The above is a clip (0:46 – 2:30 min) from the movie Twilight, where Edward and Bella are studying mitosis. I think this clip could be a great way to introduce the lesson and engage the students by reaching out to them on their level (specifically females, who are often underrepresented in the science classroom). In addition, by having such an important biology topic in a hit movie, it might help the students find importance in it as well.
As we discussed last class, there are some topics that work best when approached in the “generic” PowerPoint standard. However, the presentation above does a great job with trying to engage the students with activities and shock value (think SEX!) during the lesson. While there are **cringe** many font and color changes throughout, it presents all of the necessary information and vocabulary without it being text-overload. In addition, the teacher breaks up the lesson with two different activities so that the students have a chance to exercise their brains using the new information.