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 […]
Archive for the 'Resources' Category
Videos to Use in the Science Classroom
Published by August 15th, 2008 in Video and Resources. 0 CommentsI 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 […]
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. […]
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. […]
I’m using a wonderful tool called Voicethread to demonstrate how to extract DNA from raw wheat germ. Click play on how to do the demo and to see how Voicethread can be used. Download the handout for more details.
I wanted to do something fun in my class for the holidays, so I decided to look for some chemistry Christmas songs that my students could sing. I found a great site with several songs. Some titles include The Chemistry Teacher’s Coming to Town, I’m Dreaming of a White Precipitate, Silent Labs, Deck […]
UC Berkeley Physics Lectures on Google Video
Published by September 27th, 2006 in Demos, Video, Lessons and Resources. 0 CommentsThe lectures for Physics 10: Physics for Future Presidents are available at Google Video for free. Professor Richard A. Muller teaches this class for non science majors, by using many interesting hands on demonstrations. This is a wonderful resource for high school and middle school teachers, who may want show or do some […]
Genetic Engineering in the Classroom
Published by August 22nd, 2006 in Demos, Video and Resources. 3 CommentsGenetic engineering may be the single most important development in biology in the last 20 years. Bio Rad is a terrific Bay Area company that sells easy to use kits that can be used in the classroom. Bio Rad’s pGLO transformation kit (see below) essentially allows students to insert the Green Fluorescence Protein […]
