Some resources from federal government sites are currently unavailable; when possible, we’ve provided alternative non-government links to ensure continued data access.
Provided by: National Geographic |Published on: March 25, 2025
Videos
6789101112
Synopsis
This short but striking film from National Geographic features the spoken-word artist Prince Ea and a message about the major impact of human activity on the Earth over a short period of time.
The video uses poetry and visuals to discuss how human activities have caused the extinction of species, caused deforestation, and contributed to climate change.
This video is powerful and poetic, using images, sound effects, and music to set the tone.
The artist's analogy of comparing the total history of Earth to the length of a day does an excellent job of illustrating how much damage humans have done in our comparatively short time on Earth.
Prerequisites
Students should have a basic understanding of climate change and the fact that human activities impact Earth's systems.
Differentiation & Implementation
This video can be used to create a timeline of the geological time scale to help visualize the place of humans in.
As an exit ticket, students can answer questions like "What is the difference between intelligence and wisdom? How can humans be wiser?"
Language arts teachers can use this video as an introduction to spoken word and poetry, inviting students to create and perform art and poetry that mirrors the passion of the artist in the video.
Students can also identify and analyze the poetic devices used by the artist, such as repetition, rhyme, rhythm, similes, and metaphors. For this activity in particular, it may benefit students to have a transcript to refer to.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Related Teaching Resources
All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.
