12 of 24 results for "human impact"
Collection
The Oceans Lesson Collection

Explore the impact of human activity on our oceans with this comprehensive lesson collection. Featuring curated BBC video clips and printable activities, these resources dive into topics like pollution, overfishing, and ocean habitats, helping students understand the challenges facing ocean life and inspiring them to become ocean conservation advocates.

News Clip
That GPS on Your Phone? Thank the Space Economy

The “global space economy” refers to pretty much everything having to do with human progress through space, including exploration, research, management, and use. It also generates hundreds of billions of dollars every year.

You may not have heard the term “global space economy,” but you’ve probably heard of at least two of the big players: Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. As founders of Blue Origin and SpaceX, their companies are estimated to be worth $100 billion and $1.8 trillion, respectively. If you took 1.8 trillion standard dollar bills end-to-end, it would stretch 100 million miles — more than the distance from the Earth to the Sun! Imagine walking to the Sun on a bridge made of money! You couldn’t, because of all of the “zero gravity.” Your feet would also get very tired. There’s also no oxygen. But we know all of this because of how much we’ve studied space! 

So why spend so much time and money on the space industry, which has expanded massively in the last few decades? Don’t only a few select astronauts go to space? Shouldn’t we be focusing on Earth? Well, what we learn in space has a big impact on what we do on the ground. Our findings from space show up as the GPS on our phones, in ships navigating the oceans, even as farmers using satellite photography to plan their crops. 

There’s no sign of slowing down on the space front — the UK is focusing on small satellites, America is hoping to put astronauts back on the moon by 2028, and China is planning its own lunar landing by 2030. These explorations could provide valuable minerals, insight to getting past the Moon (like to Mars), and open up space tourism opportunities.

Kahoot
Kahoot! Malala — Power of Education

Explore the inspiring life and global impact of Malala Yousafzai, from her childhood in the Swat Valley to becoming one of the world’s leading advocates for girls’ education. Students will discover how Malala used her voice to speak out for the right to learn and how her courage and persistence inspired people around the world.

This Kahoot examines key moments in Malala’s journey, including her early activism, her advocacy for education in the face of danger, and her rise as an international symbol of hope and determination. Students will explore how education can become a powerful force for change and how one person’s beliefs and actions can influence history on a global scale.

Ideal for lessons on world history, human rights, leadership, and global citizenship, this Kahoot encourages students to think about the importance of education, resilience, and using one’s voice to make a difference.

Lesson Plan
Reducing Human Impact on Our Oceans

In this lesson, students will collaborate to understand how marine life is affected by human actions. The Dive into this engaging lesson where your students will uncover how human actions affect marine life. Kick things off with a fun game of Three Truths and a Lie about the ocean to spark curiosity and get everyone talking. Then, break into small groups and tackle a jigsaw activity as students watch short, thought-provoking videos about ocean animals and human impact. Together, they’ll share insights, tackle discussion questions, and use their newfound knowledge to create eye-catching infographics. These creations will inspire others to take action and protect our incredible oceans!

Printable
Get This Three Truths and a Lie Game + More Grade 6-12 Oceans Worksheets

Play Three Truths and a Lie about oceans and answer questions about human impact on whales, tusk fish, and the Great Barrier Reef. Plus, complete an infographic activity on how to reduce human impact on our oceans.

Lesson Plan
Keep the Ocean Blue: How Humans Impact Our Oceans
In this lesson, students will explore the effects that humans have on the world’s oceans. The lesson will begin with a game of Three Truths and a Lie about the ocean to activate students’ prior knowledge about this enormous biome. Next, students will work with a partner to watch two videos and explore the relationship between various ocean animals and human activity. Students will then share what they learned with their peers and create ocean conservation posters that educate viewers about the impact of human activities on ocean animals.
Printable
How People Affect the Ocean Activity Sheets

These printable activity sheets are used with lessons in the BBC Learning Hub Oceans Collection. 

Three Truths and a Lie: Play this quick game with students to activate their prior knowledge about the ocean biome. What do they know?

Activity Sheets: The activity sheets are intended to be shared after students watch the three related video clips about whales, tusk fish, and the Great Barrier Reef.

Lesson Plan
How Do People Impact the Oceans?
In this lesson, you’ll help your students explore the impact humans have on the world’s oceans. Start things off with a fun game of Three Truths and a Lie about the ocean to get your class thinking about this incredible biome. Then, guide your students through two engaging videos that highlight the connection between ocean animals and human activities. Wrap up the lesson with a creative activity where your students design ocean conservation posters to show how we can all work together to keep our oceans clean.
Video
A World of Whale Sound Beneath the Sea

In A World of Whale Sound Beneath the Sea, narrator Sir David Attenborough follows scientists as they track whales. This tracking enables the scientists to redirect shipping and reduce collisions. Tracking also allows them to monitor how the whales use sound as a vital means of communication deep beneath the sea. Unfortunately, human activity and noise pollution is masking some of that sound, having an impact on whale behavior in ways that we’re still learning about. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Horizon: The Death of the Oceans, which reveals what scientists are learning about what is happening in the oceans and whether it is too late to save their remarkable diversity.

Video
The World's Incarcerated Children

In The World's Incarcerated Children, host Radzi Chinyanganya highlights how child inmates in Madagascar make up part of the 1.5 million children who are currently imprisoned, held in immigration detention, or placed in institutions around the world. The episode delves into the harsh realities these children face and explores how their lack of freedom impacts their lives and futures. It raises important questions about justice, human rights, and the impact of systemic issues on young lives. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.

Video
The Growing Threat of Wildfires

In Wildfires: A Growing Threat, host Radzi Chinyanganya highlights the devastating impact of wildfires around the globe, with a focus on Australia. The segment provides an in-depth look at the causes, local impact, and the global spread of wildfires, highlighting how changes in weather patterns, human activity, and environmental factors are exacerbating this crisis. The episode also covers how the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) contributes to the conditions that make wildfires more likely in regions like Australia. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.

Video
The Importance of Forests

In The Importance of Forests, host Radzi Chinyanganya discusses the importance of forests in regulating the planet’s climate by absorbing CO₂ and producing oxygen. The video explores how deforestation and climate change are interconnected, highlighting the role of trees as the "lungs of the Earth." Learn about the impact of human activities on forests and how protecting these ecosystems can help reduce CO₂ emissions. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.