Gr 9-12-This series is a multimedia presentation of Alfred Nobel's "greatest hits." The vast achievements of the recipients of the Nobel Prize are presented and celebrated.
Nobel The Man provides a very brief, but interesting look at Alfred Nobel's motivation for creating one of the world's most revered academic awards. Seeking to make amends for his discovery of dynamite, the "guilt ridden philanthropist" endowed the Nobel Prize to honor those whose accomplishments followed his own. Especially notable is
Blood Research: In the Blood, which compares the circulatory system to a rollercoaster, traveling in a circle and defying gravity, providing an excellent visual and animated interpretation. The 1930 award for the discovery of different blood types is articulated with such simple prose that students even in the fifth grade would benefit from viewing this segment. The dual circulatory systems (heart and lungs, and heart to the rest of the body) is also illustrated with great simplicity. The 1986 Nobel Prize for
Diagnostic Imaging explains the work that resulted in "viewing the invisible." Optical microscopes eventually made way for the advent of electron microscopes, opening the door to the scientific mysteries of the universe.
Origin of the Universe: Cracking the Cosmos provides an animated recreation of the big bang theory, as it describes a variety of scientific findings based on matter, cosmic background radiation, and Einstein's theory and its application to the stars. Online support can be found at http://www.libraryvideo.com. Teacher's guides and online standards and correlations for the 50 states can be downloaded. These materials would prove useful as both a classroom and home study tool. The teacher's guide contains clarification of names and terms as well as a glossary of useful vocabulary. Since the videos only run ten minutes each, some teachers would have preferred a single video combining the ten programs.
Copyright 2002 School Library Journal. Used with permission.
Close
