Teaching overview
Learning points
- A robotic thumb has been developed that will provide scientists with insights into how people’s brains interact with new body parts.
- A project to regreen areas of East Africa is underway. Trees are being protected and rainwater stored to tackle widespread land degradation.
- Shape-shifting pasta has been developed. Changing shape when boiled, the flat-packed pasta has the potential to make transporting pasta far more efficient.
Curriculum keywords
- Robotics
- Conservation
- Food
Video viewing guide
This graphic organizer supports your students to capture their thoughts and questions as they watch the news update.
Spark a discussion
Robotic Thumb
- How have thumbs enabled humans to develop more complex tools than other species?
- If you could have an extra robotic thumb, how would you like to use it?
- In the future, do you think people using robotic body parts will become common?
Regreening Africa
- What causes “land degradation” around the world?
- What methods are being used in East Africa to tackle land degradation?
- As well as protecting the land, how else might regreening areas of land benefit the environment?
Shape-Shifting Pasta
- Why are researchers creating pasta that changes shape?
- How have researchers reengineered the pasta so it changes shape when it makes contact with boiling water?
- Can you think of any other foodstuffs that could be redesigned so they use less packaging?
Discover more about the topics covered in this week's News update
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.
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