This video was filmed on September 13, 2011 as part of the National Geographic Live! Lecture series at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Introduction

Photographer Frans Lanting documents the plight of the albatross, one of the largest flying birds on Earth. Lanting has been hailed as one of the great nature photographers of our time. For more than two decades he has documented wildlife and the human relationship with nature in environments from the Amazon to Antarctica.

 Outline

• About the albatross (start-1:39 min.)

• A vulnerable bird (1:40-2:04 min.)

• Threats to albatross: commercial fishing (2:05-2:45 min.)

• Learning to fly in the northwest Hawaiian Islands (2:46-3:51 min.)

• Studying albatross behavior (3:52-4:31 min.)

• Hope for the future (4:32-5:23 min.)

Strategies for Using Video in a Variety of Learning Environments

• Have students preview several of the videos and choose the one they find most inspiring. Have students describe in writing a conversation they might have with the speaker(s).

• Freeze the video on a relevant image. Have students observe details in the still image and jot down predictions of what the full video might address. Discuss students’ ideas before and after watching the video.

• Pose an open-ended question before students watch the video, and have them discuss their ideas before and after in small groups.

• Have students determine what they think the key message of this video is. Was the speaker effective in getting his or her message across?

• Show a short clip to engage students during class, and then have students watch the full video at home and write a paragraph responding to the content or a question you give them.

• Have students note statements that represent facts or opinions, including where it’s difficult to tell the difference. What further research might help distinguish facts and opinions? How might the speaker’s viewpoint compare with others’ viewpoints about a topic?