s amazing wildlife and habitats! This playlist explores the warm springs where manatees gather in winter and shows how dolphins team up in Florida Bay to catch their food in clever ways. Along the way, your students will discover what makes Florida’s ecosystems so special and why they’re worth protecting. These clips are perfect for sparking curiosity, starting great classroom discussions, and inspiring kids to think like young scientists and conservationists.
From the iconic Red Rock formations of Arches National Park in Utah and the majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains, to the unique wetlands of the Everglades, journey through incredible landscapes. Encounter amazing animals like grizzly bears and bobcats, learn about the vital work of protecting ancient redwood forests, and discover how climate change is reshaping these precious wild spaces.
In The Giant Conifers of the Pacific Coast of North America, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how time and sunlight have resulted in some of the largest and oldest living things on Earth. Giant conifers can absorb moisture from fog to survive dry times and thrive here. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.