Amoeba Sisters Unlectured Series Q&A
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What is the amoeba sisters unlectured series?
Our Unlectured Series an alternative to traditional lecture and notes in class- and places more emphasis on discussion, student questioning, and student creation. See our graphic for more information!
What is in the Amoeba Sisters Unlectured Series?
Each one is arranged in a zip folder by topic (such as “mitosis” or “protein synthesis”).
Within each zip folder, you will find:
1) An annotated video script template which contains our script with space for students to make their own sketches, highlight key information, identify vocabulary, and write their own questions about the content. Students use this template after they watch our short video clip (all of our videos are under 10 minutes).
2) A slideshow that features questions and memorable comics that are meant to be discussed by the students and teacher together in class. Students can lead these discussions. These are not traditional slides, because they do not have any text information on them. Visuals and questions only! There is always a slide that focuses on, "Why does this information matter?" There is also an optional slide that prompts students to create a product that demonstrates their learning. The slideshow also prompts students to share their own questions from the annotated video script template and an extension built in for students to research questions that still need answers. The slideshow questions/images are not editable so that there will not be formatting issues if used in other tools; however, you can always add on to the slideshow.
3) A detailed facilitation guide for the teacher that explains in depth how to use all of the items and has suggestions of discussion points for each slide.
4) Our freebie "Unanswered Questions" template which works great as an extension (plus any other freebies that we may choose to include which will be noted in the product description).
Within each zip folder, you will find:
1) An annotated video script template which contains our script with space for students to make their own sketches, highlight key information, identify vocabulary, and write their own questions about the content. Students use this template after they watch our short video clip (all of our videos are under 10 minutes).
2) A slideshow that features questions and memorable comics that are meant to be discussed by the students and teacher together in class. Students can lead these discussions. These are not traditional slides, because they do not have any text information on them. Visuals and questions only! There is always a slide that focuses on, "Why does this information matter?" There is also an optional slide that prompts students to create a product that demonstrates their learning. The slideshow also prompts students to share their own questions from the annotated video script template and an extension built in for students to research questions that still need answers. The slideshow questions/images are not editable so that there will not be formatting issues if used in other tools; however, you can always add on to the slideshow.
3) A detailed facilitation guide for the teacher that explains in depth how to use all of the items and has suggestions of discussion points for each slide.
4) Our freebie "Unanswered Questions" template which works great as an extension (plus any other freebies that we may choose to include which will be noted in the product description).
what do i need (technology? Classroom materials?) to use your unlectured series?
• Access to YouTube as our Unlectured Series do use our short (most are 7-8 minutes) YouTube videos. YouTube is an online platform so the teacher must have classroom access to the internet. An internet connection for students would allow students to participate more fully in the topic when they are investigating their own questions, and we think that kind of relevance is powerful.
• Highlighters or Colored Pencils for annotation on the Annotated Video Script template.
• A classroom environment where students know they will be asked to communicate (and where students may do more of the talking than the teacher).
• The slideshow portion is in a PowerPoint format, but it can be used in a variety of technology tools (as many will accept PowerPoint files as an input). Remember, our slides are designed with cartoons/comics and discussion questions on them---they do not contain text information.
• The "create" activities at the end of each topic may vary: it might be making a comic, a script for a podcast, acting out a concept in a skit, etc. While some create activities may have options that would need manipulative material (such as playdough) or technology access for students to create a product--- you can choose to exclude those options if those resources are not available. We include alternative options. Providing choice is awesome!
• There are a few topics that have a "create" activity where internet connection for students would be absolutely necessary (example: body systems topic) for researching. In those cases, it is mentioned in the product description specifically.
• Highlighters or Colored Pencils for annotation on the Annotated Video Script template.
• A classroom environment where students know they will be asked to communicate (and where students may do more of the talking than the teacher).
• The slideshow portion is in a PowerPoint format, but it can be used in a variety of technology tools (as many will accept PowerPoint files as an input). Remember, our slides are designed with cartoons/comics and discussion questions on them---they do not contain text information.
• The "create" activities at the end of each topic may vary: it might be making a comic, a script for a podcast, acting out a concept in a skit, etc. While some create activities may have options that would need manipulative material (such as playdough) or technology access for students to create a product--- you can choose to exclude those options if those resources are not available. We include alternative options. Providing choice is awesome!
• There are a few topics that have a "create" activity where internet connection for students would be absolutely necessary (example: body systems topic) for researching. In those cases, it is mentioned in the product description specifically.
Do your free handouts have anything to do with this series?
When using our handouts in our suggested way (see our handout page), they can complement the Unlectured Series. However, the free handouts are certainly not a necessary component. Our free handouts are designed in a table format so content is arranged in a grid, and our suggested use on our handout page is to utilize 1-2 boxes on the handout per day as classroom exit tickets. Those last 5 minutes of class, which don't always get used as effectively as we all want, can be amazingly powerful when exit tickets are used! In 2 weeks, that's 50 minutes of time!
if my students are used to a traditional method of taking notes from a powerpoint lecture in their courses, will they find this alternative challenging?
We think it is more that it will be something different and outside of an expected activity. The tradition of taking notes from a teacher's lecture, which has been around for a very long time (far before the internet), can be very comfortable. For many students though, it can also be a passive activity, as Petunia mentioned in the video with her personal student experience of being in "note taking autopilot" in her high school courses. For Pinky, she found her students bored by it, although it is often considered a "school" activity.
While traditional notes and lecture may be in a student's comfort zone, there is something to be said for growth occurring outside of that comfort zone. We think it’s important to show the “Statement for Students” slide at the beginning of each Unlectured Slideshow and to talk about how this topic is going to be explored a bit differently, along with the reasoning. Students are still receiving the content. They are visualizing and hearing the content in the short Amoeba Sisters video (note: all of our content videos have subtitles to increase accessibility)----reading the script, sketching concepts, and coming up with their own questions on the video script template to personalize it to them----and discussing the material in class in a format where students will do more of the speaking than the teacher. The Unlectured Series places an emphasis on why this information is important in our world because that makes it worth learning. It also builds in time for students to research their questions, which can then be shared with the class. The optional create activity at the end (or you may have an idea to substitute) allows students to make the content meaningful and relevant to them. We have a very thorough facilitation guide to help with all of these components.
If you are concerned about how the transition may be for students, you can still provide a link to your old slides to your students as a reference tool that they can consult it if they individually need to. Also, did you know there are FREE, peer-reviewed OER (open educational resource) textbooks that you can link to for your students to use if they want an additional reference? You will find them online with a quick search.
While traditional notes and lecture may be in a student's comfort zone, there is something to be said for growth occurring outside of that comfort zone. We think it’s important to show the “Statement for Students” slide at the beginning of each Unlectured Slideshow and to talk about how this topic is going to be explored a bit differently, along with the reasoning. Students are still receiving the content. They are visualizing and hearing the content in the short Amoeba Sisters video (note: all of our content videos have subtitles to increase accessibility)----reading the script, sketching concepts, and coming up with their own questions on the video script template to personalize it to them----and discussing the material in class in a format where students will do more of the speaking than the teacher. The Unlectured Series places an emphasis on why this information is important in our world because that makes it worth learning. It also builds in time for students to research their questions, which can then be shared with the class. The optional create activity at the end (or you may have an idea to substitute) allows students to make the content meaningful and relevant to them. We have a very thorough facilitation guide to help with all of these components.
If you are concerned about how the transition may be for students, you can still provide a link to your old slides to your students as a reference tool that they can consult it if they individually need to. Also, did you know there are FREE, peer-reviewed OER (open educational resource) textbooks that you can link to for your students to use if they want an additional reference? You will find them online with a quick search.
When one of these is purchased, how are they licensed?
Can my school or district purchase licenses? do you accept school district Purchase orders?
Can my school or district purchase licenses? do you accept school district Purchase orders?
In our TPT store, one purchase is designed for a one teacher license (for use with all of their students).
However, a school or district can purchase multiple licenses at a discount for multiple teachers. A school or district can also use a purchase order (PO). However, it is possible that TPT is not an approved vendor for your school/district. Contact TPT here for support.
More Info to Check Out:
Check out TPT for Schools!
TPT Information about Licenses (Schools/districts may want to inquire about the possibility of transferable licenses)
TPT: How to Use Purchase Orders to Purchase
TPT Point of Contact*
*We do not handle any transactions, but you can definitely contact us with questions about our resources (see last question)!
However, a school or district can purchase multiple licenses at a discount for multiple teachers. A school or district can also use a purchase order (PO). However, it is possible that TPT is not an approved vendor for your school/district. Contact TPT here for support.
More Info to Check Out:
Check out TPT for Schools!
TPT Information about Licenses (Schools/districts may want to inquire about the possibility of transferable licenses)
TPT: How to Use Purchase Orders to Purchase
TPT Point of Contact*
*We do not handle any transactions, but you can definitely contact us with questions about our resources (see last question)!
can i, or my school/district, purchase all the topics together?
Yes, starting towards the end of July 2018! Currently, when we price topics individually, we price them based on our time spent creating them. We are planning to complete all of major topics by the end of July 2018, and at that time, we plan to offer the ability to purchase them all together at a discount in a "bundle" option on Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT). Please know though that as we continue to release videos, we will likely continue to develop more Unlectured Series topics. This means that while a bundle you purchase in July will include everything it lists, it will not include new topics that we may create in the future.
What are the terms of use for this product?
After purchasing an Unlectured Series on a topic, all components of the zip file can be used by a single teacher for all of his/her students. However, like most TPT products from teacher creators, no part of the Unlectured Series can be available publicly online. This would make it impossible for us to continue to support ourselves and our work. If used online, it is paramount that the user ensures it is only accessible by their students (i.e. not being available on a public website or public shared folder).
Our videos, however, will always remain free and openly accessible on YouTube- for everyone.
Our videos, however, will always remain free and openly accessible on YouTube- for everyone.
what standards will it be aligned to?
We are working on alignment to the streamlined biology TEKS (including some intermediate life science TEKS), and also, including NGSS that our series can support. This information will eventually be placed on our website. We always recommend viewing our short YouTube video that pertains to each Unlectured Series topic before deciding whether you are interested in purchasing a topic, because each Unlectured Series topic is based on the content in the short video. If the video does not have content that supports the standard you are wanting to cover, it may not be a good fit.
We wish to emphasize that this alternative to traditional lecture and notes cannot be all inclusive of any standard, because we know a strong lab foundation in the course is critical to fully addressing these science standards. The Unlectured Series is a supplemental resource- not a complete curriculum.
We wish to emphasize that this alternative to traditional lecture and notes cannot be all inclusive of any standard, because we know a strong lab foundation in the course is critical to fully addressing these science standards. The Unlectured Series is a supplemental resource- not a complete curriculum.
Would a teacher who is new to this content be able to use this series?
If you are new to the content (perhaps a new teacher or an experienced teacher who has changed the type of science that they teach), there is a very extensive and thorough facilitation guide that has suggested points with each topic.
However, we do want to emphasize what this series is not.
•This series is not ideal if you are wanting a traditional slideshow of information (you will not find that in this resource)
• This series is not ideal if our free Amoeba Sisters videos on YouTube do not cover concepts that could be useful as a foundation for your course's content (as our series is based on this foundation).
• This series is not ideal if your course lacks abundant hands-on lab experiences. Labs are a very important component of a science curriculum, and lab experience is not part of this supplement.
However, we do want to emphasize what this series is not.
•This series is not ideal if you are wanting a traditional slideshow of information (you will not find that in this resource)
• This series is not ideal if our free Amoeba Sisters videos on YouTube do not cover concepts that could be useful as a foundation for your course's content (as our series is based on this foundation).
• This series is not ideal if your course lacks abundant hands-on lab experiences. Labs are a very important component of a science curriculum, and lab experience is not part of this supplement.
How much time would one of these topics take in a class?
This can really vary based on how much discussion you have in class. We have a detailed facilitation guide with each topic that can support the class discussion, but you may find the timing varies even among different class periods. If you view the below graphic, you can see the steps we have in the Unlectured Series.
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Below is an estimate of a range of time this may take in the suggested sequence (bolded numbers below correspond to graphic):
1- Most of our video clips are between 6-9 minutes. The annotated video script template is used afterwards, which requires students to read, make annotations, sketch, and make their own questions from the script. The time of reading and annotating the template is estimated to be between 15-30 minutes. 2, 3, 4 - The slideshow portion of memorable comics/cartoons with discussion questions has an estimated range between 20-45 minutes depending on the amount of discussion. There is a very thorough facilitation guide that helps greatly with facilitating this discussion. In addition to the estimated time, the slideshow offers an optional extension as one of the later slides prompts students to research their own questions from their annotated video script templates (this can make a great exit ticket activity), which can later on be shared with the class. 5- The student create activity is a separate activity that, if done in class, would be estimated to take 2-3 class periods of 45 minutes each. However, please know that the student create activities vary by topic. The create activities may be comics, podcast scripts, skits, etc. and due to that, it can greatly vary in timing. Limited on in-class time? The 'create' activity at the end of the slideshow can also be modified or shortened. Also, some portions of the sequence above could be done outside of class as one may do in a flipped classroom. This could include shorter components such as viewing the video clip, completing the annotated video script template, or finishing up the 'create' activity. If this is the case, however, we highly encourage limiting it to portions that are under 25 minutes. This series is not designed to be used as lengthy homework. |
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Where can I see purchaser reviews to know what other teachers have thought of your unlectured series?
Click on one of our topics under this Q&A, and you will see the product page on TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) where rating and reviews are shown. Keep in mind that we are in building mode right now so some of the very recent topic releases are so new that they may not have any purchaser reviews yet.
When you view reviews from purchasers, you will see that TPT uses a 1-4 star rating system where purchasers can leave a review in the following categories: clarity, creativity, thoroughness, practicality, accuracy, and overall quality. In addition to the rating, reviewers can leave feedback. If you purchase one of our topics, please consider leaving a review on TPT; we want to know how it worked out for your class(es)! Reviews on TPT allow others to benefit from your experience and suggestions. Just a thought- since the time it takes in class to complete one topic can greatly vary as mentioned above, fellow teachers may also appreciate hearing about how long it took your specific class(es).
When you view reviews from purchasers, you will see that TPT uses a 1-4 star rating system where purchasers can leave a review in the following categories: clarity, creativity, thoroughness, practicality, accuracy, and overall quality. In addition to the rating, reviewers can leave feedback. If you purchase one of our topics, please consider leaving a review on TPT; we want to know how it worked out for your class(es)! Reviews on TPT allow others to benefit from your experience and suggestions. Just a thought- since the time it takes in class to complete one topic can greatly vary as mentioned above, fellow teachers may also appreciate hearing about how long it took your specific class(es).
Which topics do you have available now?
Scroll down under this Q&A to see the currently available Unlectured Series topics. By the end of July 2018, we should have all "frequently lectured" video topics available. We pick topics for this series that often involve traditional lecture and notes so that we can provide this alternative.
I still have a question that is not answered here- could it be added to your Q&A?
Currently Available Unlectured Series Topics
Click above image to see this topic on Teachers Pay Teachers!
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Click above image to see this topic on Teachers Pay Teachers!
Click above image to see this topic on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Click above image to see this topic on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Click above image to see this topic on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Click above image to see this topic on Teachers Pay Teachers.
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