This video explains the differences between the Arctic and the Antarctic.
Students will learn about the differences in temperature and climate between the two polar regions, as well as the animals and other forms of life found in each region.
The resource includes an interactive assessment, a dig deeper section, and a discussion board.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The difference between the Arctic and Antarctic are clearly explained with animated visuals.
The assessment and discussion questions allow students to reflect on what they learned.
Additional Prerequisites
Students must create an account with an email address to answer the quiz questions.
Students must be 13 years of age or older to create an account.
Teachers can create an account to save student answers and embed lessons in Google Classroom.
Several of the links in the Dig Deeper section are broken.
Differentiation
This is a great resource to use as part of a unit or lesson about biomes and climates around the world.
Social studies and geography classes could use this video in a lesson about polar regions.
Additional resources on this topic include this interactive textbook lesson about polar climates and this video about ice core research in the poles.
Scientist Notes
The video illustrates the climate variability in the Arctic and Antarctic region. In as much as global warming has impacted on these regions, they also act as climate controls in temperate and tropical environments. The resource is insightful and ideal for classroom use.
Standards
Science and Engineering
ESS2: Earth’s Systems
3-ESS2-2 Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
MS-LS2-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
Social Studies
Geography
Geography 1: Students understand the geography of the community, Maine, the United States, and various regions of the world by explaining that geography includes the study of Earth's physical features including climate and the distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Geography 1 (F1): Students understand the geography of the community, Maine, the United States, and various regions of the world, and geographic influences on life in the past, present, and future by using the geographic grid and a variety of types of maps, including digital sources, to locate and access relevant geographic information that reflects multiple perspectives.
