DNA, Cells and
Chromosomes
By Julie Stoehr
I love movies! I especially love finding the ones that make grossly inaccurate statements and using them in the classroom to help the students use the knowledge that has been taught to them throughout the unit.
So far my favorite “bad movie” is Mission to Mars. There is a great scene in which the characters look at a simple double helix and claim that it looks like human DNA and then state that it can’t be because the last two chromosomes are missing. Puh-lease! Anyway, the idea is a simple one – play the movie and ask the students to be on the lookout for what is correct and what is incorrect, then have a “lively” discussion!
Have fun!