Educational Resources: Grades 6-12
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Educational Resources: Grades 6-12

Educators may also want to peruse the Grade K-5 materials.

Wildlife

Penguins and More
Learn about scientists, penguins, and more!

Penguin Science
Connect with penguin scientists during the austral summer months of November and December.

Antarctic Whale Research
A 1:20 minute video about whale research in Antarctica.

Adelie Penguins of the Danger Islands, Antarctica!
This 2:01 minute video shows one of the oldest and largest Adelie penguin colonies in the Northern Antarctic Peninsula.

Life Under the Ice
Visit Ariel Waldman's website and explore her videos! The videos will take you on a tour of the area around McMurdo Station, Antarctica as she looks for microscopic critters under the ice. You can also watch Ariel on SciShowKids.

Under the Ice of Antarctica
Meet the people who dive under the annual sea ice to collect marine life for research in this 11:00 minute video.

Astrophysics and the South Pole

Timeline of the South Pole Telescopes
The National Science Foundation is excited to share its Timeline of the South Pole Telescopes poster. You can view it online or print it poster-sized (24"x36", 4.9 MB).

South Pole Telescope
The University of Chicago operates the South Pole Telescope. This 2:09 minute video explains how the telescope is searching for and imaging the cosmic microwave background (CMB).

History of the South Pole Stations
Learn about the four U.S. Antarctic Program South Pole 'Stations' that have been erected at the bottom of the earth. Print the poster (24"x36", 3 MB) or the DIY postcards (5 total, 9 MB).

Most Winters at the South Pole
Astrophysicist Robert Schwarz has spent more winters at the South Pole than anyone else. This 3:36 minute video discusses his work with the Keck Array telescopes.

IceCube Searches for Neutrinos
The world's largest neutrino detector is buried in the ice at the South Pole.

Antarctic Search for Meteorites
Antarctica is the best place on Earth to search for meteorites!

Earth Science

What is Under Antarctica's Glaciers?
The Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access (SALSA) project explored a lake buried 4,000 feet under an Antarctic glacier. Visit the SALSA website and watch scientist John Priscu's TedxTalk explaining what they discovered.

GPS Instruments Help Scientists
The UNAVCO team places GPS instruments around the world to help scientists measure our changing Earth.

Climate Change

International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration
Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is undergoing an intense study. The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration website has education resources, and there is also this 1:20 minute video overview.

Ancient Ice
Two million year old ice has been found in Antarctica. This 1:03 minute video illustrates the connections between climate and carbon dioxide levels in ancient times.

Volcano Holds Record of Ice Sheet Movement
This 1:20 minute video shows how scientists discovered a 6,000-year record of the West Antarctic Ice sheet's motion.

National Ice Core Lab
This 2:31 minute video provides a tour of the NSF Ice Core Lab in Denver, Colorado.

Ice Drilling Program
Learn how ice cores inform us about the Earth's past climate.

How Scientists Map Antarctica's Glaciers
Two NASA glaciologists discuss the challenges of creating accurate maps of Antarctic glaciers in this 11:31 minute video.

Antarctic Glaciers
This British website provides information on Antarctica's glaciers.

National Snow and Ice Data Center
Explore resources and data about the Earth's cryosphere.

NOAA at the South Pole
Did you know the air is sampled every single day at the South Pole so scientists can learn more about the Earth's atmosphere?

U.S. Antarctic Program 360
Visit the three U.S. Antarctic Program research stations via this 360 degree video.

NYT Virtual Reality videos
View four different 360 degree videos about Antarctica.

Long Term Ecological Research (LTER)
There are two Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites in Antarctica. The Palmer LTER scientists focus on the marine ecosystem along the Antarctic Peninsula. The McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER scientists explore the unique environment of the dry valleys near McMurdo Station.

Women Working in Antarctica
Meet a few of the women who work in Antarctica in these short video segments.

Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center
The Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center has lesson plans and activites as well as Antarctic history information.

Webinars

All Things Penguins
Watch researcher Jean Pennycook live from Cape Royds penguin colony and learn about Adélie penguins.

Marine Biology Webinar
Watch marine biologist Amy Moran and her team at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, as they explain their research in the coldest ocean water on the planet.

Researchers on an Icebreaker
Watch Palmer Long Term Ecological Research scientists onboard the research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer discuss their work. 

World Krill Day, 2022
Watch ecologist Kim Bernard and her team live from Palmer Station, Antarctica, and learn how they study krill and why krill are so important to the health of the ocean.