Science Videos

Applied Biology/Chemistry

47 programs - var. lengths; 9-12; Career Education, Science; Distributed by: Cord Communications (1993)

Takes 4 T-120 tapes

  1. Tape 1 - 115 min. - 1) An Introduction To Natural Resources 2) Fossil Fuels: A True Story, Pt. 1 3) Fossil Fuels: A True Story, Pt. 2 4) Problem Solving Introduction 5) Greenhouse Effect 6) Water Rights, Water Wrongs 7) Dust Bowl 8) Animal H ouse 9) Natural Resources: A Summary 10) The Physical Nature Of Water 11) The Chemical Nature Of Water 12) Water in Chemical Reactions 13) H ow Water Dissolves Material 14) Is This Water OK? 15) Air Overview 16) What Is Air? 17) Why Is Air Important To Life? 18) H ow Are Gases Used Commercially? 19) What Else Is In The Air?
  2. Tape 2 - 104 min. - 20) DNA Fingerprinting 21) Artificial Insemination 22) Ultrasound 23) Color Blindness 24) Genetic Engineering 25) You Really Are What You Eat 26) Digestion 27) Food Technology 28) Dietary Problems 29) Different Diets for Different Needs 30) AIDS 31) Vaccination: The Works 32) Emergency Medical Attendants 33) Quality Control in Drugs 34) Mobile H ealth Unit
  3. Tape 3 - 98 min. - 35) Automated Greenhouse 36) Tree Seed Plant 37) Plant Propagation 38) Farming Decisions 39) Senses & Behavior 40) Waste: Production & Excretion 41) Temperature Regulation 42) Growth 43) Microorganisms Are All Around Us 44) How Are Microorganisms Being Genetically Manipulated 45) Microbes That Serve Us 46) Some Microorganisms Can Be Harmful
  4. Tape 4 - 32 min. - 47) Synthetic Materials

Are You Afraid of the Future?

12 min.; 7-12; Energy use & Conservation, Environment; Produced by Kennebunk High School Recycling Committee (1991)

The program, without narrative, aims at getting people to think about the environment in terms of cycles, and it looks at the positive role recycling can play. It can be used as a departure point for a discussion on the benefits of recycling.

Biology

18 programs - 15 min. each; 7-12; Environment, Science; Distributed by: International Telecommunication Services (1987)

Provides introductory and/or reinforcement programs developed from teacher-selected topics that are applicable to a wide range of secondary instructional levels.

  1. Introduction To Scientific Methods
  2. Cell Growth & Reproduction
  3. Introduction To Heredity, Pt. 1
  4. Introduction To Heredity, Pt. 2
  5. Instructions for Life
  6. Pathways To The Present
  7. Introduction To Respiration & Energy
  8. Introduction To The Circulatory System
  9. Introduction To The Excretory System
  10. Introduction To The Nervous System
  11. Introduction To The Endocrine System
  12. Introduction To Photosynthesis
  13. Introduction To Ecology, Pt. 1: The Biosphere
  14. Introduction To Ecology, Pt. 2: Ecosystems
  15. Introduction To Ecology, Pt. 3: Resources
  16. Introduction To Ecology, Pt. 4: Pollution
  17. The Biosphere On Display: National Aquarium, Pt. 1
  18. The Biosphere On Display: National Aquarium, Pt. 2

Essential Science for Teachers: Earth and Space Science

8 programs - 60 min. each ; Teachers (K-6) ; Geology, Science, Space, Teacher Education ; Produced by: Harvard-Smithsonian Ctr for Astrophysics (2004); Annenberg/ CPB Channel

Earth and Space Science consists of eight one-hour video programs that provide in-class activities and homework explorations. Real-world examples, demonstrations, animations, still graphics, and interviews with scientists compose content segments that are intertwined with in-depth interviews with children that uncover their ideas about the topic at hand. Each program also features an elementary school teacher and his or her students exploring the topic using exemplary science curricula.

  • Earth's Solid Membrane: SoilSession 1. Earth's Solid Membrane: Soil - How does soil appear on a newly born, barren volcanic island? In this session, participants explore how soil is formed, its role in certain Earth processes, its composition and structure, and its place in the structure of the Earth.
  • Session 2. Every Rock Tells A Story - How can we use rocks to understand events in the Earth's past? In this session, participants explore the processes that form sedimentary rocks, learn how fossils are preserved, and are introduced to the theory of plate tectonics.
  • Session 3. Journey to the Earth's Interior - How do we know what the interior of the Earth is like if we've never been there? In this session, participants examine the internal structure of the Earth and learn how it is possible for entire continents to move across its surface.
  • Session 4. The Engine That Drives the Earth - What drives the movement of tectonic plates? In this session, participants learn how plates interact at plate margins, how volcanoes work, and the story of Hawaii 's formation.
  • Session 5. When Continents Collide - How is it possible that marine fossils are found on Mount Everest , the world's highest continental mountain? In this session, participants learn what happens when continents collide and how this process shapes the surface of the Earth.
  • Session 6. Restless Landscapes - If almost all mountains are formed the same way, why do they look so different? In this session, participants learn about the forces continually at work on the surface of the Earth that sculpt the ever-changing landscape.
  • Session 7. Our Nearest Neighbor: The Moon - Why is the Moon, our nearest neighbor in the solar system, so different from the Earth? In this session, participants explore the complex connections between the Earth and Moon, the origin of the Moon, and the roles played by gravity and collisions in the Earth-Moon system.
  • Session 8. Order out of Chaos: Our Solar System - Why do all the planets orbit the Sun in the same direction and why are the planets closest to the Sun so different from the gas giants farther out? In this session, participants gain a better understanding of the nature of the solar system by examining its formation.

Jackson Laboratory

60 min. ; 7-12 ; Career Education, Health, Maine Studies ; Produced by: Maine Public Broadcasting (1984)

A setting that speaks of summer pleasures and the dramatic beauty of the rock-bound coast of Maine seems an unlikely spot for scientists whose influence and abilities are known world-wide, ongoing research vital to health and well-being, and buildings housing appealing mice especially bred to make their contribution to future generations. The program takes an in-depth look at the three principal functions of the extensive facility: the breeding of laboratory mice, cancer and genetic research, and education. Viewers are given a look at the research lab through the eyes of seven scientists who work there. Topics explored are: the difference between basic and applied research; the use of mice for research; concerns for the health and treatment of mice; cancer research; concerns for genetic manipulation and its moral and ethical considerations; the quest for funding.

Looking at Learning Again, Part 2

8 programs - 60 min. each; K-12; Guidance, Mathematics, Science, Teacher Education; Annenberg/CPB Channel (2000)

This series provides elementary and secondary teachers of mathematics and science the opportunity to hear from science and mathematics educators and some of the teachers, students, and parents who work with them. Each of the eight featured educators has studied some aspect of teaching and learning and has proposed modifications of classroom practices as a result of that research.

  1. Philip Sadler, Ed.D., Behind the Design
  2. Dr. Marta Civil, Mathematics: A Community Focus
  3. Dr. Carne Barnett, Learning to Share Perspectives
  4. Dr. Peter Hewson, Conceptual Change
  5. Dr. Robert Swartz, Critical and Creative Thinking
  6. Professor James Kaput, Algebra and Calculus: The Challenge
  7. Professor Herbert P. Ginsburg, Children's Ways of Knowing
  8. Dr. Wynne Harlen, Learning to Listen

Physical Science

5 programs - 20 min. each ; 4-6 ; Science ; Distributed by: International Telecommunication Services (1988)

Physical Science is designed to illustrate those concepts that are difficult or impossible for the classroom teacher to demonstrate because of expense, danger, lack of time and equipment.

 

  1. Chemical Reactions
  2. Sound Waves
  3. Measuring Electricity
  4. Use of the Microscope
  5. Using a Balance

Principles for Principals

8 programs - 60 min. each ; K-12 ; Mathematics, Science, Teacher Education; Annenberg/CPB Channel

Series by, for, and about principals working to improve student achievement in mathematics and science. Using documentary footage gathered in schools from Maine to California , the workshops will help principals gain the knowledge and skills they need to make their vision of teaching and learning math and science a reality.

  1. What's This All About
  2. Creating Communities that Learn Together
  3. Math/Science Skills: What's Important?
  4. Reworking the Curriculum
  5. Changing Pedagogy
  6. Fostering Effective Professional Development for Teachers
  7. Professional Development for Principals
  8. Building a Plan for Reform

Science in Focus: Force and Motion

8 programs - 60 min. each ; K-8 ; Science, Teacher Education ; Annenberg/CPB Channel

Explore science concepts in force and motion and come away with a deper understanding that will help you engage yur students in their own explorations. With science and education experts as your guides, learn more about gravity, friction, air resistance, magnetism, and tension through activities, discussions, and demonstrations. Extensive footage shot in real classrooms shows students learning and building on ideas as they explore the relationships among motion, force, size, mass, and speed. As you watch the students develop understanding through activities that connect science concepts to real-world phenomena, you will be asked to think about your own ideas on force and motion and compare them to what you observe.

  1. Making an Impact
  2. Drag Races
  3. When the Rubber Meets the Road
  4. On a Roll
  5. Keep on Rolling
  6. Force Against Force
  7. The Lure of Magnetism
  8. Bend and Stretch

Science of Teaching Science

8 programs - 90 min. each ; K-12 ; Mathematics, Science, Teacher Education; Annenberg/CPB Channel

The goal of this series is to provide motivation, encouragement, a variety of models, and support for K-12 teachers who want to explore ways of changing how they teach science. Using video clips that take us into a borad range of classrooms, viewers are provided an opportunity to view how some teachers are approaching the teaching of sicence. (Requires 8 tapes)

  1. Preparing to Teach Science
  2. Eliciting Students' Prior Knowledge
  3. Creating a Context for Learning: Observing Phenomena
  4. Supporting Good Data Collection
  5. Summarizing, Comparing, and Interpreting Results
  6. Special Considerations
  7. Specific Instructional Strategies
  8. Assessing Student Understanding

Shedding Light on Science

8 programs - 60 min. each ; K-12 ; Environment, Science, Teacher Education; Annenberg/CPB Channel

This series uses light as a theme through which to explore topics in physics, chemistry, biology, and Earth science and space science. Unlike most science content courses that approach subject matter through one narrow discipline, these programs show how light is a common thread that runs through many areas of science.

  1. Shine and Shadow
  2. Laws of Light
  3. Pigments, Paint, and Printing
  4. Color, Cones, and Corneas
  5. Sunlight to Starch
  6. Energy and Ecosystems
  7. Sun and Seasons
  8. Wind and Weather

Variations in Life Science

12 - 10 min. programs; 5-8; Environment, Science; International Telecommunication Services (1996)

This is a series of 12 titles designed to be individually used to cover certain areas the teacher feels the students need to help them better understand and comprehend the topics. They cover four basic questions: What do we know? H ow do we know it? H ow do we use that knowledge? What does that knowledge mean to our everyday life? The units are fully flexible in design, but the teacher is encouraged to use them in their entirety, which means each unit would take 4 to 5 classroom periods because of the related activities that accompany each Title.

  1. An Eye Into Life (cells and microscopes)
  2. Something in Common (classification)
  3. What's in a Face? (Skin)
  4. Angies' Ears
  5. Invisible Allies (beneficial bacteria
  6. The Price of Survival (Tropical foods)
  7. A Matter of the H eart (circulation)
  8. The Way We Are(genetics)
  9. The Ultimate Survivors (bacteria)
  10. Without Which Nothing (photosynthesis)
  11. Life is Motion (the muscular-skeletal system)
  12. Like a Key (hormones)

Wetlands

15 min. ; 6-8 ; Environment, Science ; International Telecommunication Services

This series of tapes discusses "What are Wetlands". H ow different people have different views on what they really are? A bird lover or watcher will have a different view than would a biologist or a Nature Lover would have. The vocabulary uses such words as Marshes, swamps, and bogs. The tapes take the time to explain the differences and what type of wild life and vegetation are found in each one. The tapes also have the students discuss how the wetlands in their area have changed and ways they may continue to change. The Bogman is used to explain the items discussed above, giving a unique way to approach the teaching of Wetlands.

World of Chemistry (The)

20 - 15 min. programs ; 6-12 ; Science ; International Telecommunication Services (1996)

T H E WORLD OF C H EMISTRY helps students visualize abstract chemical concepts by affording them an opportunity-to observe experiments and analysis which would be too difficult or dangerous to recreate in a classroom setting. Along with presenting concepts from a historical perspective, programs focus on issues currently in the news. For example, the program "Water" provides a graphic view of water's properties, as well as real world examples such as artificial snow, the development of water-soluble polymers, and the purification of drinking water. "The Atmosphere" highlights some of our environmental concerns about the contaminants being added to the atmosphere, the greenhouse effect, the hole in the ozone layer, and the commercial use of CFC's.

  1. Mercury Determination using a Spectrophotometer
  2. Experimenting with Gas Pressure
  3. Effects of Temperature & Liquid Nitrogen
  4. Changes of State in Bromine Experiment
  5. The Rutherford Experiment
  6. Similarities and Trends in Noble Gases and Alkali Metals
  7. A Generic Spectroscopic Instrument
  8. Blowing Balloons with H ydrogen
  9. Water and Ice
  10. A Solution with Water
  11. Alcohol Dissolves in Water
  12. Water and Oil
  13. An Wxothermic Reaction
  14. An Endothermic Reaction
  15. Activation Energy
  16. Cooper-Zinc Electrochemical Cell
  17. Water Surface Tension
  18. Energy States and a Sound Wave Analogy
  19. Energy States and Chlorophyll
  20. The Mole - From Counting to Weighing

Yankee Independence : Solar Electricity on a Maine Island

30 min.; 7-12; Energy Use & Conservation , Maine Studies; Produced by: Dickson , Kent & Scott (1984)

Filmed on historic Monhegan Island (a community that has 14 solar powered homes and the only photovoltaic powered post office in the USA ), the program focuses on small independent solar systems.