Chemistry of Life video activity (BBC the Cell)

This is a video activity about DNA and RNA, based on part 2 of the 2009 BBC documentary, episode 2 “Chemistry of Life”. Despite the vintage, the program is well produced and covers multiple teaching points from IB Biology units 2.6 and 2.7, in the current curriculum. It is also useful for AP and A-Level biology. I have used it with multiple classes and it holds student interest easily.

**Obtaining the program: **

• Links are included (both here and in a text file in the download) which allow the program to be watched directly given any internet connection.
• I personally recommend downloading the video to a local hard drive using one of the many browser add-ons available for this purpose; this prevents the lesson being interrupted if there is an internet outage or if the bandwidth is insufficient at your school. Also, video players like VLC allow speedup of the playback, which is not noticeable to students, but greatly facilitates fitting the activity in a single class period.
• It is also possible to order the program directly from the BBC.

Recommendations for use of resource:

• Print out sufficient copies of the handout for all students, or one copy per group if you prefer group work.
• Students listen to the program and answer the questions. For the first few questions, when the relevant content is reached, I always bring this to their attention verbally, so they do not get “hypnotized” by the video and forget to answer the questions.
• At the end of class, collect the completed handouts and grade using the MS included in the download.

Playable links and other useful information can be found in the text file accompanying the download. Note: the video does not seem to be on Youtube at the moment (late 2023).