Links Between Textbook Chapters & Movie Clips

by Mark Griep
Department of Chemistry
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

You can use movie clips in your classroom to achieve nearly all of the same aims as you would use demonstrations. They attract attention, they are fun, and they spark students to think why.

Movie clips have the advantage over demonstrations in that:
(1) they are related to things the students have actually experienced,
(2) they do not involve much preparation or clean up, and
(3) movie clips are not physically dangerous.

The links below are for one of the leading 7th Grade Science Textbooks and one of the leading High School Chemistry Textbooks. The Total score is the sum of the Wow!factor for great actors, amazing dialog, etc. and Utility score for whether teachers thought they could use my explanations to teach these topic in their classroom. The clips below emerged from an analysis of about 50 movie clips and explanations that were rated for Wow! and Utility scores using 1 for low and 5 for high. Average scores for most movie clips and explanations are 2.8-3.2.

Textbook: Chemical Building Blocks (2009) in the Prentice Hall Science Explorer series [Seventh Grade Science]

Chapter.Section

Movie Clip

Total [=Wow! + Utility]

1.1 Describing Matter

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

8.3 [4.7; 3.7]

1.1 Describing Matter

Me & Isaac Newton

8.3 [4.7; 4.7]

3.1 Introduction to Atoms

Apollo 13

8.8 [4.3; 4.5]

3.2 Organizing the Elements

Fuller Brush Girl

8.2 [4.3; 4.0]

4.1 Polymers and Composites

Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion

7.8 [4.0; 3.8]

 

Textbook: Environmental Science (2009) in the Prentice Hall Science Explorer series [Seventh Grade Science]

Chapter.Section

Movie Clip

Total [=Wow! + Utility]

4.2 Wastewater & Recycling

Erin Brockovich

8.2 [4.2; 4.0]

5.3 Nuclear Energy

Back to the Future

8.0 [4.4; 3.6]

 

Textbook: Chemistry in the Community (ChemComm) (2011), American Chemical Society [High School Chemistry]

Chapter.Section

Movie Clip

Total [=Wow! + Utility]

1 Formulating Matter

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

8.3 [4.7; 3.7]

1 Periodic Trends

Fuller Brush Girl

8.2 [4.3; 4.0]

1 Conservation and Chemical Trends

Apollo 13

8.8 [4.3; 4.5]

4 Looking at Water and Its Contaminants

Erin Brockovich

8.2 [4.2; 4.0]

5 Industry Applying Chemical Reactions

Me & Isaac Newton

8.3 [4.7; 4.7]

5 Industry Applying Chemical Reactions

Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion

7.8 [4.0; 3.8]

6 Nuclear Energy Benefits and Burdens

Back to the Future

8.0 [4.4; 3.6]

 

Last updated on January 9, 2014.