Without question, nature documentaries are one of my favorite things of all time...like Top 5, for sure. The definition of a relaxing evening to me would include a glass of wine and a BBC natural history film. With the money and technology available to documentary producers, outlets such as the BBC and National Geographic have made landmark films that capture the humble grandeur of Earth's most intriguing and rare organisms and places. By using cutting edge cinematic technology, they are able to film rare animal and plant behavior (yes, plants have behavior), much of which has never been seen/filmed.
Science fiction writers couldn't design the incredible creatures that carve out their living on earth. When I am watching a documentary, I am transported into their bizarre worlds and have to be reminded that we share the same planet. Some of my favorites include the mud-skippers in the BBC's Life series, the vampire squid in Blue Planet and fungi in Planet Earth. From the extremely small to the depths of the ocean these movies allow a unique window into that natural world that cannot be matched.
The implications for the classroom are obvious. It is one thing to lecture about marine ecosystems and quite another watch yellow-fin tuna and a whale shark devour a school of silver bait-fish. I remember watching nature documentaries in school and the tedious worksheet that accompanied it. I couldn't get three minutes into the experience before I had to interrupt my viewing to write down a meaningless answer to a question that required me to stay awake during the film but no deeper thinking skills. I reject that method of making students accountable for watching the documentary. I would like the students to be able to get lost in the experience. I want them to be transported into the exotic worlds the film is exploring. I also want them to take something away from the experience besides a nap. A meaningful assignment would be to ask the students to describe the relationship between two organisms in the film or explain how an organism has adapted to its environment. These quick-writes can be done immediately after the film or at home, independently or with partners. To help jog the students' memory, teachers can provide a scene list for the segment. This allows student to fully experience the film while holding them accountable for the content.
