Teaching overview
Learning points
- Scientists teach pet parrots to make video calls to help beat loneliness.
- Engineers create Shine, a portable wind turbine that allows people to create their own electricity from wind.
- Aerospace engineers create a capsule called LOUIS, in which researchers can carry out microgravity experiments without going into space.
Curriculum keywords
- Parrots
- Wind Turbine
- Experiments
This Week's Kahoot Quiz
Each week we'll be bringing you a free quiz that you can use with your students after they've enjoyed the episode.
Spark a discussion
Parrot Calls
- How many parrots took part in the study?
- The study was aimed at helping the pet parrots feel less of what feeling?
- Can you think of any other animals that might benefit from this kind of social interaction?
Portable Wind Turbine
- What is wind the second largest provider of?
- What can Shine be used to charge?
- What other uses do you think Shine could potentially have?
Experiment Capsule
- How many meters into the air does LOUIS reach?
- What kind of experiments are carried out inside LOUIS?
- Can you think of any examples of microgravity experiments?
Classroom Resources
Use these resources to get the most out of the news update and engage your class in topical science!
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Video Viewing Guide
This graphic organizer supports your students to capture their thoughts and questions as they watch the news update.
Make Your Own Science News Update
This simple guide helps your students to create their very own science news updates.
Language and Literacy Activities
This guide gives you ideas for how the news update can be used to support language and literacy activities.
Discover More About Topics Covered In This Week's Update
Twig Science: A Complete Pre-K–8 Program for the NGSS
Immersive Investigations with High-Quality Multimedia
- Investigating, designing, building, and understanding phenomena
- Hands-on, digital, video, and print investigations
- Synchronous/asynchronous distance learning