Sunday, June 14, 2020

One Strange Rock

National Geographic · 2016 · Presenter: Will Smith


One Strange Rock is the extraordinary story of Earth and why it is special and uniquely brimming with life among a largely unknown but harsh cosmic arena; astronauts tell the story of Earth through a unique perspective. The camera work is stunning and includes sweeping vistas, detailed close-ups, and dynamic drone footage. One Strange Rock is hosted by Will Smith and astronauts Chris Hadfield, Nicole Stott, Jeffrey Hoffman, Mae Jemison, Leland Melvin, Mike Massimino, Jerry Linenger, and Peggy Whitson.

The people involved in the story speak in their native languages. Subtitles appear, but there are no voice-overs. The authenticity is powerful.

This series examines the interplay between earth science and biology. It’s an essential for the NGSS course, The Living Earth. But it can work in other courses, too.

A "second season" of One Strange Rock appeared in 2021. It's called Welcome to Earth.


E P I S O D E S

1. GASP 
Astronaut Chris Hadfield reveals the unlikely and unexpectedly interconnected systems that allow life on our planet to breathe. Shooting locations include Ethiopia, Brazil, Norway, Peru, Thailand, and the International Space Station. 

2. STORM 
Ever wonder how our planet got here? It was born in a cosmic storm. The violence could have destroyed us, but instead it made us. Shooting locations include Mexico, Morocco, India, Switzerland, Quebec, Zambia, the North Atlantic, and the International Space Station. 

3. SHIELD 
The epic story of Earth’s battle with the sun, and how life thrives here against the odds. Shooting locations include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Argentina, Indonesia, China, and the International Space Station. 

4. GENESIS 
Our rock is special—it's alive. But how did life begin here and is it likely elsewhere? Shooting locations include New Mexico, Venezuela, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iceland, the Bahamas, and the International Space Station. 

5. SURVIVAL
It’s not enough for Earth to be habitable, it also has to be lethal for life to thrive. This is the story of how life evolved hand in hand with death. Shooting locations include South Africa, the Caribbean Sea, the Mississippi River, California, East Russia, Northern India, and the Mir and International Space Stations.

6. ESCAPE 
Astronaut Chris Hadfield has seen the bullet holes left by asteroids on Earth’s surface. Our planet is vulnerable. Could we ever survive elsewhere? Shooting locations include Idaho, Delaware, Mexico, Ireland, Ukraine, Hawaii, Morocco, Indonesia, and the International Space Station.

7. TERRAFORM 
For nearly 4 billion years, life has sculpted almost every part of Earth. But how exactly did life turn this once barren rock into a paradise? Shooting locations include Bolivia, Norway, the Maldives, Cambodia, China, Italy, Japan, and the International Space Station. 

8. ALIEN 
Is there another planet like ours out there and would it also be packed with life forms like Earth's?
Shooting locations include New Zealand, India, Micronesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Namibia, Indonesia, and the International Space Station.

9. AWAKENING 
Of all life on Earth, we’re the only ones with the smarts to leave our planet. How did our planet make us so intelligent? Shooting locations include Catalonia, Mongolia, Thailand, Namibia, India, China, Bolivia, and the International Space Station.

10. HOME 
Our home: one strange rock, floating in space. But just how strange is it? Are we alone?
Shooting locations include Kazakhstan, Iowa, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Michoacán, India, and the International Space Station.

Question sets are available for individual episodes. The complete series bundle is available at a discounted price. Student documents and answer keys are provided as Google Docs on Google Drive.

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