I created this to help my middle school student with a monthly Middle School Lab she is participating in. It is her first chance to get into an actual lab and dig in to some experiments.

In preparation for her next one we were given a list of definitions to look over.  Here are the words she needs to understand:

• Molecule
• DNA
• mRNA
• Nucleic Acids
• Protein
• Amino Acids
• Peptide Bond
• Ribosome (Rye-Bow-So-Mm)
• Gene
• Genetic
• Mutation
• Helix
• Cell Membrane

I decided to start with basic cell structure first.  It was the one part of last years Life Science Curriculum that we did not get to.  So now is as good a time as any to cover it. We are sticking mostly to the animal cell in terms of what she will need for the lab.  Learning such terms as organelle, cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondrion, ribosomes, etc.

I have spent a bunch of time searching YouTube for some videos to cover the topic of cell structure and DNA as well.  Here is a list of ones I felt were doable for a middle school aged student, some are more basic than others.  We are going to try to start out with some of the easier to understand, more basic ones, and then move to the slightly more complex ones if we have the time and interest.

All About Cells

1. Parts of an Animal Cell
2. Through the Virtual Cell
3. Parts of a Cell
4. Cell Parts and Functions
5. [Science] Parts of a Cell

All About DNA

1. DNA Video – Simple Science
2. DNA Structure
3. The DNA Song
4. “The Gene Scene”
5. Genetics 101 Part 1: What are genes?
6. DNA: The Cell’s Life Pattern
7. Genetics and the Structure of DNA Part 1
8. Genetics and the Structure of DNA Part 2
9. The Chemical Structure of DNA Part 1
10. The Chemical Structure of DNA Part 2
11. The Chemical Structure of DNA Part 3

Magic School Bus Goes Cellular

Please keep in mind that this is meant to be a basic introduction to cell structure and DNA for her.  This is a topic we have not really touched on since we skipped this section last year.  We are going back and doing the chapters in Mr. Q’s Life Science Curriculum to get a basic feel for cells and their parts (organelles).   His Life Science book is free so you can download it and check it out for yourself if you would like.