This set of three videos illustrates how math is used in satellite data analysis. The videos feature NASA senior climate scientist Claire Parkinson. Parkinson explains how the Arctic and Antarctic sea ice covers are measured from satellite data and how math is used to determine trends in the data. In the first video, she leads viewers from satellite data collection through obtaining a time series of monthly average sea ice extents for November 1978 – December 2012, for the Arctic and Antarctic. In the second video, she begins with the time series from the first video, removes the seasonal cycle by calculating yearly averages, and proceeds to calculate the slopes of the lines to get trends in the data, revealing decreasing sea ice coverage in the Arctic and increasing sea ice coverage in the Antarctic. In the third video, she uses a more advanced technique to remove the seasonal cycle and shows that the trends are close to the same, whichever method is used. She emphasizes the power of math and that the techniques shown for satellite sea ice data can also be applied to a wide range of data sets.

In this lesson, students explore how human activities will continue to impact Antarctic ice, discuss human contributions to climate change, and investigate what we can do to stop/reverse these negative effects.

This article profiles Charles Bentley, a geophysicist who has worked in Antarctica over a period of seven decades. The article provides an overview of his research as well as changes in the way scientists live and work in Antarctica.

This article highlights seven science lessons that teach elementary students about seasonal change. Suggestions for integrating literacy and science include two lessons that use informational text and cause and effect relationships.

This article includes integrated lessons, activities, and ideas for teaching about exploration and polar explorers in the elementary classroom.

This article highlights lessons and activities for elementary students about heat, insulation, and how animals and people stay warm in cold environments.

This article discuss basic ecological concepts such as food chains and webs within the context of the tundra.

This article describes daily life and work at the IceCube telescope at the South Pole, Antarctica, and links to informational text about them. Versions are available for students in grades K-1, 2-3 and 4-5. Related science and literacy activities are included.

This article profiles Dr. Anne Grunow, curator of the United States Polar Rock Repository, and discusses her work as a polar geologist.

This article features children's literature about mammals and the mammals that live in the polar regions.

This article describes the work of Hubert Staudigel and Cathy Constable, researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography who study Mt. Erebus, Antarctica's most active volcano.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Recognized by the distinctive white ring around its eyes, the Adélie penguin is only one of two species of penguin whose only home is Antarctica. While Adélie numbers have been observed to decline in some regions amid a changing climate, the truth is surprisingly little is known about the penguins’ actual distribution along Antarctica’s coastline. A 2015 land-and-air survey explored previously unreported colonies of Adélie here, in a cluster of ice-choked islands called the Danger Islands. The discovery could mark an important technological turning point in species tracking that would have clear implications for preserving biodiversity. Researchers conducted their survey from aboard a research vessel and on the grounds of several of the Danger Islands—only one of which had ever been inspected for Adélie penguins. They counted nests [manually], [from panoramic photos], and [from imagery captured by drones]. In all, the team tallied 751,527 pairs of Adélie penguins in the Danger Islands..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Recognized by the distinctive white ring around its eyes, the Adélie penguin is only one of two species of penguin whose only home is Antarctica. While Adélie numbers have been observed to decline in some regions amid a changing climate, the truth is surprisingly little is known about the penguins’ actual distribution along Antarctica’s coastline. A 2015 land-and-air survey explored previously unreported colonies of Adélie here, in a cluster of ice-choked islands called the Danger Islands. The discovery could mark an important technological turning point in species tracking that would have clear implications for preserving biodiversity. Researchers conducted their survey from aboard a research vessel and on the grounds of several of the Danger Islands—only one of which had ever been inspected for Adélie penguins. They counted nests [manually], [from panoramic photos], and [from imagery captured by drones]. In all, the team tallied 751,527 pairs of Adélie penguins in the Danger Islands..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

In this podcast, hear the stories of polar researchers and learn about one teacher's trip to Antarctica.

This nonfiction article, written for students in grades 4-5, explores lichens: a partnership between an alga and a fungus. Modified versions are available for students in younger grades.

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, explores the historical and current exploration of the Arctic and Antarctica and provides resources that help elementary teachers incorporate a study of polar explorers into their curriculum.

This article assembles free resources from the Polar Explorers issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine into a unit outline based on the 5E learning cycle framework. Outlines are provided for Grades K-2 and Grades 3-5.

This article features activity books and polar-themed children's literature for use in the elementary classroom.