Music Videos Teach Carbon Cycle

Jay Chugh’s 5th and 7th biology classes have made music video that explain the carbon cycle.  The project, which paired students and used applications on iPads, spanned from December 14 to January 6.

While the genre of music was up to each team, the duets were required to be informative with lyrics that explained how the carbon cycle works.  The finished videos were viewed in class during the first week of January.

“Online, there are some biology music videos from a teacher at Berkeley High and we’ve been playing some of them periodically during class. Because everyone in the class has iPads, it was just a natural project idea to have people create a video,” Chugh said.

“I think it’s a fun and interesting way to learn material for biology,” said freshman Kristan Henderson.

The music video was a new activity. After trying it out this year Chugh wants to keep it as a tradition. “There are a handful of topics in class that people need to understand really well to be an informed and productive citizen and voter. And obviously, the carbon cycle is one of the issues that are so relevant and important that we should have a better understanding of it,” he explained.

Chuch also noted the high level of interest his students demonstrated during the assignment. “I notice that [the students] are having a lot more fun and I can tell they understand the details better because they have to come up with their own lyrics. I think people are learning about the carbon cycle better and also they have a final project they can be proud of,” said Chugh.