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Working from home and attending lots of virtual meetings? We have free 1920x1080 sciart backgrounds! Perfectly sized to spice up your next online meeting tool (example: Zoom) or computer background with a bit of biology! Click the "Download File" button below the image you like. P.S. Teaching from a distance? We have some frequent answered questions regarding our resources here.      LAST UPDATED: December 21, 2020 Fellow educators, we hope you are safe and healthy during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that schools worldwide will be making difficult decisions on whether they open face to face, virtually, or both. We want to be able to support you in this challenging time! We continue to receive a larger volume of emails than typical regarding terms of use and suggested use, so we wanted to try to keep this page as updated as possible. As we start to look at the majority of question types, we thought we could proactively put some of the question types we have been receiving with some helpful suggestions. News for Spring Semester 2021:
What items do you have for free?
MOST of our items are FREE!! There are some items are not, and those items are critical to us being able to support our work as we now do this full-time. Just a note: please remember that "free" does not mean that they can be placed in items that you sell (for example, within a resource on TpT). See our terms of use to learn more.
Links to FREE Items:
Can I post your videos on my PowerPoint, Google Slide, Google Classroom, LMS platform, teacher website, etc?
If linking to the video on YouTube or using the YouTube embed code, yes! By the way, Google Slides automatically is using the YouTube embed code when you go to "Insert->Video->and paste in a YouTube video link. (Google owns YouTube!) But please do not download our video files and then upload the video file online somewhere or take a screenshot video of our video and post that somewhere. This is not only very harmful to full-time YouTube creators, but it also violates our licensing agreements and YouTube's terms of service. More info here. You can also consider using our learning playlist link which has our videos organized by "chapters" where students can see an entire sequence of biology videos. Can I post your handouts, comics, and/or GIFs?
Yes, you can post our comics and GIFs (as long as its not placed in a product that you sell, as outlined on our terms)! Yes, you can post the handouts if they are the free student handouts (as long as they are not placed in a product that you sell, as outlined on our terms)! If they are paid handouts on select topics from TpT, the terms of use allow them to be placed behind a password protected website, Google class code, etc. As we mention in our terms of use and also all over our handout page, if you make answer keys using any of our content (or if you purchase our answer keys which we use to support ourselves) please keep all answer keys behind a class code or password as publicly available answer keys make it difficult for others to use. Many of our resources include open-ended questions and this also takes that away from them. Speaking of handouts, your handouts are PDFs. I want my students to write on them though since I'm teaching remotely?
The reason our resources have been in a PDF format are because (A) they can be viewed and not distorted in any type of device and (B) PDFs are more protective of our images and work.
However, there are options for being able to have students use these remotely! A) If you prefer for students to write on the PDFs electronically and turn in to you, there are some tools that work in Chrome that can help with this. While we are not affiliated with these tools, some of the Chrome tools we mention on our handout page are DocHub and Kami. These tools allow for annotating and writing on PDFs. Additionally, if you do a web search "DocHub for teachers," there are some articles written by teachers about how that tool can be useful with students! Many LMS systems will actually allow you to write on PDFs. A quick search online for "How to annotate on a PDF in ____" with the LMS system you use may provide additional options besides these extensions. or B) If your school or district permits Google forms to be used, consider creating a google form. If you just create one google form, it can work for all your students and for multiple handouts! An screenshot of an example form is shown BELOW. It can list names of Amoeba Sisters handouts (so the same form can be used multiple times as you can sort by handout name), and a space for students to write in their answers when they look at the handout. They are very easy to make and use, and they can be an easy way to collect responses for evaluation. Here are the instructions from Google about Google forms: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/6281888?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en 
You have on your website that a school device and/or network filters can be set to allow certain YouTube videos to show and block all other YouTube videos?
Yes, but this conversation would require an email to one of your school or district IT technology staff members. YouTube is one of the largest video hosting platforms available, and there are many educational videos available exclusively on its platform. We have observed that many large school districts in our area have opened YouTube in different filtering capacities and here are just some examples: (A) some districts provide YouTube access for teachers and then allow teachers to "approve" certain videos that are the only videos accessible to students using their own filtering software, (B) some districts will approve specific YouTube channels in advance on their filter for teachers and students and only those channels will be accessible, (C) some districts enable YouTube's restricted mode on all staff and student devices and go through digital citizenship education etc. Overall, this is a determination that needs to be discussed and evaluated within a district to make a decision that is best for them. If it is helpful, we do have the ability to contact YouTube directly if an IT department has concerns or questions regarding filtering YouTube. If choosing to use our videos, our actual video files (or recordings of our videos) cannot be uploaded into other platforms as outlined on our terms of use. Our videos must be either linked to or embedded from our YouTube channel using the YouTube embed code. Google (who owns YouTube) explains here how entire channels can be approved OR even specific videos on a school device or network https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/more-ways-for-schools-organizations-to/ They have an additional help page: https://support.google.com/a/topic/6206681 . In addition to the above, or as an alternative to the above, if a district has student assigned devices (some schools are now 1:1), the district can set up "restricted mode" on the devices they give out. YouTube Restricted mode hides comments and filters out many inappropriate videos from the search. https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/174084?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en How can I: change the video speed, see video subtitles or a transcript, change the language, see a table of contents for your videos, etc?
LAST UPDATED: March 2025 YouTube. As edu creators, we are grateful for the platform where we can share our work, earn from our work, and continue to create! A while back, we wrote a post about tips for viewers using YouTube to watch edu videos. We wanted to update and expand on that based on what we've learned over the years. We try to keep this updated. 1- Captions/subtitles on edu videos are also available in different languages!You already knew that after our video intro played, you could click/tap the "CC" button at the bottom right to see subtitles. BUT, did you know that thanks to our amazing subtitle contributors, many of our videos have subtitles in different languages? After our video intro has played, click/tap the "settings" icon (looks like a gear), select "subtitles/CC," and select your language! Want to help us translate captions/subtitles? Please visit here.
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| Free Video: Our major 41 minute video: our mega review video: Stroll Through the Playlist (a Biology Review), which is one of our review videos.  | TpT Paid Resource: We released a video companion available on TpT that goes with the "Stroll Through the Playlist (a Biology Review) video.  |
PAID RESOURCE:
3. Video Companion or Virtual Check for Mega Genetics Review video
| Free Video: Wanting to review monohybrids, dihybrids, multiple alleles, codominance, incomplete dominance, sex-linked traits, and pedigrees all in one FREE video? We've got it here! This video is one of our review videos.  | TpT Paid Resource:  We released a video companion that goes with the "Mega Genetics Review" video available on TpT! PocketLab Virtual Check |
PAID RESOURCE:
4. Amoeba Sisters Virtual Checks
We now have over 45 of these interactive resources and you receive access to all of them with a subscription to our Virtual Checks on PocketLab! Each Virtual Check is an interactive, virtual assignment that uses an Amoeba Sisters video. Virtual Checks offer various ways students can demonstrate mastery including free response, multiple choice, drag and drop, illustration, and matching. These can be customized and edited by the teacher and can be useful for reviewing each video topic. Learn more HERE (including the ability to try out the free demo)!
FREE RESOURCE:
5. Before the Bell Biology
| Free Videos:  Free Video Companion Handout on TpT:  | Maybe you're a teacher that wants to have some practice questions up during passing period or while taking attendance? Maybe you're a student that wants to do some practice questions before the bell? Each video features 7-10 questions with answers that use our illustrations, and we're continuing to make more! There's also some background music but you can mute if you want it quiet as all the questions/answers are already written in the video. |
PAID RESOURCE:
6. Vocabulary Easels
TpT Paid Resource:
Looking for a self-checking online resource that goes through the major vocabulary mentioned in our "Stroll Through the Playlist (a Biology Review)" video that can be assigned via Google Classroom and other LMS platforms? Check out our TpT vocabulary easels set 1-5! Click on any of the below Easels to see the preview video for each one as well as product information.
Looking for a self-checking online resource that goes through the major vocabulary mentioned in our "Stroll Through the Playlist (a Biology Review)" video that can be assigned via Google Classroom and other LMS platforms? Check out our TpT vocabulary easels set 1-5! Click on any of the below Easels to see the preview video for each one as well as product information.
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FREE RESOURCE:
7. Describe the Biology with GIFs Slide Set
Free Resource:
Our FREE "Describe the Biology with GIFs" slide set asks students to use vocabulary as they describe an assortment of our biology GIFs.
Our FREE "Describe the Biology with GIFs" slide set asks students to use vocabulary as they describe an assortment of our biology GIFs.
FREE RESOURCE:
8. Background Study Flow Videos
Free Video:
Need some serious study time? Silence your device and phone notifications, and join Petunia, Pinky, and Gus in their study flow videos.
Need some serious study time? Silence your device and phone notifications, and join Petunia, Pinky, and Gus in their study flow videos.
PAID RESOURCE:
9. Our Amoeba Sisters Book!
9. Our Amoeba Sisters Book!
Our book is a fusion of the fun of a comic book and the fundamentals of a textbook that focuses on 24 major concepts commonly taught in biology, and we think it's a great resource for reviewing major biology concepts learned in a biology course. Learn more about our book HERE.
A few additional things to know:
- Find a list of all of our individual videos and resources that complement them HERE.
- If looking for tips for using YouTube videos in edu such as how to change subtitle language, access transcripts, and see video chapters - see our tips here!
- A reminder: our illustrations cannot be used by others in products that are sold (for example: they cannot be used in an educational resource that is sold on Teachers Pay Teachers). While you can embed our videos on platforms using the YouTube embed code, our videos cannot be uploaded onto platforms to be hosted off of YouTube. You can learn more about our terms of use here.
Happy Reviewing!
Study tips? Along with the graphic below, check out our short study tips video for students!
[Additional text added March 2019]
We have a lot of gratitude for YouTube. As edu creators, it allows us to publish our video content and reach others. It allows us to build a community. And it allows others to contribute subtitles in different languages.
There are some challenges we face as edu YouTubers though. EDITING. Sometimes, after we publish a video, we receive helpful feedback that a clarification- or even an error- needs to be addressed. We are really grateful for this kind of feedback, because it helps us grow as educators. We make mistakes, but we have worked hard to cultivate our growth mindset so that we can learn from those mistakes and get even better!
We have a lot of gratitude for YouTube. As edu creators, it allows us to publish our video content and reach others. It allows us to build a community. And it allows others to contribute subtitles in different languages.
There are some challenges we face as edu YouTubers though. EDITING. Sometimes, after we publish a video, we receive helpful feedback that a clarification- or even an error- needs to be addressed. We are really grateful for this kind of feedback, because it helps us grow as educators. We make mistakes, but we have worked hard to cultivate our growth mindset so that we can learn from those mistakes and get even better!
And we want to model that for high school kids too, because we think that is an important life skill. Which, is why, fixing our mistakes is very important.
The only problem is that YouTube has limited ability to edit videos, and in 2016, they removed the ability to make new annotations (much to the dismay of many edu YouTubers). Also, on 1/15/2019, all existing annotations will be permanently deleted. The "cards" feature which was designed to replace the "annotations" feature unfortunately doesn't have the ability to make clarifications or address issues. So how do we handle this?
Most of the time, we are addressing a clarification or smaller scale mistake. It might be a typo. It may relate to the way we used a vocabulary word. It could be a single incorrect statement in the audio or the way we pronounced a vocabulary word. It may be related to an exception---science has a lot of exceptions! We consider something a clarification or smaller scale mistake if it does not affect the full video, but may affect a statement or component of the video that should be addressed.
So how do we handle those clarifications or mistakes? You will find it as a pinned comment! That means, it will show as the very first comment underneath the YouTube video. That allows it be front and center, and it is a popular method that many edu creators use to address those clarifications or mistakes. We remake videos every once in a while as our art and scripts improve. When we remake a video, we check the pinned comment of the old video to make sure to address those clarifications or mistakes from the past. And, don't worry, unless there is a major issue with an old video---we do not delete old videos. We want people to know how we have improved with lots and lot of practice!
[Added March 2019: YouTube now allows small clip-outs of video portions even on videos with high view counts. We have used this feature on a few older videos, and it's explained on the pinned comment for the video]
If you are an educator, we highly recommend checking out the "pinned" comment on our videos! Please also share this with students, because we want students to see that we do make mistakes. We want students to see how we handle mistakes, and we want students to feel empowered to keep going when they make mistakes too.
Unfortunately, if it's a major error that affects the main concept of the video, we remove the video and re-publish the video. It has been extremely rare, and it's definitely frustrating to do as a creator, because the link to the video is destroyed when you remove a video. We take a lot of effort to try to avoid this by double checking our facts before releasing a video. You can see our factual references in our expanded video details.
If there is no issue with a video (that we have been made aware of), we often pin supplemental information or links in our pinned comment.
As always, we thank our viewers for helping us grow as edu creators! :)
Most of the time, we are addressing a clarification or smaller scale mistake. It might be a typo. It may relate to the way we used a vocabulary word. It could be a single incorrect statement in the audio or the way we pronounced a vocabulary word. It may be related to an exception---science has a lot of exceptions! We consider something a clarification or smaller scale mistake if it does not affect the full video, but may affect a statement or component of the video that should be addressed.
So how do we handle those clarifications or mistakes? You will find it as a pinned comment! That means, it will show as the very first comment underneath the YouTube video. That allows it be front and center, and it is a popular method that many edu creators use to address those clarifications or mistakes. We remake videos every once in a while as our art and scripts improve. When we remake a video, we check the pinned comment of the old video to make sure to address those clarifications or mistakes from the past. And, don't worry, unless there is a major issue with an old video---we do not delete old videos. We want people to know how we have improved with lots and lot of practice!
[Added March 2019: YouTube now allows small clip-outs of video portions even on videos with high view counts. We have used this feature on a few older videos, and it's explained on the pinned comment for the video]
If you are an educator, we highly recommend checking out the "pinned" comment on our videos! Please also share this with students, because we want students to see that we do make mistakes. We want students to see how we handle mistakes, and we want students to feel empowered to keep going when they make mistakes too.
Unfortunately, if it's a major error that affects the main concept of the video, we remove the video and re-publish the video. It has been extremely rare, and it's definitely frustrating to do as a creator, because the link to the video is destroyed when you remove a video. We take a lot of effort to try to avoid this by double checking our facts before releasing a video. You can see our factual references in our expanded video details.
If there is no issue with a video (that we have been made aware of), we often pin supplemental information or links in our pinned comment.
As always, we thank our viewers for helping us grow as edu creators! :)
About This Page
2025 UPDATE:
From our early days, this used to be a page where Pinky would share free edtech websites, apps, online resources, response systems, and other tools that she found free and useful at the time of the post for teachers. Technology evolves quickly, and some of the tools or resources mentioned may have changed, may no longer be free, may have been discontinued, or function differently from the date listed on the post. As we advise, always read the terms and privacy policy of any technology tool that you plan to use.
Disclosure? This blog does not promote affiliate links. Any links to partners will be clearly disclosed within the post.
From our early days, this used to be a page where Pinky would share free edtech websites, apps, online resources, response systems, and other tools that she found free and useful at the time of the post for teachers. Technology evolves quickly, and some of the tools or resources mentioned may have changed, may no longer be free, may have been discontinued, or function differently from the date listed on the post. As we advise, always read the terms and privacy policy of any technology tool that you plan to use.
Disclosure? This blog does not promote affiliate links. Any links to partners will be clearly disclosed within the post.
