I’m a huge fan of NOVA Science Now. They produce short 12 minute videos that spark people’s natural curiosity and inject some solid science explanations. Two videos that I have recently watched are worth viewing and using in the science classroom.
The first video “Capturing Carbon” showcases a company that is trying to create […]
Author Archive for sciencefix
Videos to Use in the Science Classroom
Published by August 15th, 2008 in Video and Resources. 0 CommentsChemicals can be identified based on their characteristic properties. This is an updated version of my flame tests demo. I got the idea for this demo strangely enough from the AMC television show Breaking Bad. The main character in the show is a chemistry teacher, played by the terrific Bryan Cranston, (he […]
I found a terrific website called the Periodic Table of Videos. Created by the University of Nottingham (yes that fabled town) chemists, the site has videos on 94 of the elements found in the periodic table. They try to demonstrate some of the properties characteristic of each element. Each video is on […]
DNA extraction in the life science classroom usually involves isolating DNA from onions, strawberries, wheat germ, sweetbreads, etc. That tends to be kind of boring. More interesting to teachers and students is isolating DNA in humans. There are kits out there (like from BioRad) that you can buy for human DNA extraction, […]
Molecular Workbench: Chemistry Simulation and Modeling
Published by July 6th, 2008 in Demos, Video and Resources. 0 CommentsI just downloaded, installed and played with Molecular Workbench. It is simulation and modeling software that students and teachers can use to understand what happens in various chemical phenomena. I could see using this on the computer and showing it on the LCD projector to students. At the middle school level you […]
Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The video shows one example of Newton’s 3rd law.
The Bad Astronomer, Phil Plait, is one of my favorite science bloggers. He mixes skepticism, science and humor into his work. He has produced 3 high quality short videos for Hulu.com. California 8th grade science standards include the universe and the solar system and these 3 videos are a good supplement. […]
Video Demo: Whiteboard Protein Synthesis
Published by May 22nd, 2008 in Demos, Video and Lessons. 0 CommentsProtein synthesis is the process that the cell goes through to make a protein from the information stored in the DNA. The video below shows a demonstration that you can do in your classroom to show how protein synthesis works. This demonstration emphasizes the following points:
1. DNA […]
Lesson: Who is Your Closest Relative?
Published by May 1st, 2008 in Lessons and Resources. 0 CommentsThis is an activity where students examine the evolutionary relationships between 5 primates: human, chimpanzee, orangutan, gorilla, and gibbon. To determine the relationships students examine the DNA sequence of a single gene found in all 5 species. The DNA strips aren’t the real sequences, but they are based on real DNA match percentages. […]
Lesson: Let’s Grub on Some Grass Beetles
Published by April 14th, 2008 in Demos, Video and Lessons. 0 CommentsLet’s Grub on Some Grass Beetles is a natural selection simulation. Natural selection is the “process by which favorable heritable traits become more common in successive generations of a population of reproducing organisms, and unfavorable heritable traits become less common.” In this activity, part 1 involves variations in silver beak loon beak types. […]