Man vs. Earth Epic Message to Save the World
Videos
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Biology, Earth and Space Sciences, English Language Arts
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Provided by National Geographic
What it is
- 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.
Teaching tips
Positives
- 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.
From the scientist review
This short film is a call to action to heal the Earth. The spoken word, accompanied by a series of videos, highlights nature and the harm human society has caused. While not solely focused on climate change, this video presents a holistic view of threats to Earth and paints climate change as the foremost. This engaging resource is recommended for teaching.
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