As an educator (or future educator), have you ever found yourself having a hard time explaining difficult concepts to young students? Maybe the concept of friction didn't quite reach your students, or maybe reading about photosynthesis was not enough for your students to fully grasp this important process. What if I told you there was a television show meant for children that taught you all about these challenging concepts in a creative, entertaining and easy to understand way??? Well, I am here to introduce (or re-introduce) you to the television show The Magic School Bus!
The Magic School Bus is a children's television show that ran from 1994-1997 and followed a teacher, Ms. Frizzle, and her students as they learned about the world around them by going on magical field trips. Different scientific concepts are the focus of each episode, with each episode examining one specific concept in-depth. Some of the awesome topics covered include:
v The Solar System
v Structures
v Forces
v The Digestive System
v Photosynthesis
v Gravity
v Habitats
You may be asking yourself: how can this show benefit my students??? The Magic School Bus can benefit students by providing them with fun and engaging storylines that covertly teach you important scientific concepts. For example, one episode focusing on forces involves Ms. Frizzle and her students transporting into a physics book that features a frictionless baseball field. While playing baseball, the lack of friction causes students to spin out of control and have difficulty stopping and controlling their movements. This can be showcased in the following YouTube clip:
You can use this link >>>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnpOCL1xYtY
These attention-grabbing visuals will aid students in understanding these challenging concepts! Furthermore, The Magic School Bus is very relatable to students because the show's characters are also students who are trying to learn!
The Magic School Bus can also be used to demonstrate to students that science is always evolving! This can be evidenced by looking at the first-ever episode of the show where Ms. Frizzle takes her students on a field trip to visit all the planets, including Pluto. This episode aired in 1994, but since then Pluto is no longer considered a planet and has been reclassified as a dwarf planet. After viewing this episode, you could facilitate a discussion with your students about how planet classification criteria have changed over time and how science is always evolving!
Now, let's get personal! I have always considered The Magic School Bus television show to be an important part of my educational journey. Whenever I think of friction, the frictionless baseball game immediately pops into my head! I also know that triangles are the strongest shape there is because of the episode on structures. In the episode, the students are accidently shrunk down and need to construct a bridge out of hair pins and gumdrops, and they realize that triangles are the strongest shape to utilize when constructing their bridge. I even utilized this knowledge of shape strength when constructing a toothpick and marshmallow structure in Grade 5. These are just a few examples of some of the important concepts that I remember from a series I watched many, MANY years ago! What I am trying to say is, there are many important concepts I remember from The Magic School Bus as an adult, and I think it is a great educational television program that helps students grasp difficult and challenging concepts.
So next time you are starting a new unit in your class, check and see if there is an episode of The Magic School Bus on the topic! And hey, I'll let you in on a little secret… all the episodes are available on YouTube!!!
Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLhOnau-tupQCt22fUPj39xJdSnYeqvhD
For more information on The Magic School Bus, check out its IMDB page that features descriptions of all the episodes and topics covered in series:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108847/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Live long and prosper 🖖, this has been Mariangela (OTECC)@NU, signing off!
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