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Instructional Video5:25
TED-Ed

How Does Chemotherapy Work?

For Students 6th - 12th
Who would imagine that the use of mustard gas during World War I would lead to the discovery of chemotherapy? Learn more about how an investigation into this terrible weapon of war leads to the development of this modern cancer treatment.
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Instructional Video5:05
TED-Ed

Why Doesn’t the Leaning Tower of Pisa Fall Over?

For Students 6th - 12th
The famous Leaning Tower of Pisa doesn't lean as much as it used to. Why it did, and why it doesn't as much as it used to, is the focus of a short film that reveals the engineering behind the construction and the various efforts over the...
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Instructional Video5:08
TED-Ed

The Legend of Annapurna, Hindu Goddess of Nourishment

For Students 6th - 12th
The legend of Annapurna, Hindu Goddess of Nourishment, is a complex tale that incorporates some of Hinduism's basic beliefs. In this version of the tale, Parvati, wife of Shiva, represents energy, growth, and transformation and brings...
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Instructional Video5:10
TED-Ed

Hacking Bacteria to Fight Cancer

For Students 6th - 12th
The research being done in the field of synthetic biology holds tremendous possibilities for cancer patients. Here is a short video that details how synthetic biologists are learning how to program bacteria to attack tumors. 
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Instructional Video6:43
TED-Ed

Is Marijuana Bad for Your Brain?

For Students 6th - 12th
With many states legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use, more research can be done into how the body responds to and processes the drug. Find out what is now known about how marijuana affects the brain through a short video.
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Instructional Video3:27
TED-Ed

"For Estefani, Third Grade, Who Made Me A Card" by Aracelis Girmay

For Students 6th - 12th
Aracelis Girmay's poem "For Estefani, Third Grade, Who Made Me A Card" comes alive in a short animated film narrated by the poet. The illustrations make the images concrete.
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Instructional Video4:39
TED-Ed

Could a Breathalyzer Detect Cancer?

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Wouldn't it be lovely if cancer detection could be as easy as blowing into a tube? Alas, the process is very complicated. Follow along as the narrator explains some of the problems in using a device like a breathalyzer to detect cancer....
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Instructional Video4:57
TED-Ed

What Was So Special About Viking Ships?

For Students 6th - 12th
Viking Longships could go where few ships had gone before. Due to their unique constructions, the wooden ships could navigate shallow waters, brave the rough Atlantic and North Seas, and even rivers and fjords. Find out what was so...
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Instructional Video1:08
TED-Ed

"Ode to the Only Black Kid in the Class" by Clint Smith

For Students 6th - Higher Ed Standards
An animated interpretation of Clint Smith's poem "Ode to the Only Black Kid in the Class" explores the stereotypes Black Americans encounter.
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Instructional Video5:14
TED-Ed

The Myth of Jason and the Argonauts

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Travel with Jason and the Argonauts in a short, animated TEDEd video that recounts the adventures of the crew as they journey to retrieve the Golden Fleece.
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Instructional Video2:39
PBS

The Chronicles of Narnia

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia is about far more than the adventures of a group of children in an imaginary kingdom. Find out what else it's about in a short Great American Read video.
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Instructional Video4:44
PBS

Chosen Family and Ghost

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
There's something powerful about a book that speaks your language and experiences or introduces you to the language and experiences of others. A National Book Award winner, Jason Reynolds' novel, Ghost, is such a book. Find out more...
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Instructional Video4:44
PBS

Looking for Alaska

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Looking for Alaska is the subject of a short PBS video that encourages viewers to read John Green's award-winning young adult novel about first love. 
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Instructional Video2:08
PBS

The Hunger Games

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed Standards
The odds will be in your favor that young statisticians will volunteer to participate in this experiment. After watching a short video that is part of the PBS Math at the Core middle school collection, scholars engage in a lottery and...
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Instructional Video5:13
TED-Ed

The Mysterious Life and Death of Rasputin

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov's determination to assassinate Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, a Russian Orthodox Church monk and advisor to Tsar Nicholas II, is the focus of a short video. Viewers decide if Rasputin was a mystic or a conman.
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Instructional Video6:41
1
1
TED-Ed

The Chasm | Think Like A Coder, Ep 6

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
It'd be a shame if the hero fell into the chasm. The saga of the hero trying to save the world continues, this time requiring a bridge to cross a ravine. The blocks for the bridge must form a palindrome, and the hero must program a robot...
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Instructional Video6:42
1
1
TED-Ed

The Artists | Think Like A Coder, Ep 5

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Create a diversion! Continuing the quest to save the world, the hero of the series needs to find an artifact inside a tower. To distract the guards, she programs a robot to vandalize some artwork. Viewers learn how to apply loops and...
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Instructional Video2:53
PBS

Relatable Characters in Dark Tales and The Book Thief

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
Markus Zusak's The Book Thief is another novel high on the list of must-reads from The Great American Read collection. Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former President George  W. Bush, and John Green of Crash Course series fame share why...
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Instructional Video4:35
TED-Ed

The Maya Myth of the Morning Star

For Students 6th - 12th
The Mayan Myth of the Morning Star is not only a tale of fraternal jealousy but also an astronomy story based on the Mayan calendar and the movements of the planets and the sun. Check out an amazing animated video that details the myth.
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Instructional Video4:24
TED-Ed

Why Haven’t We Cured Arthritis?

For Students 6th - 12th
The simple answer to the questions of why scientists have not found a cure for arthritis is that the term is used to describe over a hundred different conditions. Find out more about arthritis and how current treatments only deal with...
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Instructional Video5:36
TED-Ed

How Does Laser Eye Surgery Work?

For Students 6th - 12th
Everything you wanted to know about laser vision correction surgery but was afraid to ask; can be found in a short animated video. While highly technical, the animations that accompany the narration, make the surgery easy to understand....
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Instructional Video5:01
TED-Ed

How Rollercoasters Affect Your Body

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Rollercoaster riders are a passionate breed. There are even tours just for them. Find out how these thrill rides affect the body and how modern rollercoaster designers use the understanding of the forces on the body as they craft bigger...
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Instructional Video4:30
TED-Ed

A Day in the Life of an Ancient Celtic Druid

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
A druid's work is never done. Viewers walk along with an ancient Celtic druid as she heals the sick, counsels the village leaders, and mediates conflicts.
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Instructional Video5:55
PBS

Pride and Prejudice

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Published in 1813 and considered by many to be the first romance novel, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice still tops the chart as a favorite read. Literary experts share why the tale of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy continues to win the...