Swarms contain no leader, yet often act with an intelligence higher than any individual member. Birds, insects, and fish all commonly swarm for a variety of reasons. Scholars learn about swarming behavior in a short video before answering eight questions.

Concepts

animal behavior, animal adaptations

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Have scholars save their answers to the open-ended questions and discuss in class
• Share the use of swarming drones in the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics

Classroom Considerations

• Requires a free TEDEd account to access all content

Pros

• Offers many links to related topics
• Provides the opportunity to customize the lesson content easily
• Short duration helps maintain viewer attention

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.8.2 SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2 RST.6-8.4 RST.9-10.4 RST.11-12.4