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Racing Extinction Teaching Guides
Discovery Education and Vulcan Productions have partnered to create four dynamic, interactive classroom lessons that engage students on the importance of biodiversity to our planet. Aligned to Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards, each lesson features video clips from the acclaimed documentary, bringing the excitement of the documentary directly into the classroom.
Modern Extinction: The 6th Extinction
In this lesson, students explore modern extinctions in the context of mass extinctions from Earth’s past. Students watch Racing Extinction video clips to enhance their perspective and insight.
Guide + Lesson Plan →Extinction And What We Eat
In this lesson, students investigate the relationship between extinctions and human activities, including food production. Students watch Racing Extinction video clips to understand the scale of global extinctions.
Guide + Lesson Plan →The Warming Planet
In this lesson, students explore the evidence for climate change and global warming. The lesson emphasizes data-driven exploration. The exploration begins with indications of past ice ages and warming periods and the role of climate change in mass extinctions.
Guide + Lesson Plan →Working a Turn-Around
In this lesson, students focus on data-driven solutions to the climate change scenario. Students first research the various methods ways scientists use to compare past and modern extinctions. Students then choose a particular area of scientific study and brainstorm solutions to extinction in this area.
Check out exclusive clips from the film Racing Extinction in the four interactive lessons.
As part of our commitment to education, we are excited to be able to provide a free screening for grades K-12 so you can bring the action and excitement of the documentary directly into the classroom. Simply, select “K-12” when creating a screening event.
For all other public screening licenses and questions, submit a public screening request here.
To celebrate some of the amazing species seen in Racing Extinction, we have created four posters that we invite you to download and share with your students.
All photos credited to Joel Sartore
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