On this unseasonably warm day, I am reminded that spring is right around the corner. And with each degree that rises, bird that chirps, and flower that sprouts, also comes my depleting attention span, as seen in the very scientific graph below.

If a 31-year old like myself has trouble concentrating, I can only imagine how difficult it is to be a student again. But just as I advised back in December (another very difficult time of year to concentrate because of the holidays) I recommend leaning in to the topics that are distracting students with TedEd videos.

I’ve collected a handful of helpful spring-themed videos to help your students stay focused while teaching them something new! Check them out, below.

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How Do Birds Learn to Sing

Video Description: Open those windows and hear the birds outside your classroom sing their hearts out! Now listen closely and ask yourself, how did those birds learn all the songs they sing? How do they know to mimic the songs of their own species? Are they born knowing how to sing? This TedED helps answer that and more.  

Video Length: 5:38 

Recommended For: Grades 7-12 

Complementary Resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-birds-learn-to-sing-partha-mitra#digdeeper 

Why Do Some People Have Seasonal Allergies? 

Video Description: Ah, spring. Grass growing, flowers blooming, trees budding. For those with allergies, though, this explosion of new life probably inspires more dread than joy. So what’s behind this annual onslaught of mucus? Eleanor Nelsen explains what happens when your immune system goes rogue. 

Video Length: 5:01 

Recommended For: Grades 6-12 

Complementary Resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-do-some-people-have-seasonal-allergies-eleanor-nelsen#digdeeper 

 

How Do Plants Tell Time? 

Video Description: Morning glories unfurl their petals like clockwork in the early morning. A closing white waterlily signals that it’s late afternoon. And moon flowers, as their name suggests, only bloom under the night sky. What gives plants this innate sense of time? Dasha Savage investigates how circadian rhythms act as an internal timekeeper for flora and fauna alike. 

Video Length: 4:19 

Recommended for: Grades 3-12 

Complementary Resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-plants-tell-time-dasha-savage#digdeeper 

The History of Chocolate

Video Description: As Easter approaches, and chocolate bunnies fill convenience stores, it becomes harder to resist this sweet stuff. Lucky for you, you weren’t born before the 16th century. Until then, chocolate only existed as a bitter, foamy drink in Mesoamerica. So how did we get from a bitter beverage to the chocolate bars of today? Deanna Pucciarelli traces the fascinating and often cruel history of chocolate. 

Video Length: 4:40 

Recommended for: Grade 8-12 

Complementary Resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-history-of-chocolate-deanna-pucciarelli#digdeeper 

 

How Do Solar Panels Work? 

Video Description: The Earth intercepts a lot of solar power: 173,000 terawatts. That’s 10,000 times more power than the planet’s population uses. So is it possible that one day the world could be completely reliant on solar energy? Richard Komp examines how solar panels convert solar energy to electrical energy.  

Video Length: 4:58

Recommended for: Grades 8-12 

Complementary Resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-solar-panels-work-richard-komp#digdeeper 

The History of Saint Patrick

Video Description: Today people around the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day for a variety of reasons in a variety of ways, but what are the origins of this holiday? Who was St. Patrick? And do today’s traditions have anything to do with his complicated, dramatic life? 

Video Length: 3:15

Recommended for Grades: Grade 3-12 

Complementary Resources: https://ed.ted.com/featured/JhveuSxg#digdeeper

 

For More

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