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IB Biology Practical Investigations/Human Health and Physiology/Menstrual Cycle Animation

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MENSTRUAL CYCLE ANIMATION TASK

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TEACHING OBJECTIVE:

  • Produce an animation to illustrate the menstrual cycle

TASK OUTCOMES:

  • By the end of this activity, students will be able to explain the menstrual cycle using Flash animation.

TIME REQUIRED:

  • ongoing project

INTRODUCTION: Many students by now have ICT skills that surpass those of their teachers and seem to love fiddling with animations. This task takes a fairly dull topic and allows them to produce a resource that could be used in middle-school health classes or as a simple revision tool for later on.



MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT:

  • Macromedia Flash Professional (or other animation software)
  • 1 computer per student or pair


OTHER RESOURCES NEEDED:

  • text or revision guide
  • input from counsellor if the results are to be used for middle-school education


INSTRUCTIONS:

  • If all students in the class are strong on animation, work solo.
  • If some have limited ICT skills, pair them with stronger members of the class. They can split the research/ animating elements of the task between them.
  • Agree as a class on a time limit for the project - 2 weeks may be sufficient. If students have their own laptops, you may want to give up a few lessons for the project.
  • Define the task clearly. At minimum, SL content must be covered effectively. HL students may want to add in extra detail, as either an option in their animation (selected from a menu), or as a more advanced presentation that would probably be insuitable for middle-school use but may be used for DP revision.
  • Personally, I prefer that information is clear, not copied, and not too wordy. Animations are supposed to make learning more simple, not confuse the issue!
  • I also prefer that students don't include any overpowering soundtrack, especially death-metal or happy-hardcore rave tunes, as this distracts from the point of the animation. Needless to say, they still do it.
  • Emphasise substance over style.


SAFETY/ RISK ASSESSMENT

  • In some cultures, parents may need to give approval before students are shown materials of this nature.
  • Censor content before it is shown to younger students - be especially vigilant with errors or misconceptions that may lead students into poor life choices.



IDEAS FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION

  • This could be used as part of a parents' education day, or in a school health symposium.
  • The task could be easily adapted to most topics in Biology.


SOURCES AND REFERENCES:

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