Kids as young as 5 have successfully participated in this program, but most Biochemistry Literacy students are in late elementary school. The program contains high school and college-level material, but is made kid friendly so that elementary students, as well as older students, can engage in it.

See the LESSONS page to check the topics covered by the 25 units. The program orients students to covalent bonding, the periodic table, acid/base chemistry, hydrogen bonding, protein chemistry, ionic bonding, lipids, carbohydrates, DNA and RNA, and nuclear chemistry.

You get access to the 25 lesson pages which contain links to video narrations, usually 1-2 hours in length. Each lesson also contains worksheet files and molecular modeling files that are used as students view the videos.

The custom kit is similar to the Molymod MMS-008 kit, available on Amazon and elsewhere, but contains a unique complement of pieces. The main difference between my custom kit and standard kits is that the custom kit contains pieces used to simulate hydrogen
bonding, which is very important in biochemistry. See this video for more information.

No. The custom kit is only available through this site. It can be purchased bundled with the curriculum access. I can also organize larger orders for schools or homeschool groups.

Yes, the molecular modeling software, PyMol, is free for educational use. Engaging in the curriculum does not require PyMol, but it is highly recommended to have PyMol installed on your computer. For directions about how to install PyMol, see this video.

The homeschool license is for one year.

Please contact me if you are a teacher and administrator for pricing. I can work with you to provide professional development and support during your deployment of the program.

At this time, I do not include wet chemistry experiments in the program, although you will find that the theory provided by my curriculum supports a clearer interpretation of many common kid-friendly chemistry experiments. Many of the modeling activities that are part of Biochemistry Literacy could be considered to be virtual laboratory experiments. 

Standard K-12 curriculum does not emphasize biochemistry, despite its centrality to understanding living systems. It is the one of the most important subjects for the practice of medicine and for the research of new medicines and cures. Biochemistry explains how life works on the molecular level, so anyone interested in biology should also be interested in biochemistry.

Alignment to government standards was not central to how I designed Biochemistry Literacy, although teachers who use the program do align the program to the standards required at their grade level and state. The program is extremely rich and multifaceted, so it is easy to justify its use at various grade levels.

Not usually. The majority of kids from 3rd grade up can learn from the video lessons independently. Very young students may require more support. While parents sometimes enjoy learning alongside their students, the intention is that kids learn on their own from the videos and activities.

The 1-hour live classes support the independent learning of the curriculum. Every week, students prepare for a certain lesson by watching the unit’s video and practicing the modeling and drawing skills. In the live Zoom class, students ask questions and apply the material. The discussions in the live classes are not simply a reiteration of the video lessons, but allow students to direct the conversation.

Check here for currently-available classes.

Dr. Fried currently teaches 3 classes per week, and Dr, Emily Brewer teaches one class per week.

The lesson presentations are intended to work hand in hand with the model building activities. Without the models, the students don’t benefit from the active learning aspects of the program, and the program will not be as engaging. While the model kits are mandatory, access to the PyMol molecular modeling software is less critical, especially in the early lessons. 

No grant money was harmed in the making of this curriculum! I created this program myself, on my own time, without institutional funding. Families and schools that subscribe to the program are the only financial support for this endeavor. I’m very grateful to each and every one of them!