Lesson 0 – How to use this site
Welcome to Biochemistry Literacy for Kids! Thank you so much for joining this learning community! This page contains information about how to use the instructional materials.
Materials Tab: Above he lessons presentation window, please notice the materials tab. This contains many additional documents and links that may be useful in getting started with the program.
Presentation Window: The main learning tool for the program is the narrated lesson screencast. On this page, I have inserted a video about the unique features of the model kit that you may find useful. Don’t worry about learning everything about the kit in the beginning; the uses for each piece will be revealed over time!
*Please note that some videos contain a bit of guidance for teachers who may be using the program. The videos are all intended to be used by both homeschool families and teachers, so I sometimes refer to both.
View Lesson Presentation Button: Below the presentation window is a button that brings you to a Power Point like screen. This is the un-narrated version of the lesson and is helpful for review of the slides, but its main function is for school teachers to use in their own presentations. You can skip around using the slide thumbnails on the left side of the screen.
*Remember you can join the Biochemistry Literacy for Kids User Group on Facebook to connect with other families and teachers. If you are having any trouble with the program, including any technical difficulties, please contact me directly. I’m happy to help!
Additional Video Links: These short videos will orient you to the different learning materials and software resources that students use with each lesson.
Model kit overview: This video outlines the basic features of the custom model kit.
Model kit key PDF: Download and print this key to your custom model set.
PyMol tutorial: How to download and use PyMol. PyMol is a free for educational use software that requires download. Most lessons in the program area accompanied by files I have created, that can be viewed in PyMol. Using PyMol is optional, but highly encouraged so that students can view and explore biomolecules.
The following videos can be watched as you begin the program, but may be more appropriate once your student completes a few of the lessons.
How to build molecules in PyMol: You can watch this video once you are comfortable using PyMol to view structures and have completed lesson 7.
MolView tutorial: MolView is a free web-based molecule drawing program. Students can practice drawing molecules and rendering them in 3D with this software. Using MolView is optional, but highly encouraged so that students can practice drawing chemical structures.