Educational Media Reviews Online

The Children Look at Science Series from Chip Taylor Communications consists of six videos addressing the subjects of matter, DNA, the solar system, how we learn, outer space, and the brain. The segment on DNA is entitled Helping Children Understand DNA” and while a wonderful concept, falls short in a number of ways.

Helping Children Understand DNA” is a classroom production that makes use of student drawings and student narrators. Classroom teachers Maria Louisa Bedin, Gabriella Pelli, and Franco Panora should be congratulated for their efforts because this was undoubtedly a wonderful learning experience for their classes.

However, I do not recommend the video. The narration offers a definition of DNA; indicates and that it resides in the nucleus of the cell; and says that it consists of sub-units made up of four possible building blocks. But, the film fails to define nucleus, or amino acids.

Several seemingly innocent statements in the narration are also cause for concern. While the film aptly describes DNA as “an architect” it goes on to say that DNA goes to work “just like our dads go to work”, an inappropriate statement in this era of a mixed workforce. One segment describes how scientists are trying to “talk to DNA” but ends up saying that scientists shouldn’t “botch things up”. And, in closing, the narrator says that if scientists don’t mess things up that the world will live in “peace and harmony”.

There are no comparable videos currently on the market. Helping Children Understand DNA will be appropriate for elementary school libraries only if combined with additional interpretation by instructors.