Mars

Newly Updated Mars Topic Reflects NASA’s Big News

Posted by Traci K. on

Yesterday, NASA announced the discovery of liquid water on the surface of Mars, underscoring the possibility of life on the red planet. While it may take scientists years to find out the source or full significance of that water, you won’t have to wait quite that long for an updated version of BrainPOP’s Mars topic.

Within minutes of the announcement, our writers and editors were revisiting and revising the movie. They worked to ensure its content was fully up-to-date and ready to address kids’ most likely questions as quickly as possible. We’re really proud that we’re able to address current events and new information so fast. Textbooks remain constant once they’re printed, but digital tools like ours allow for real-time amending and editing. In the past, we’ve speed-launched updates to our Comets; Maya Angelou; Sally Ride; Barack Obama; and Tsunami topics, just to name a few. In some cases – Ebola, swine flu – we’ve even even created entirely new content to help kids make sense of things in the news. That’s one of the reasons we love digital media – it’s fluid, it’s flexible, and it lets us respond to the needs of our audience.

Test drive the updated Mars topic today with your class or at home: it’s our Featured Movie, and it’s a great way to spark a discussion about the discovery’s implications. Using games in class? Head to GameUp for space-related titles including Fly to Mars (Space Science Institute), Sizing Up the Universe (Smithsonian), and Sortify: Space Exploration (BrainPOP).

Filed as:  3-5, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6-8, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, Background Information, BrainPOP