Did you know that you lose over 10 lbs. of dead skin cells every year? Luckily for you, human skin reproduces so quietly in the physiological background that you never even miss them (although it really is skin off your nose). The four-segment Cells offers a brief but interesting look at basic cellular biology, beginning with a peek inside a laboratory where skin graft cultures are being grown for a burn victim. Unfortunately, the second section presents a re-enactment of the history and development of cellular science in an overdramatic Masterpiece Theatre-ish way (complete with bad accents), but the next segment--examining human cell functions--works much better, as children in color-specific costumes represent various parts of the cell (for example, the "cytoplasm" is a boy in a lab coat making chemical reactions occur). The program concludes with a look at the cellular makeup of plants. Featuring curriculum indexing as well as the regular chapter index on the DVD, this program is recommended for grades 4-6, rather than the suggested audience of grades 6-12 (older students will not only balk at the cheesy dramatic segment, but the information itself just isn't sophisticated enough for high school biology classes). Aud: I. (E. Gieschen)
Cells
(2004) 19 min. DVD: $19.95 (teacher’s guide included). Discovery Channel School. PPR. Color cover. ISBN: 1-58738-504-X. Volume 20, Issue 1
Cells
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