This Elementary Science yopic is found on www.zaneeducation.com located at Science>Elementary Science>The Human Body and comprises six videos: Blood Vessels and the Heart, The Digestive System, The Respiratory System, The Nervous System, Bones and Muscles, Eyes and Ears.
Learning Objectives:
- Explore the components and workings of the circulatory system
- Learn the major organs and processes of the digestive system
- Study the means by which oxygen travels to every part of the body
- Discover the structure, function and importance of the brain
Features:
- 63-minute multimedia presentation
- 800 images
Suitable for:
Grades K-3/ages 6 to 9 years
Comments:
The Human Body is another good old staple topic! The scientific facts are presented in a child friendly way with the help of Dr Jennifer Smith, Sam the Invisible Man, and cool cartoon characters. I particularly liked the cool facts – my six year old daughter’s current favorite saying is, “ Did you know that there are about five million corpuscles in a drop of blood?”
I love this presentation with subtitles as well as the spoken voice. Not only is the child learning about the human body, but their reading age is improving as well! One of the things that I am starting to make a regular habit, is after watching the videos once, I then turn the sound off and we then read the subtitles together. Being able to turn the video on and off allows me to stop on pages where there are more difficult words, before proceeding on. We also get a chance to discuss the meanings of words that she is encountering for the first time, so that I can be sure she understands what she is reading. I have noticed as her reading has progressed so quickly, that she is being able to easily read the words, but does not always understand them.
An unexpected bonus was that reading and listening at the same time helped my child remember the content more easily. We used the accompanying multiple-choice quizzes to see how much of the information in the video she had remembered, and I was pleasantly surprised at the results! I particularly like the way the quiz gives you an explanation of your child’s results, rather than just saying right or wrong.
To sum up I think these educational videos are very useful, especially for me as a homeschooler and I continue to be surprised at how much I am learning as well. It might not be particularly flashy, but it is very effective.
It is quickly becoming evident to me as we continue using these K12 education videos, just how powerful learning using video can become for children of all ages. My daughter has always loved books, but it is becoming increasing more noticeable how the video grabs my 13 year old son’s attention and seems to keep him interested for longer periods of time than a textbook. I really like the combination of subtitles and video, it makes the retention of information quicker and easier, and also subtly increases the students reading age!
