Each weekday, watch the BBC news story of the day and take the challenge!
Ten wallets are purposely dropped around Belfast to see how many of them would be returned. Places where people believe strangers are kind is one way to predict overall happiness in a country. A sense of community and shared meals are also strong predictors of happiness. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
A new generation is finding new interest in the game of chess while a DJ plays music at the Chesscafe. Chess is the fastest growing game in the world and members of Gen Z are enjoying the café ’s in-person social interaction as an alternative to the ubiquitous bar scene. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
Only 87 Bewick's swans migrated to Slimbridge recently in contrast to over 600 in the 1970s. Warmer temperatures in countries like Holland and Germany have led to less ice coverage and this means the birds can stay and roost closer to Russia. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
Follow Brenda, a favorite local crossing guard, as she commutes to work for the final time after 40 years. Her community surprises her with a retirement celebration. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
Discover how the Roblox platform has gone from a small company to the UK’s most popular gaming platform for kids ages 8-12 with more than 40 million user-generated games. Critics worry that Roblox exposes children to inappropriate content, but Roblox co-founder and CEO, Dave Baszucki, says Roblox has no tolerance for inappropriate content and will continue to introduce new safeguards in the future. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
News: Science + Nature
Warmer temperatures mean polar bears in Manitoba, the polar bear capital of the world, are spending more time on land than their ancestors did, as they wait for the ice in the bay to form. Since the hungry bears can’t get out on the ice to hunt seals, it’s complicating their coexistence with humans, and, in the long-term, threatening the polar bears' very survival. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
Two beavers, a male and a female, are brought to a wetlands area in Shropshire for the first time since beavers were hunted to extinction in England 400 years earlier. The hope is that the beavers will breed and will cut down on the willow tree scrub that has been drying up the wetlands. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
Learn how replacing traditional plastic made with fossil fuels with seaweed plastic that breaks down naturally can help reduce plastic pollution. Scientists are still working to bring down the cost of the process, increase seaweed production, and make sure seaweed farming is sustainable and doesn’t harm the ocean environment. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
Scientists use a revolutionary technique to better study the DNA of bones from burial sites over a thousand years old. Highlighting gradual changes in the DNA is unlocking Britain’s history, providing information on human migration and the interaction between different populations from the Romans to the Anglo-Saxons. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
One artist correlates the ten colors to a base ten counting system and uses color to teach young children about numbers. With each color representing a number, students are able to create visual pictures of math equations and use imagery to remember important number facts. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
Warmer temperatures mean polar bears in Manitoba, the polar bear capital of the world, are spending more time on land than their ancestors did, as they wait for the ice in the bay to form. Since the hungry bears can’t get out on the ice to hunt seals, it’s complicating their coexistence with humans, and, in the long-term, threatening the polar bears' very survival. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
Two beavers, a male and a female, are brought to a wetlands area in Shropshire for the first time since beavers were hunted to extinction in England 400 years earlier. The hope is that the beavers will breed and will cut down on the willow tree scrub that has been drying up the wetlands. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
Learn how replacing traditional plastic made with fossil fuels with seaweed plastic that breaks down naturally can help reduce plastic pollution. Scientists are still working to bring down the cost of the process, increase seaweed production, and make sure seaweed farming is sustainable and doesn’t harm the ocean environment. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
Scientists use a revolutionary technique to better study the DNA of bones from burial sites over a thousand years old. Highlighting gradual changes in the DNA is unlocking Britain’s history, providing information on human migration and the interaction between different populations from the Romans to the Anglo-Saxons. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
One artist correlates the ten colors to a base ten counting system and uses color to teach young children about numbers. With each color representing a number, students are able to create visual pictures of math equations and use imagery to remember important number facts. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
Latest News
A group of people at the Weald & Downland Living Museum have committed to living as if it’s 1461, without central heat, electricity, or phones. Working, sleeping, and dining according to medieval custom, they have realized one thing that they don’t miss is — their phones! This video is excerpted from BBC News.
What if school started so early that your brain felt like it was the middle of the night? For a lot of teens, that’s actually what’s happening.
One school decided to take the science seriously. Researchers have found that during adolescence, your body clock shifts later—meaning you naturally fall asleep later and wake up later. So when teens are forced to get up at 7 a.m., it’s not just “early”… it’s the biological equivalent of an adult waking up at 4:30 a.m. Imagine trying to learn, focus, and take tests at that hour every single day.
Instead of ignoring this, the school changed its start time to better match how teenage brains actually work. The goal? Help students get enough sleep, feel more awake in class, and stop the cycle of constant exhaustion.
It raises a big question: if we know teens’ brains are wired this way, should more schools rethink their schedules too?
Ten wallets are purposely dropped around Belfast to see how many of them would be returned. Places where people believe strangers are kind is one way to predict overall happiness in a country. A sense of community and shared meals are also strong predictors of happiness. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
The Scottish highlands where the Jacobite Steam Train can be seen has become inundated with international tourists eager to see the famous Harry Potter scene in real life. The tourist attraction has become a nuisance to residents and a safety hazard due to the lack of parking and a busy main road. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
The place of the family pet is called into question. While people consider their pets family members, the law currently considers them property, which means ownership battles sometimes leave animals in contested custody for months. Many are campaigning for better rights for pets. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
A group of people at the Weald & Downland Living Museum have committed to living as if it’s 1461, without central heat, electricity, or phones. Working, sleeping, and dining according to medieval custom, they have realized one thing that they don’t miss is — their phones! This video is excerpted from BBC News.
What if school started so early that your brain felt like it was the middle of the night? For a lot of teens, that’s actually what’s happening.
One school decided to take the science seriously. Researchers have found that during adolescence, your body clock shifts later—meaning you naturally fall asleep later and wake up later. So when teens are forced to get up at 7 a.m., it’s not just “early”… it’s the biological equivalent of an adult waking up at 4:30 a.m. Imagine trying to learn, focus, and take tests at that hour every single day.
Instead of ignoring this, the school changed its start time to better match how teenage brains actually work. The goal? Help students get enough sleep, feel more awake in class, and stop the cycle of constant exhaustion.
It raises a big question: if we know teens’ brains are wired this way, should more schools rethink their schedules too?
Ten wallets are purposely dropped around Belfast to see how many of them would be returned. Places where people believe strangers are kind is one way to predict overall happiness in a country. A sense of community and shared meals are also strong predictors of happiness. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
The Scottish highlands where the Jacobite Steam Train can be seen has become inundated with international tourists eager to see the famous Harry Potter scene in real life. The tourist attraction has become a nuisance to residents and a safety hazard due to the lack of parking and a busy main road. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
The place of the family pet is called into question. While people consider their pets family members, the law currently considers them property, which means ownership battles sometimes leave animals in contested custody for months. Many are campaigning for better rights for pets. This video is excerpted from BBC News.
Teaching With the News
To help your students dive deeper into news content, we created this bundle of news story response worksheets. We designed these worksheets to be used with any of our news videos and to keep students focused as they watch and enhance comprehension and retention. (Please note that some worksheet types are better fits for certain content and grade levels). Assign students the same one, mix them up, or let them choose!
Extra, extra! Read all about it! Introduce your students to the characteristics, roles, and purpose of the news. In this lesson, they’ll learn the different categories of news and what makes an event “newsworthy.”
News is happening all the time, everywhere. So how do journalists choose what to share? Introduce your students to the processes involved in gathering the news they consume every day. In this lesson, they’ll learn the importance of curiosity in shaping news.
“Fake news” gets thrown around a lot, but what’s actually required of journalists in terms of accuracy? Introduce your students to the ways journalists are expected to verify information. In this lesson, they’ll learn how to distinguish facts from rumors or opinions