SciShow
How the US Launched Its First Satellite
Start to finish, the first satellite was an 84-day project. Follow the process in a video lesson presentation from the SciShow Space series. The narrator explains the decision-making process and structure of the satellite as well as the...
TED-Ed
The "End Of History" Illusion
If you knew you were going to change a lot but you didn’t know in what way(s), how would you make decisions about your future? A thought-provoking animation presents research that shows our expectations about the future continuing the...
TED-Ed
Biodiesel: The Afterlife of Oil
Use this slick video to introduce your environmental scientists to the wonders of biodiesel. They will learn about problems caused by our waste oil, how it can be recycled, and other benefits of using biofuels. Use the video, assessment...
TED-Ed
Nature's Smallest Factory: The Calvin Cycle
Explain the two-step process of photosynthesis to your high school biologists with a focus on the Calvin cycle. Using adorable animation, a video likens the cycle to a tiny, sustainable factory. Even though the enzyme-bird rubisco...
TED-Ed
The Difference Between Classical and Operant Conditioning
Learn about the difference between two central concepts in behavioral psychology: classical and operant conditioning. Viewers are presented with images and clear narration explaining the two processes that result in learning, and...
TED-Ed
The Surprising Link between Stress and Memory
Test-taking is on the minds of many high schoolers, especially as the college admissions process looms closer. Watching a video that explains the role of stress in test performance and suggests steps to alleviate its effects to help test...
National Constitution Center
Article III: Justice Breyer on the Supreme Court
After oral arguments and the lawyers go home, what actually happens in the Supreme Court? Justice Stephen Breyer describes how members of the court discuss cases and write opinions behind the scenes. Though their discussions involve...
TED-Ed
The Colossal Consequences of Supervolcanoes
The threat posed by super volcanoes is explored in a short video that reviews the destruction caused by Mount Tambora in 1815 and by Peru's Huaynaputina in 1600. Think it can't happen again? The narrator contends that the explosive...
SciShow
What Honeybees Can Teach Us About Democracy
While the United States has a representative democracy, honeybees have a true democracy. The video explains how honeybees vote, how they research their decision making process, and the importance of influencing others. It also describes...
TED-Ed
How Sugar Affects the Brain
Attention, sugar addicts! Here's why you can't quit the habit. Sweet taste receptors send a signal to the brain, which activates a reward system that responds by telling you to eat again. Over activating this reward system results in a...
TED-Ed
Inventing the American Presidency
"If you could start from scratch, how would you redesign the oval office?" The formation of the United States government was a carefully calculated and collective process. With this video, your class will imagine themselves as founders...
TED-Ed
Animation Basics: The Option Illusion of Motion
From creating simple flip books to watching Saturday morning cartoons, we have all experienced the magic of animation. But how is it that a series of still images can be brought to life? It all has to do with the speed at which our brain...
TED-Ed
How to Make a Baby (in a Lab)
With over five million babies being born through in vitro fertilization in the last 40 years, sex education is taking on a whole new look. After first walking through natural process of reproduction, this short video goes on to...
TED-Ed
How Does Your Body Process Medicine?
Watch a video that explains the loopy process medicine goes through as it is swallowed and how it reaches the bloodstream.
TED-Ed
What Does the Liver Do?
It's the heaviest organ in the human body, but exactly what role does the liver play in sustaining life? Follow along with this short video as it explores the various ways the liver filters, stores, and manufactures materials...
TED-Ed
How to Make Your Writing Funnier
Did you ever notice the art of comedy is indeed an art? Check out this video that contains quick and catchy tips and tricks for crafting comedy that will tickle your funny bone.
TED-Ed
The Life Cycle of a T-Shirt
Did you know that 2,700 liters of water are required to produce just one t-shirt? Or that cotton uses more insecticides and pesticides than any other crop? An engaging video traces the cycle of t-shirt production from cotton bolls to the...
TED-Ed
The Mysterious Science of Pain
The amount of pain one experiences is not directly connected to the amount of tissue damage. In fact, it is possible for pain to occur without any tissue damage at all! A video lesson digs into the science behind the phenomenon and asks...
TED-Ed
What Is the Coldest Thing in the World?
A video that demonstrates the process for cooling atoms launches a journey to comprehend physics. After watching the video, class members answer multiple-choice and short-answer questions to prepare for a whole-class discussion of the...
TED-Ed
The Simple Story of Photosynthesis and Food
Meet adorable, animated chloroplasts as they produce glucose with the help of the sun. Viewers learn how carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and electrons are combined to form carbohydrates with an engaging video. The narrator also explains how...
Crash Course
Congressional Decisions: Crash Course Government and Politics #10
How does a member of Congress make a final decision on a bill or law? Scholars view a short video that investigates the process in which members of Congress come to their own conclusions. They analyze the impact special interest groups,...
TED-Ed
The Oddities of the First American Election
How did Americans come to decide who would be the first president of the United States? Examine the establishment of the electoral college, the selection of George Washington as president, and the evolution of the nation's electoral...
American Battlefield Trust
Civil War Trust Animated Map: First Manassas
The Battle of First Manassas, commonly known as the First Battle of Bull Run, was the first major battle of the Civil War, signaling a conflict that would last for many years and take many lives in the process. View an animated map that...
PBS
Jim Crow Laws Influence the Fight for Women's Suffrage | Carrie Chapman Catt
A short, but very thought-filled video, examines the how Carrie Chapman Catt's push for passage of the 19th Amendment was impacted by Jim Crow Laws in southern states. Viewers are asked to consider the compromises made and whether the...