This amusing video documents the groundbreaking greenhouse gas experiments of Eunice Newton Foote.
Although the information is about her scientific work, most of the plot centers upon her struggle to be acknowledged during a time in history when women's opinions and findings were dismissed or usurped by men.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The video is presented comically so that students engage with the historical content.
Teaching tips are on the introduction page.
Additional Prerequisites
The resource is a YouTube video, so teachers should understand permissions in their districts.
An ad may play before the presentation.
Because there are many references to early feminism, teachers may wish to have a class discussion about the history of women's rights before viewing it.
Differentiation
Students in science classes will be able to pause the video and take notes regarding the scientific experiments.
English or history teachers could utilize the video as part of a research unit on historical figures.
Social studies classes discussing women's rights throughout history could use this video to show women in science.
English language learners or students who struggle with auditory processing can slow the video playback speed or use the closed captioning function.
Teachers can modify the transcript to serve as guided notes for students as they watch the video.
Scientist Notes
It is well documented that, for centuries, women's contributions to the field of science have been ignored, dismissed, or outright stolen by men. Eunice Newton Foote is one example whose early work on heat-trapping gases was ignored. All information presented is factual.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-5 Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
4-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and that their uses affect the environment.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: History
D2.His.1.6-8 Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts.
D2.His.14.3-5 Explain probable causes and effects of events and developments.
D2.His.6.3-5 Describe how people's perspectives shaped the historical sources they created.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2 Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
