Have you ever noticed banana-flavored things don't taste like banana? Video explains the varieties of bananas that exist. It details the demise of the banana most consumed in the United States before 1960 and how it is now practically extinct. It focuses on the single type of banana grown in the US now and the problems with the lack of diversity.

Concepts

bananas, seeds, pathogens

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Before the video, have pupils guess what one item Walmart sells the most of every year
• If possible, find two varieties of bananas to let class members taste; if it is not possible, show many pictures of various bananas grown throughout the world

Classroom Considerations

• Preview all comments before using in the classroom as some are crude, inappropriate, and anti-science

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Provides closed captioning in English, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish (Latin America)
• Includes a detailed explanation about banana seeds

Cons

• None