Amoeba Sisters Handouts

First, a few Updates from the Amoeba Sisters!

What have we been working on?

1. We've been working on a book! We're super excited about it, and we'll share more info about it soon!

2. We're still creating our regular content videos, and we are focusing on body system topics. After completing several, we try to create resources to go along with them (like our Unlectured Series 2nd series topics)

3. We created a lot of biology themed Shorts! These are videos that are less than 60 seconds - we likely will add more in the future.
Amoeba Sisters Shorts Playlist

Dropbox Folder Option for this Page:

Regarding the free recaps we have on this page: if you don't want to individually download the free recaps from this page, we have a view-only (which allows you to download) dropbox folder of the 45 free PDF handouts [as of August 2021] that come from this page!!

Important Things to Know About This Folder:

1. This dropbox folder contains our free recap handouts. It won't contain items that we sell on TpT such as our select recap handouts, annotated video script templates, or our Unlectured Series. Those items are linked on this page to TpT to help support our work.

2. This dropbox folder is a view-only folder which will allow you to download the PDFs that are already listed individually on this page. If you want your students to write on PDFs, please visit here.

3. The first PDF in the folder reminds about terms of use AND addresses some of the main questions we get regarding our free handouts.

4. You can still scroll down on this page to see each alphabetized topic where we have more items such as our comics, GIFs, and our TpT resources for each topic on this page. If you've never used our resources before, we highly recommend scrolling down on this page by topic first as the folder will be overwhelming otherwise.

5. Most of our free handouts (44 of them) have official keys that we offer on TpT to help support our work. We offer them individually or in one mega key bundle.

Resources Listed or Linked on This Page

Our resources are a tool- and like any tool- effectiveness is based greatly on how it is used.
Please see our "suggested use" information below for some helpful tips!

Recap Handouts

Annotated Video Script TEMPLATES

Unlectured Series

Video Companions

Recap Handouts

What are the recap handouts? FREE and select recap handouts use video cartoons (drawn by Petunia) to help students connect to the content after viewing one of our short videos. They feature questions that can be used as formative assessments to quickly determine what may need to be focused on in class. Many questions ask students to put concepts in their own words (and occasionally, drawings). All recap handouts are in a grid format.

Suggested Recap Handout Use Ideas: We highly encourage our handouts to be used during class time (whether in-person class or virtual class). When they're used as quick formative checks with a few grid boxes a time during actual class time, you are (1) able to ensure that the responses you receive are from the student that responded (2) you can assist students for that just-in-time assistance they need, and (3) you can adjust teaching due to reading responses. If handouts are assigned outside of in-person/virtual class time, you can lose some of those above points. We find the handouts are useful for discussion starters and exit tickets during class-time.

If you need students to write on these handouts digitally (as they are PDFs), here are some suggestions.

If you choose to print these, they all print front--> back.

Where do I find the recap handouts? The FREE student recap handouts are downloadable on this page. You will need to scroll down about a third of the way down on this page underneath the purple "terms of use" box to see where the topics (alphabetical listing) start. Click a topic to expand. If the topic offers a FREE student recap handout, you will see a button that says "Recap- Amoeba Sisters PDF." All of our FREE resources are hosted on this page; we like to avoid double posting our free items to other locations.

Note: Select recap handouts are under the "TpT" column for certain topics on this page --or see all select recap handouts here. Select recaps are different from the FREE recaps only because they include their own answer key and tend to focus on a more specialized topic.

Annotated Video Script TEMPLATES

About and Suggested Use: Our annotated video script templates contain an informal version of our video script with slight improvements to define sentences and remove filler words to help with annotating. They have an annotation key asking students to (1) highlight parts of the transcript that they already knew (which can be built upon), (2) highlight key information that is new to them, (3) come up with their own questions, and (4) underline vocabulary. The template has a spacious right margin for students to sketch concepts that are memorable or relevant to them. It is important to note that these templates are not the same thing as the video captions that play in real time (available for all of our videos in YouTube) as they have been edited for better annotation ability. We also do not suggest having students annotate the template at the same time as watching the video! That would be a pace that could be overwhelming; these are meant to be used after students have watched the video.

Where do I find them? Linked throughout this handout page next to certain topics to Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT). You will need to scroll down about a third of the way down on this page underneath the purple "terms of use" box to see where the topics (alphabetical listing) start. Or, you can see all templates together here. P.S. All of our Unlectured Series topics already include an annotated video script template with them as that is an important component of the Unlectured Series Resource.

Unlectured Series

About and Suggested Use: Our Unlectured Series is an alternative to traditional lecture and notes in class- and places more emphasis on discussion, student questioning, and student creation. All Unlectured Series topics include an annotated video script template, a slideshow of question starters with memorable comics/illustrations for classroom discussion, and a facilitation guide. Each topic has a portion devoted to, "Why does this content matter?" and an opportunity for students to use their foundation knowledge to create a product. See a detailed Q&A on their use and read reviews on our Unlectured page.

Where do I find the Unlectured Series Topics? Topics are linked individually on this page next to certain topics to Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT), but we recommend viewing our Unlectured page where they are all grouped together.

Video Companions

What are video companions?
Unlike the recap handouts and annotated video script templates---which are designed to only be used after students watch the video---video companions can be used both during and after watching the video. However, they are only useful during the video when the video is paused. Video companions often work with our few videos that have a "pause" feature. [Specifically, they work with videos where students are asked to pause the video to reflect on a question]. Video companions may resemble questions similar to a recap handout (such as the codon chart video companion) or utilize a script similiar to the annotated video script template (such as the review video companion).

Suggested Use for Video Companions:
We highly suggest giving students access to these during the video, but it should be emphasized that they are not to be completed while the video is playing unless using the pause feature [the video will suggest when to pause] is used. Then they can be worked on after the video is done. These make great end of class activities that can then be reviewed together the next class day as a refresher. The review companion is especially lengthy as it reviews many videos, so this would be over a period of multiple days.

Where do I find them?
We only have 3 currently, because these are only created when there is a video that specifically uses a pause feature as mentioned above. You will find one of them under the topic category "Codon Chart" and the other two under the topic "Review."

Terms of Use of Video Handouts/Resources:

Our handouts are designed for classroom use, and you can find our terms of use here! Please note: terms of use prohibit publicly posting answer keys made from our handout content as this is a modification of our published content (and a disservice to other teachers and students using them). We do offer official Amoeba Sisters answer keys (linked on this website to Teachers Pay Teachers- TPT) which also have these same terms.

We allow our images and GIFs to be shared on presentations and social media provided they are not edited and that they are not used for financial gain (i.e. our images or GIFs can't be in/on an item that you sell). Learn more about our terms of use here.

General Resources Q&A

I'm searching for a certain topic. How are your resources organized on this page and how do I access them?

Resources on this page are listed by topic in alphabetical order under the purple terms of use box---scroll down just a little bit more.

Would you prefer to search by suggested sequence? Wondering which topic name to search for? Check out our Playlist page!

I want to use the resources you have, but I'm a little overwhelmed. Can you explain the resources you have?

We do have a lot of creating going on! If you're looking for the resources that go with each video that we have, we hope #1 and #2 below help.

1. We have a biology playlist of 80 videos. All of our videos are completely free. They are arranged in our suggested sequence so they are numbered in the order we would encourage for a biology class. We do tend to add a new video to it every 1-2 months, and when we do, we place it in the playlist sequence where we find it fits best.
Learning Playlist of All Biology Videos (our videos are always free) in Suggested Sequence: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwL0Myd7Dk1F0iQPGrjehze3eDpco1eVz

2. We have a Google Doc that shows the videos in order from the playlist and then indicates where to look on this handout page (which has an alphabetical listing) to find the resources associated with each video. Most of our videos have a resource.
Google Doc Showing Where Each Associated Resource is Found:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e0eGQUiDnfAeEJYa2-ZoH_u73l9Kko2CBUq_4CpKvYE/edit

As you're going through the resources from the Google Doc above, you might have questions about these different resources, and we have some more detail below:

What we offer for FREE:

Some of the resources are FREE student recap handouts that you can download and use for all of your students that you will find below on this page. (Please see our terms of use which outline their use as they can't be sold and answer keys made using them cannot be publicly available online, as this is a disservice to both teachers and students.) Our handouts are designed in a grid format so that 1-2 of the "boxes" can be used as an exit ticket in those last 5 minutes of class. This allows one handout to serve as a series of exit tickets, and it can provide an opportunity to give feedback to students (and address misconceptions).
We have GIFs and comics, which you are welcome to use in your presentations---provided that you follow the terms of use (which includes that they cannot be put in items that you sell nor can they be edited in any form).
Our YouTube Shorts playlist which contains biology topic related videos that are under 60 seconds. These usually center on one individual biology topic. (And of course, our main biology videos linked in #1 above are always free)

What we sell on Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT):
TpT is a platform we love as it allows teacher creators to support their work! TpT is free to join. As outlined on all product pages, purchased TpT resources cannot be made available publicly online. This would make us unable to support our work.

You will find answer keys that we sell, which accompany the free website student handouts, linked on our handout page. We also have many of our answer keys in bundles, which are discounted from buying them individually. Answer keys offer convenience, and they also can be useful if you are new to the content. As mentioned in product descriptions, please don't purchase a key without first making sure you have the free accompanying handout from the handout page that it goes to it (and that you have determined that it's an ideal fit for your classroom).
We offer a few "select handouts" that are not free unlike our regular recap handouts. Select handouts come with their own answer keys. While they are styled just like our regular free handouts in the grid format for exit ticket use, they tend to cover more detailed/less standard topics. For example, water properties, the endosymbiotic theory, and non-Mendelian inheritance are topics that have select handouts (with accompanying keys).
To complement our two mega review videos (longer videos we created), we offer two longer video companion handouts.
We offer annotated video script templates for some videos. They contain an informal version of our video script with slight improvements to define sentences and remove filler words to help with annotating. They have an annotation key asking students to (1) highlight foundation parts of the transcript that they already knew (which can be built upon), (2) highlight information that is new to them, (3) come up with their own questions, and (4) underline vocabulary. In addition, the template has a spacious, blank right margin for students to sketch concepts that are memorable or relevant to them. PS. All of our Unlectured Series topics already include an annotated video script template with them as that is an important component of the Unlectured Series Resource.
Our Unlectured Series! The Unlectured Series is designed to be an alternative to traditional lecture/notes and encourages student questioning, discussion, and student creation. We have 18 topics total in our 1st series that can be purchased individually or bundled together. We have started to offer body system topics for our second series: see our full Unlectured Series listing of both the 1st series and growing 2nd series here.

What is Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT)? How do I join? Can my school have a TPT account or use purchase orders? Can I just get one MEGA bundle of everything you have on TpT?

What is TpT?
Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) allows teacher creators to be able to financially support themselves for their work which allows us to continue our creating! TpT contains all kinds of amazing resources (in all content areas PK-12!) created by many who are, or have been, in the classroom. While we plan to always have free resources available (and, of course, our videos are always free) as this is part of our mission, we greatly appreciate the support from those that purchase items that we offer exclusively on TpT.

So I need a TpT account to purchase items on TpT?
Yes, you need an account so you can access the resource at any time. It is free to make an account on TpT. Here is their general sign-up page for a personal account: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Signup

Can my school make a TpT account? Or use purchase orders?
Check out the new TpT for Schools. This allows schools to purchase items that they need through one place for their teachers, and it works well with school purchase orders. Even if your school doesn't have a TpT for Schools account, it is possible to purchase something on TPT with a school purchase order.

Can I just get one mega bundle of everything you have on TpT?
We've been asked this more frequently now, and we've found a way to do this.

Option 1) We do have a mega TpT bundle for all resources up to a certain date.

Option 2) Contact us and tell us all the items that you would like in a custom bundle.

Do all of your videos have accompanying resources?

No, not all of our videos have an accompanying resource. You can see a listing of our videos with applicable resources here. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified when we release new videos.

What standards do your videos and resources support?

Our videos and resources are designed to specifically focus on and support biology TEKS (Texas standards), but there is often standard overlap in many locations. Visit our playlist page for a work-in-progress listing of applicable TEKS and NGSS standards that our videos and resources can help support. However, we want to emphasize that our videos and resources cannot be all inclusive of any standard, because we believe a strong lab foundation, student questioning, and discussion in the course is critical to fully addressing science standards. It is our goal that our videos and resources are supplemental to help support the standards that students are mastering.

Your resources are PDFs. What if I want students to be able to digitally annotate on them?

Check out our page on this here!

I read your suggested use for your handouts. Why do emphasize that you find the handouts work best when used in-class (as opposed to being used as an out-of-class assignment)?

When these handouts are used in-class (and that can be virtually or in-person) as quick formative checks, you are (1) able to ensure that the responses you receive are from the student that handed it to you, (2) you can assist students for that just-in-time assistance they need, and (3) you can adjust teaching due to reading responses. They can also be built into class discussion.

You mentioned that your intention with designing the videos and handouts is to provide a foundation for student discussion and student creation. Any ideas on student creation in the science classroom?

Yes! Please check out our "Student Creators" page. This is also something that we love to present on! :)

How do you handle typos, clarifications, or errors in your videos or video resources?

We think it's VERY important to bring this up despite not receiving this question yet. We want to make sure to model to students that we all make mistakes, and that it is not only important to fix them---but to grow from them too. We strive to be lifelong learners and to share our learning like this (on Twitter) or this (on Twitter)!

We have run into the occasional typo or grammatical error. Sometimes we will get helpful feedback for a video that we should add a clarification or that something was mispronounced. Textbooks have methods to handle errata, and as edutubers, we have also looked for ways to handle this. Here is some information about how we handle different types of these issues in our videos. Regarding our handouts/resources---if it is a free resource, we can make edits on this page. If it's on TpT, we can update it directly on there. If it is more than a minor typo on TpT, we can send a note to all of the TpT purchasers letting them know why we made an edit.

I notice you have started to add links to your GIFs or comics as resources. Why would one of your comics or GIFs be useful in a classroom?

We have created so many comics and GIFs now on so many of our video topics, and we think they are so powerful in the classroom. Take our comic here about an enzyme (one of our many enzyme comics). Just think about the power of projecting this on a screen and the questions that could be asked about how this relates to the topic being studied. Or, better yet, asking students to come up with the questions. Questions like: How is this comic relating to our content? What kind of environmental conditions could actually denature an enzyme? If this was reality, would all enzyme "customers" have the same request? These are just some examples, and these opportunities are naturally built into our Unlectured Series! We share our individual comics and GIFs to start up discussions like these, and please feel free to use them---provided you follow our terms of use.

I notice a pretty big difference between your old videos / old resources vs. your newer ones. Will you update some of your old videos and resources?

As creators, we hope to continue to keep getting better, which means we do redo videos as our art and audio improves. Still, we try to avoid deleting old videos or resources, because we want students to see this journey. We think it's important for students to know everyone starts as a beginner! If we redo a video, we usually will place the newer version video link on this page and then still keep a link to the old video too. Old handouts can still be used with new videos as we make sure our new videos still include the previous information. Occasionally, we'll update old video handout graphics, but we have found that seems to cause confusion so we are less likely to alter old handouts.

Our videos are FREE! Subscribing to our channel is also free and would make us the HAPPIEST of amoebas!
Please subscribe to our YouTube channel?

Reminder: Terms of use prohibit publicly posting answer keys made from our handouts. This is an editing on our copyrighted work (and a disservice to teachers and students using them).

Alphabetical Listing of All of Our Resources

Scrolling alphabetically but not sure if you're looking for the same topic name we are using? Curious about standards our videos can help support?
Check out our playlist page for assistance!

Alleles and Genes

Free Video

Standards this can support? Visit here.
Texas teachers, we list TEKS that can be supported here.

Free Video Resource

Alleles and Genes Recap - Amoeba Sisters PDF
File Size:	441 kb
File Type:	pdf

First, a few Updates from the Amoeba Sisters!

What have we been working on?

Dropbox Folder Option for this Page:

Resources Listed or Linked on This Page

Terms of Use of Video Handouts/Resources:

​General Resources Q&A

Alphabetical Listing of All of Our Resources

Free Video

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​On TpT

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