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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Why Is Yawning Contagious?

For Students 9th - 10th
*Yaaawwwwwn* Did just reading the word make you feel like yawning yourself? Known as contagious yawning, the reasons behind this phenomenon have been attributed to both the physiological and psychological. It's been observed in children...
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: What Are Stem Cells?

For Students 9th - 10th
Is personalized medicine for individual bodies in our future? Possibly -- with the use of stem cells, undifferentiated cells with the power to become any tissue in our bodies. The following learning module describes the role of these...
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Rn Ai: Slicing, Dicing and Serving Your Cells

For Students 9th - 10th
RNA, the genetic messenger, makes sure the DNA recipe gives your cells exactly what they ordered. But sometimes that means inhibiting some other RNA that got the recipe wrong. This process is called RNA interference (RNAi), and it acts...
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Why Do We Have to Wear Sunscreen?

For Students 9th - 10th
You already know that a trip to the beach can give you a nasty sunburn, but the nitty gritty of sun safety is actually much more complex. Wrinkle-causing UVA rays and burn-inducing UVB's can pose a serious risk to your health (and good...
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: How We See Color

For Students 9th - 10th
There are three types of color receptors in your eye: red, green and blue. But how do we see the amazing kaleidoscope of other colors that make up our world? The following learning module explains how humans can see everything from...
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: You Are Your Microbes

For Students 9th - 10th
From the microbes in our stomachs to the ones on our teeth, we are homes to millions of unique and diverse communities which help our bodies function. The following learning module emphasizes the importance of understanding the many...
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: The Chemistry of Cold Packs

For Students 9th - 10th
If you stick water in the freezer, it will take a few hours to freeze into ice. How is it, then, that cold packs go from room temperature to near freezing in mere seconds? John Pollard details the chemistry of the cold pack, shedding...
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I Have a Dream"

For Students 9th - 10th
On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech to hundreds of thousands of Americans at what is known as the March on Washington. This now-famous speech was both an apex and catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement in...
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: How the Heart Actually Pumps Blood

For Students 9th - 10th
For most of history, scientists weren't quite sure why our hearts were beating or even what purpose they served. Eventually, we realized that these thumping organs serve the vital task of pumping clean blood throughout the body. But how?...
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: How Do Germs Spread? Why Do They Make Us Sick?

For Students 2nd - 7th
Germs are found on almost every surface we come in contact with, which makes it incredibly common for our bodies to be exposed to them. But why are some of these germs relatively harmless, while others can be fatal? The creators of this...
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: How Do Vitamins Work?

For Students 9th - 10th
Vitamins are the building blocks that keep our bodies running; they help build muscle and bone, capture energy, heal wounds and more. But if our body doesn't create vitamins, how do they get into our system? The following learning module...
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: How to Think About Gravity

For Students 9th - 10th
Video describes what gravity is and how it operates between two masses. Followed by a short quiz and a list of additional resources to explore. [4:44]
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: The Carbon Cycle

For Students 9th - 10th
Video talks about the carbon cycle and uses a computer as a metaphor to show how the cycle can be disrupted by climate change. [3:55] Includes a short quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Sheena Iyengar on the Art of Choosing

For Students 9th - 10th
In this video, Sheena Iyengar examines the ideas that people have about choice and the ways that people feel about the choices they make. [24:09] Includes a brief quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: A 40 Year Plan for Energy

For Students 9th - 10th
In this intimate talk filmed at TED's offices, energy innovator Amory Lovins shows how to get the US off oil and coal by 2050, $5 trillion cheaper, with no Act of Congress, led by business for profit. The key is integrating all four...
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: The Abc's of Gas: Avogadro, Boyle, Charles

For Students 9th - 10th
In this video, Brian Bennett defines Boyle's Law, Charles' Law, and Avogadro's Law to help describe the properties of gas. [2:50] Followed by a short quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: A Glimpse of Teenage Life in Ancient Rome

For Students 9th - 10th
Video that describes the life Lucius Popidius Secundus, a typical teenager living in Rome in 73 AD. [6:35] Followed by a brief quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Seeing a Sustainable Future

For Students 9th - 10th
In this video, Alex Steffen discusses ways that urban areas are able to reduce their ecological footprint and people can live more sustainable lifestyles. [10:14] Followed by a short quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Why the Shape of Your Screen Matters

For Students 9th - 10th
In this video, Brian Gervase explains how the size a of television screen affects how much of a movie people are able to watch. [3:33] Followed by a short quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: How Big Is a Mole? (Not the Animal, the Other One.)

For Students 9th - 10th
Video describes how moles are used in chemistry and how their size is measured. [4:33] Followed by a short quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Dna: The Book of You

For Students 9th - 10th
This video explains how DNA works and what it does, relating it to an instruction manual for building an organism. [4:29] Followed by a short quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: How to Speed Up Chemical Reactions (And Get a Date)

For Students 9th - 10th
This video explores by analogy what factors speed up reaction rates in chemical reactions. [4:56] Includes a brief quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: How Two Decisions Led Me to Olympic Glory

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief video in which Steve Mesler explains how deciding to switch sports and to take responsibility for his actions helped lead to success at the Olympics. [4:02] Followed by a brief quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: How Taking a Bath Led to Archimedes' Principle

For Students 9th - 10th
This video explains how the early Greek mathematician Archimedes discovered the principle relating density, volume, and displacement of water. [3:01] Includes a brief quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.