Independent Study

Independent Study Topic Ideas

Visit the Bitmoji Independent Study Classroom to explore topics.

Great research sites for students

https://www.safesearchkids.com/google-kids/#.X1t6jGdKjvw

https://www.alarms.org/kidrex/

Some Topic Ideas for Inspiration

Video Games

Daphne Bavelier: Your brain on video games | Video on TED.com
The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games
Studying the Effects of Playing Violent Video Games - NYTimes.com
Pediatrics for Parents - The effects of video games on children (from pediatricians)
Video Games Play May Provide Learning, Health, Social Benefits, Review Finds (American Phycological Assn)
Children and Video Games: Playing with Violence (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry)
Children and Video Games: How Much Do We Know? | Psychiatric Times
Your Child: University of Michigan Health System (Video games, children, and many links)
Television and Video Game Exposure and the development of attention problems. (Am. Academy of Pediatrics)

Prosthetics http://uproxx.com/technology/2015/01/easton-lachappelle-luminary/? Advanced prosthetic hand (3 min) Ted Talks: The new bionics that allow us to run, climb, dance (20 min) The future of the bionic body (Better, Stronger, Faster) (1.5 hours long) The $80 prosthetic knee is changing lives (10 min) How to make a prosthesis (2.5 mim)

Famous People

Einstein's Big Idea (PBS Video) and see "The Elegant Universe - Part 1" below

Elements / Chemistry / Physics

Hunting the Elements (PBS Video) http://video.pbs.org/video/2217713569/

General Science

SciTech Daily from Harvard University (upper elem. only)
Science in the News from Harvard University (upper elem. only)
NOVA's feed on Facebook (from PBS) - may not be accessible from school, but has inspiring news events

Space

Ask an expert astronomer or physicist
Fabric of the Cosmos (weird things about the universe: PBS Video)
What is space, really? (PBS Video)
The Elegant Universe - Part 1 (Einstein's Idea; (PBS Video)
The Elegant Universe - Part 2(String Theory; PBS Video))
The Elegant Universe - Part 3 (PBS Video)

Black Holes

Monster of the Milky Way (PBS Video)
How Black Holes Work

Stars / Sun

Secrets of the Sun (PBS Video)
Saved by the Sun (PBS Video)

Galaxies

Mystery of the Milky Way (PBS Video) (see also Monster of the Milky Way under "Black Holes")
The Milky Way
TYpes of Galaxies Types of Galaxies (star date)

Asteroids/Meteors

Asteroids (PBS Video)
Meteors (this is the one that exploded in Russia) (PBS Video)

Gravity

Gravity space/time video How gravity affects tiny things Microgravity

Weather and Storms

Hurricane Sandy http://video.pbs.org/video/2305482040/ (PBS Video)
Deadliest Tornadoes http://video.pbs.org/video/2220853400/ (PBS Video)
Hunt for the Super Twister (PBS Video)

Climate Change

Biology

Cracking your genetic code (PBS Video)
Ocean Animal Emergency (PBS Video)
Pure Nature Specials - a variety of specials on a many different animals and places

Earth Sciences

Deadliest Volcanoes (PBS Video)
Mt. St. Helen's: Back from the Dead (PBS Video)
Mt. Vesuvius (BBC information and videoclips) -
Mt Vesuvius today
What if Mt Vesuvius erupted today?

Spies and Espionage

Astrospies (PBS Video)
The Spy Factory (High Tech Eavesdropping - a PBS Video)
Would you recognize this person? (disguises)

History

Ancient Greece

Temples & Religion Famous Greek Temples, Ancient Greek Religion,
Ancient Greek Temples (Kahn Academy)
Greek Temples (function and design sections)
Life in Ancient Greece

Ancient greek religion:

http://www.historyforkids.net/ancient-greek-architecture.html(section on temples)
http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0062-greek-religion.php
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/greece/greekgods.htm
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/religion/greekrelig.htm
?http://www.religionfacts.com/greco-roman/overview.htm?
http://www.abc.net.au/arts/wingedsandals/history4.htm
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/grlg/hd_grlg.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/244768/Greek-religion/65469/The-Classical-period (Nicole and you would need to read this together; I think it would need an adult to translate the hard words and complex text)
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/244768/Greek-religion/82602/Shrines-and-temples?

Fashion

1960's Makeup and hairstyles
1960's makeup tutorial
History of Make-up after 1950
History of Make-up from 1900 - 1960
Shoes: History of the Elevated Foot
The History of Shoes
Fashion: Hair, Clothing, Accessories (some information on shoes, too)
Changes in fashion, technology, music, cars world events, entertainment : All decades from 1940 - 2010
1940s Fashion History. 1940-1950 Costume History Utility to New Look (includes all decades through the 1990's)

The Elements / Chemistry

Nova: Hunting the Elements Video - this is great!!
Why is carbon so important?

Titanic

Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship
Titanic's Bulkheads & Watertight Compartments
FloodingByCompartment This has a good graphic that shows the successive flooding of the 'watertight' compartments. It also has information on some changes that were made to subsequent ships after the sinking of the Titanic.
How Bad Management Helped Sink The Titanic - Speakeasy - WSJ
HowStuffWorks "How the Titanic Worked"

Unexplained Mysteries: If you have an interest in this, it is important you cover more than one side of the story...you must look at scientific and/or government information as well as the 'anecdotal' evidence.

Roswell Incident

Paranormal Activity HowStuffWorks "How Ghosts Work"

Animals and Animal Adaptations

Creatures of the Water

NOVA | Kings of Camouflage (the cuttlefish - an animal in the octopus family, can camouflage like no other. The strobing effects in the video are not shadows, they are created by the cuttlefish itself)

Animal Intelligence/Emotion