Film Theory Teacher Resources

The featured movie focuses on the ancestry of our four-footed friends. Find the fundamental pattern of their limbs and vertebrae in fossils of fish. After viewing, biology learners can enjoy interactive websites to zoom in on the...

Does the human body evolve as quickly as human culture? With a stellar 15-minute video, explore the trait of lactose intolerance. Only about 1/3 of human adults seem to still have the enzyme lactase and therefore, the ability to digest...

This old but charming video is part of a longer film. It is not practical for teaching about atomic particles, but it can be used to explore the history of atomic theory. There are interactive quizzes about atomic particles on the...

Pigmy mammoths on the Channel Islands? Indeed. West of the West's Arlington Springs Man documents the history of the archeological digs on Santa Rosa Island and the discovery of human and mammoth bones that challenge the once popular...

Students define terms and watch a segment from a film.  In this scientific theory lesson students work in small groups and draft a theory that was discussed in the program. 

Eighth graders explore the characteristics of living things. In this living things lesson plan, 8th graders review as a class the cell theory and the characteristics of living things. They answer questions about how to determine if...

After watching an engaging 13-minute video about the colorless blood of icefish, future ichthyologists examine icefish blood and non-icefish blood (blood samples are simulated with Karo syrup mixtures) to determine advantages of...

The pocket mouse can be light brown like the sands of the desert, or dark brown like the volcanic lava flows that are interspersed throughout New Mexico's Valley of Fire. It seems that predators have weeded out light colored mice in this...

The scientific models predicted the Higgs Boson for many years before it was proven. Filmed during the search for the Higgs Boson, the video discusses what it would mean for science if researchers proved it wrong. At the time of this...

Students explore the concept of self and analyze the Human Organization Theory. Individually, students write poems about themselves. In small groups, they create a poster related to the 14 categories of the Human Organization Theory....

How far have California's Channel islands moved? What was the rate of this movement? Class members first examine data that shows the age of the Hawaiian island chain and the average speed of the Pacific Plate. They then watch West of the...

Bubbles aren't just for children. In the third installment of a seven-part series, teenagers use bubble solution to create bubbles and observe patterns of refraction on the bubble surfaces. Application of this concept to thin films in...

After watching a short online film about a soccer player Nolusindiso Plaatje and his help with the Grassroot Soccer program, a community education effort aimed at spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS prevention, use a lesson plan to prompt...

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) was formed in 1919 and was crucial for allowing scientists to discuss findings during the Cold War. A presentation offers an introduction to atomic structure including the...

How do scientists provide evidence to support the theories they put forth? What clues do they put together to create these theories? After watching West of the West's documentary Island Rotation class members engage in a series of...

The Galapagos Islands inspired Darwin to develop his theory of evolution. These wonderful islands will also be the topic of a lesson on habitat and conservation. In small groups, learners will collect and synthesize information regarding...

Young geologists begin exploring volcanoes of different structures and states: active, extinct, or dormant. During the lab, they make three models and compare different types of volcanoes, including composite, cinder cone, and shield....

Twelfth graders watch episodes of Star Trek and analyze the works of it that pertain to the theory of relativity.  In this creative activity students also write and illustrate a children's book about the special theory of relativity.

Students research the theory of evolution and the controversy.  In this evolution lesson students view a film on Charles Darwin then they write an essay about whether or not intelligent design should be taught in science class. 

It's not often that you come across a clever laboratory activity that is both imaginative and comprehensive! Using M&M's and Reese's peanut butter candies to represent two different clam species, young biologists test for "relative...

In a fun and interactive two-day lesson, learners sort anole lizard pictures by appearance. Next, they watch a video about the anoles and re-sort based on the information in the video. In addition to physical characteristics, budding...

Does the moon change size? It sure looks like it! Two optical illusions are suggested as an explanation: Ebbinghaus and Ponzo. However, there are problems with both of these. Convergence micropsia may answer the question, but many...

Students study primates and their evolution history.  In this role play activity students view a video on evolution then demonstrate how primates walked and other observations they noticed in the film. 

Learners explore evolution. After watching a video on evolution, students perform a variety of experiments using beans which illustrate the concept of evolution.