Teacher's Guide

Getting Started with Scientific Living
A new application of video as short-form multimedia

Many teachers no longer have time to show a 20 or 30-minute video. Each episode of Scientific Living is less than two minutes in length. The idea is to use short science stories as a multimedia hook to capture interest, while leaving the teacher’s regular lesson plan intact. A lesson-opening activity. A bellwork activity. A discussion-starter. The program is unique in this regard.

This program is also a test module for a non-profit “PBS” model of funding support ("This program is made possible by...") which has the potential to expand online resources at no cost to the schools. Our thanks to the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund for participating in this pilot project in conjunction with Missouri State University.

Scientific Living is produced in association with leading scientists and aligned with National Science Education Standards. The first series of 20 episodes on space exploration was produced in conjunction with NASA. The goal is to create a growing database of multimedia for "on demand" access through the schools’ own computer network, and to make it available to all schools at no cost.

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2. Format of the movies

Each movie comes in two versions a low resolution "Preview Movie," and a VHS quality "High Quality Movie." The "High Quality Movie" appears in a large frame size that you can play for the whole class, and is suitable for an overhead monitor or projection screen. To ensure smooth playback, it should be downloaded to your own computer. It takes a few minutes to download the movie and save it on your own computer, so it's ready when you are. Download instructions are at the top of every movie page.

The "Preview Movie" is the same movie, except it plays in a little box with low resolution. It should play directly from the Web site, just by clicking on the "Preview movie" link. It provides a quick way to preview a movie before downloading the VHS quality. (You can also preview a movie even more quickly by reading the script. The script for each movie is posted alongside each movie as a PDF file.)

If you have any trouble, there are movie instructions at the top of each movie page. The High Quality Movies are MPEG format and play on both Mac and PC, on either QuickTime or Windows Media Player. Newer versions of the media players are recommended. You will need QuickTime 6 (or equivalent) which is a free download. (Click here for QuickTime) The newer version of Windows Media Player is also a free download. (Click here for Windows Media Player)

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3. Format of the Discussion Guide
(Consisting of one “Discuss” sheet, a “Worksheet” and a “Script” sheet for each episode.)

Discuss sheets: The “Discuss” sheets appear alongside each of the movies. They are PDF files, and can be viewed with Adobe Reader, which is a free download. (Click here.) Print the discussion sheet to have a hard copy in hand to lead a discussion with your class immediately following the movie. Like the movies, each discussion sheet is short – one page for each episode – in order to encourage flexibility. Scientific Living is not designed to dominate the lesson period, but rather as a discussion-starter or lesson-opening activity that teachers can integrate with their regular lesson plan. The discussion can be based on grade level, and taken anywhere you like, adapted to your needs.

Worksheets: A "Worksheet” also appears alongside each movie, which allows students to work on their own. There are two ways to use the worksheets. They can be used as a bellwork activity for the whole class, or they can be used as an independent student workshop for computer lab. (For the independent student workshop, see the section below on “Using the student workshop side of this web site.”)

To use a movie as a bellwork activity, you’ll need a classroom monitor the whole class can see. Simply make enough copies of the worksheet for the entire class as a handout. Play the movie on a classroom monitor, and the worksheet can be completed silently while the teacher takes attendance or makes other preparations for the day. The worksheet doesn’t need to be graded. Rather, it provides you with a simple way to determine that a student has, in fact, made an honest effort to complete the assignment.

Script sheets: Each "Script" sheet is also a single page that appears alongside the movies. It includes a complete script for each episode, which provides a quick and easy way to review the episodes without having to view the movie. The scripts are only a few paragraphs long, allowing you to quickly decide whether an episode can be integrated with your lesson plan.

Each Script sheet also includes a listing of the Relevant NSES Standards (National Science Education Standards) that apply to each episode, broken down by grade levels.
Also, the following NSES Standards apply to all episodes:

NSES Teaching Standard B: Orchestrate discourse among students about
scientific ideas. (Program assists in promoting student discussion.)
NSES Unifying concepts and processes in science: (Grades K-12) Using
unifying concepts and processes to align the focus of discussion with other
content standards at different grade levels.

At the bottom of the script page, in Credits, accredited scientists are identified who provided editorial oversight and consulted on the content of each episode.

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4. Using the “student workshop” side of this web site

On the left side of the Scientific Living home page, you’ll notice a red button that says “Students click here.” The web site has been partitioned into two sides. On the student side, each movie becomes an independent student workshop for computer lab. On their own, students watch a movie and complete a single-page worksheet that’s turned in like any other assignment.

Many teachers say there’s a real need for short computer assignments – something that students can do by themselves in as little as 10 minutes, using a classroom computer or computer lab, and then show the results of their work.

Students can print the worksheets themselves if their computer is linked to a printer. (If not, you will need to print the worksheets and keep copies on hand.) The worksheets don’t need to be graded. Rather, they provide you with a simple way to determine that a student has, in fact, made an honest effort to complete the assignment. There’s also a Check-off List of the movie titles that can be printed out so students can keep track of their progress.

Students will need little or no help to follow instructions on the “Getting Started” page. And the length of the assignment is up to you. Students can complete one movie workshop, or the assignment can be five movie workshops, or all of them, completed over a given period of time.

If the computer has Internet access, students can also find related web links for further explorations about each topic. These links are placed alongside the movie titles. Most of them are NASA education sites.

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5. Exploring the benefits of integrating short-form media into your regular lesson plan.

Each movie is a short story – less than two minutes long – that’s designed to create a “gee-whiz” moment of interest, and a teachable moment for your students. It’s multimedia that can be integrated with your regular lesson plan. It’s a new option in the classroom for teachers who don’t have time for longer videos. And it provides a new level of flexibility as a supplement to elementary and secondary science curricula. As a result, the short-story format is now in high demand by educators simply because it offers teachers an entirely new set of options:

It enables teachers who otherwise would use no video at all to include video in their mix of activities, adding an element of variety and visual interest to the lesson period.

Teachers maintain control of the classroom teaching environment. There’s no need to "turn out the lights."

Short stories are designed as a spark for student discussion. They can be used as a lesson-opening activity, a bellwork activity, or to jump-start a discussion that can be integrated with the regular lesson plan.

Short formats allow teachers maximum flexibility. Discussion sheets are also short to promote this flexibility.

(For example, an episode about "The Sun" includes only a few "gee-whiz" facts about the Sun. The whole process - movie and discussion - can be completed in 5 or 10 minutes if desired. It can serve as a complement to a lesson plan about the Sun in fourth grade, stars in middle school, or different types of stars in high school.)

Finally, short story narratives are meant to capture the interest of a wide spectrum of students, including average students with no special interest in science, and perhaps a short attention span. In this sense, they’re also designed to capture the interest of students in a wider range of age groups.


		Getting Started with Scientific Living A new application of video as short-form multimedia CONTENTS: 1. Overview 2. Format of the movies (less than 2 minutes each) 3. Format of the Discussion Guide 4. Using the “student workshop” side of this web site 5. Exploring the benefits of integrating short-form media into your regular lesson plan. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Overview Many teachers no longer have time to show a 20 or 30-minute video. Each episode of Scientific Living is less than two minutes in length. The idea is to use short science stories as a multimedia hook to capture interest, while leaving the teacher’s regular lesson plan intact. A lesson-opening activity. A bellwork activity. A discussion-starter. The program is unique in this regard. This program is also a test module for a non-profit “PBS” model of funding support ("This program is made possible by...") which has the potential to expand online resources at no cost to the schools. Our thanks to the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund for participating in this pilot project in conjunction with Missouri State University. Scientific Living is produced in association with leading scientists and aligned with National Science Education Standards. The first series of 20 episodes on space exploration was produced in conjunction with NASA. The goal is to create a growing database of multimedia for "on demand" access through the schools’ own computer network, and to make it available to all schools at no cost. Return to top ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Format of the movies Each movie comes in two versions a low resolution "Preview Movie," and a VHS quality "High Quality Movie." The "High Quality Movie" appears in a large frame size that you can play for the whole class, and is suitable for an overhead monitor or projection screen. To ensure smooth playback, it should be downloaded to your own computer. It takes a few minutes to download the movie and save it on your own computer, so it's ready when you are. Download instructions are at the top of every movie page. The "Preview Movie" is the same movie, except it plays in a little box with low resolution. It should play directly from the Web site, just by clicking on the "Preview movie" link. It provides a quick way to preview a movie before downloading the VHS quality. (You can also preview a movie even more quickly by reading the script. The script for each movie is posted alongside each movie as a PDF file.) If you have any trouble, there are movie instructions at the top of each movie page. The High Quality Movies are MPEG format and play on both Mac and PC, on either QuickTime or Windows Media Player. Newer versions of the media players are recommended. You will need QuickTime 6 (or equivalent) which is a free download. (Click here for QuickTime) The newer version of Windows Media Player is also a free download. (Click here for Windows Media Player) Return to top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Format of the Discussion Guide (Consisting of one “Discuss” sheet, a “Worksheet” and a “Script” sheet for each episode.) Discuss sheets: The “Discuss” sheets appear alongside each of the movies. They are PDF files, and can be viewed with Adobe Reader, which is a free download. (Click here.) Print the discussion sheet to have a hard copy in hand to lead a discussion with your class immediately following the movie. Like the movies, each discussion sheet is short – one page for each episode – in order to encourage flexibility. Scientific Living is not designed to dominate the lesson period, but rather as a discussion-starter or lesson-opening activity that teachers can integrate with their regular lesson plan. The discussion can be based on grade level, and taken anywhere you like, adapted to your needs. Worksheets: A "Worksheet” also appears alongside each movie, which allows students to work on their own. There are two ways to use the worksheets. They can be used as a bellwork activity for the whole class, or they can be used as an independent student workshop for computer lab. (For the independent student workshop, see the section below on “Using the student workshop side of this web site.”) To use a movie as a bellwork activity, you’ll need a classroom monitor the whole class can see. Simply make enough copies of the worksheet for the entire class as a handout. Play the movie on a classroom monitor, and the worksheet can be completed silently while the teacher takes attendance or makes other preparations for the day. The worksheet doesn’t need to be graded. Rather, it provides you with a simple way to determine that a student has, in fact, made an honest effort to complete the assignment. Script sheets: Each "Script" sheet is also a single page that appears alongside the movies. It includes a complete script for each episode, which provides a quick and easy way to review the episodes without having to view the movie. The scripts are only a few paragraphs long, allowing you to quickly decide whether an episode can be integrated with your lesson plan. Each Script sheet also includes a listing of the Relevant NSES Standards (National Science Education Standards) that apply to each episode, broken down by grade levels. Also, the following NSES Standards apply to all episodes: NSES Teaching Standard B: Orchestrate discourse among students about scientific ideas. (Program assists in promoting student discussion.) NSES Unifying concepts and processes in science: (Grades K-12) Using unifying concepts and processes to align the focus of discussion with other content standards at different grade levels. At the bottom of the script page, in Credits, accredited scientists are identified who provided editorial oversight and consulted on the content of each episode. Return to top ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Using the “student workshop” side of this web site On the left side of the Scientific Living home page, you’ll notice a red button that says “Students click here.” The web site has been partitioned into two sides. On the student side, each movie becomes an independent student workshop for computer lab. On their own, students watch a movie and complete a single-page worksheet that’s turned in like any other assignment. Many teachers say there’s a real need for short computer assignments – something that students can do by themselves in as little as 10 minutes, using a classroom computer or computer lab, and then show the results of their work. Students can print the worksheets themselves if their computer is linked to a printer. (If not, you will need to print the worksheets and keep copies on hand.) The worksheets don’t need to be graded. Rather, they provide you with a simple way to determine that a student has, in fact, made an honest effort to complete the assignment. There’s also a Check-off List of the movie titles that can be printed out so students can keep track of their progress. Students will need little or no help to follow instructions on the “Getting Started” page. And the length of the assignment is up to you. Students can complete one movie workshop, or the assignment can be five movie workshops, or all of them, completed over a given period of time. If the computer has Internet access, students can also find related web links for further explorations about each topic. These links are placed alongside the movie titles. Most of them are NASA education sites. Return to top ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Exploring the benefits of integrating short-form media into your regular lesson plan. Each movie is a short story – less than two minutes long – that’s designed to create a “gee-whiz” moment of interest, and a teachable moment for your students. It’s multimedia that can be integrated with your regular lesson plan. It’s a new option in the classroom for teachers who don’t have time for longer videos. And it provides a new level of flexibility as a supplement to elementary and secondary science curricula. As a result, the short-story format is now in high demand by educators simply because it offers teachers an entirely new set of options: It enables teachers who otherwise would use no video at all to include video in their mix of activities, adding an element of variety and visual interest to the lesson period. Teachers maintain control of the classroom teaching environment. There’s no need to "turn out the lights." Short stories are designed as a spark for student discussion. They can be used as a lesson-opening activity, a bellwork activity, or to jump-start a discussion that can be integrated with the regular lesson plan. Short formats allow teachers maximum flexibility. Discussion sheets are also short to promote this flexibility. (For example, an episode about "The Sun" includes only a few "gee-whiz" facts about the Sun. The whole process - movie and discussion - can be completed in 5 or 10 minutes if desired. It can serve as a complement to a lesson plan about the Sun in fourth grade, stars in middle school, or different types of stars in high school.) Finally, short story narratives are meant to capture the interest of a wide spectrum of students, including average students with no special interest in science, and perhaps a short attention span. In this sense, they’re also designed to capture the interest of students in a wider range of age groups. Return to top



















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