We noticed you haven't updated your profile picture recently. We've upgraded your profile to allow for richer hi-resolution images. We invite you to take a moment to upload a new image that represents you in the community!
Movies for Science in Elementary Grades
Besides the movie The Lorax, does anyone have any movie suggestions for students that are in elementary grade levels about different science topics? Does not need to be one topic in particular, just want to create a movie list with different movies for different topics!
1430 Activity Points
I was looking for the same information and I did a search on Amazon instant video and found Popular Mechanics for Kids. They are 20 to 23 minutes long and address a specific topic that is primarily STEM based. It seems to be for elementary and middle school. I also found Sid the Science Kid for younger kids (early elementary). PBS online has NOVA and Nature, programs that are at least 50 minutes in length. Both stunning in their visual imagery I would same it fits older elementary to high school.
3400 Activity Points
That is a good question. Might I suggest you do three things and then if you have additional questions, please, post them here so we can help.
There will undoubtedly be topics you would like to include in your list that no one else has thought of, so be sure to come back here and let us know and we will put our collective brainpower together to see if we can help!
65560 Activity Points
I suggest watching the movie Fern Gully it is an old film from the 1980's that is a cartoon. It details the devastating effects of pollution on the environment.
1405 Activity Points
I watched Wall-E with my famiy last night, and kept thinking about how well it fit with our study of plants and the environment in 4th grade!
590 Activity Points
I love the movie Wall-E, and we watch it every year right after our climate change science unit. It is also a great movie to teach symbolism and argumentative writing. I have my students watch for symbolism throughout the movie - such as Eve's name and her shape in consideration of her mission. For argumentative writing or discussion, I like to have the students argue whether is more human-like or robot-like using evidence from the movie. It is a great movie!
79060 Activity Points
I would show "The March of the Penguins" as well as 'October Sky" (which has a few curse words but not many and not harsh ones.) My all time favorite is an very old movie called "Medicine Man" with Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco. It addresses the fact that if we destroy the rainforest then new medicines will no longer be found. I am not sure if it would be go for young elementary children but it does show some native brests though. With a little editing it would be just as good a message as the Lorax. I had one middle school group that didn't understand the message of the Lorax to my surprise. Every time I watch the 'Medicine Man' I enjoy it even more.
101490 Activity Points
When I was in elementary school, I recall watching mostly Bill Nye the Science Guy in science class. I am not sure how popular these would be with students today as they are quite outdated. I do remember watching October Sky when I was in school though. It can be tied to space science, history, mining, forest fires, and even character development. When we watched it, we also built rockets and got to all go outside and set them off. This movie is a great addition to any lesson to get them interested in space science, or even math and engineering. I found this really helpful website that ties movies with lessons. It gives well thought out discussion ideas as well as lesson ideas. I hope it is helpful for you! http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/october-sky.html
585 Activity Points
I just purchased "Making North America" from PBS after watching it on NOVA. It works well for 4th grade Earth Sciences. It could probably be used for Earth Science for other grade levels. Very well done with many awesome graphics.
615 Activity Points
Try arctic tale and ferngully.
125 Activity Points
When I was in grade school my teacher always stuck with the classics such as The Magic School Bus series or Bill Nye the Science Guy. I also think that Charlottes Web, March of the Penguins, Finding Nemo (a lot of Disney/Pixar movies), the options are endless.
170 Activity Points
Although these are not full length movies, here are some of my all time favorite YouTube and PBS clips to engage learners before and during a lesson. http://www.shareitscience.com/2015/03/science-teaching-toolbox-10-tried-and.html
1740 Activity Points
The movie "Osmosis Jones" can be used to teach about the human body, and viruses. It gives a great visual of the inner workings of the body like a busy city.
80 Activity Points
Osmosis Jones, any episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy (he now has a new show on Netflix called Bill Nye Saves the World), any episode of The Magic School Bus, and Big Hero 6 are some options.
20 Activity Points
I think The Magic School Bus would be a great option because each episode is about something different. This gives you something to show your students that covers various science concepts. I always enjoyed watching The Magic School Bus in elementary school.
875 Activity Points
The Bee Movie could be a good movie to watch to introduce ecosystems, how different organisms interact with each other to sustain it, and what happens when a part of the ecosystem is suddenly removed.
4845 Activity Points
I feel like you are able to incorporate movies (especially kids movies) into science much more often than most people realize! For example, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (for engineering), Finding Nemo/Dory (for oceans unit), A Bugs life (for bug unit). Students are also much more knowledgeable on the most interesting and popular kids movies than adults are, so it would be a great idea to introduce topic options to them, and ask them for suggestions.
1343 Activity Points
Forum content is subject to the same rules as NSTA List Serves. Rules and disclaimers