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Provided by: Scholastic |Published on: October 6, 2025
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Synopsis
In this StudyJam from Scholastic, students will watch a 3.25-minute video about the nitrogen cycle, the important role of bacteria, how some plants help with this process, and then take a quiz to test their knowledge.
Students will learn the basics of the nitrogen cycle, tracing nitrogen from the air into the soil, then to plants, animals, other bacteria, and back to the air.
The ending summary slide gives students a convenient overview of the information, to easily fill in any gaps they missed.
With the video being so short and the quiz results being automatic, students can easily go back to the video to see what they missed.
Prerequisites
Students might benefit from a graphic organizer or definitions list prior to watching the video.
It may benefit students to have a basic understanding of bacteria.
Differentiation & Implementation
To demonstrate their understanding, students can draw a diagram of the nitrogen cycle.
To get students up and moving, teachers can have students act out different roles in the cycle. For example, some students can act as bacteria, plants, herbivores, and carnivores, and pass around an object representing nitrogen.
Highlighting nitrogen's role as a limiting nutrient that affects water quality, plants, and climate change, teachers can make connections to UN Sustainable Development Goal 15, Life on Land and Goal 6, Clean Water and Sanitation.
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