Notebook + Amoeba Sisters

Frequently Asked Questions

• How are these different from the free recap handouts the Amoeba Sisters offer?

  Like their free handouts, each Virtual Check focuses on a single content video. However, there are some significant differences as outlined below:
  
  (1) First, all Amoeba Sisters Virtual Checks are entirely online.
  
  (2) Second, Amoeba Sisters Virtual Checks offer various ways for students to demonstrate mastery, including free response, multiple choice, multiple select, drag and drop, illustration, and matching.
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  (3) Third, the multiple choice and drag-and-drop questions are auto-checked for students, providing immediate feedback to students. Free response questions contain teacher notes (acting as an answer key to free response questions), which is a helpful benefit as that is not something we include with our free handouts.
  
  We have a FREE demo Amoeba Sisters Virtual Check on biomolecules HERE. When testing out, you can check the ease of its use on the devices you will be using and see if the organization of this Virtual Check is a good fit. 

• How do these compare to the Amoeba Sister's Unlectured Series or Annotated Video Script Templates on Teachers Pay Teachers?

  Amoeba Sisters Virtual Checks are designed to assess a student's understanding of general objectives after watching a video. These Virtual Checks share more similarities with their recap handouts than with the Unlectured Series or Annotated Video Script Templates. (When compared with the recap handouts, the Amoeba Sisters Virtual Checks offer unique advantages over the handouts, as mentioned in the previous question). 
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  The Unlectured Series provides an in-depth exploration of topics, including class discussions and creative opportunities. You can learn more about the Unlectured Series HERE. Annotated Video Script Templates serve as a form of notes, offering students a guide for annotating. For more information about the Annotated Video Script Templates, watch the product preview video at the top of this listing HERE.

• I would like to see if this is a good fit for me. Do you have a FREE one available for me to try out? ​​​

  Yes! We have a FREE demo Amoeba Sisters Virtual Check on biomolecules HERE. When testing out, you can check the ease of its use on the devices you have and see if the organization of this Virtual Check is a good fit. 

• How does pricing work?

  Subscription options can be purchased on PocketLab's website. You'll notice on the page that we have two subscription options: a "Book Bundle" (a bundle with their book and an annual subscription of Amoeba Sisters Virtual Checks) or just the annual subscription by itself. ​

   

• The Amoeba Sisters never had a resource that works as a subscription before; what are the pros and cons of a subscription?

  By subscribing, you gain access to all of their current Virtual Checks (currently over 35 exist now) and all new ones released monthly. Their biology playlist already features 91 videos, and they plan to create Virtual Checks for most of the videos. Plus, they continually produce new videos, too, that get added to our biology playlist. A subscription offers a lower cost per resource than purchasing each activity individually. For example, with a yearly subscription at $60, you'll pay less than $2 per resource with the currently available Amoeba Sisters Virtual Checks. And that value keeps getting even better as new resources are added each month.
  
  So what is the con with a subscription model? The virtual resources are no longer be accessible to you if the subscription period is over. After the subscription is over, the virtual checks cannot be used in any format. 

• What grade is this designed for? What standards?

  Their videos are primarily directed for high school biology, but we often hear from viewers using them at other levels, including a growing college audience. Their videos are for anyone wanting to learn biology! Similarly, their Virtual Checks are directed for high school biology. As a global channel, their videos and Virtual Checks can support a variety of educational standards. Many of these standards overlap, and you can view their continuously updated Google Sheet listing the standards supported by each video HERE.

   

• I know each Amoeba Sisters Virtual Check embeds one of your videos from YouTube, but sometimes YouTube videos (even educational ones) are blocked in my district. Is there is a way my school district could allow the YouTube embeds to still play in PocketLab?

  Please contact our technical support!
  
  ​Also to add: if your school's IT/tech team wants to test allowing PocketLab embedded YouTube videos to play, you can share this FREE demo Amoeba Sisters Virtual Check with them. This will help them see how the YouTube embeds on PocketLab Notebook are set up and test it with their network filter. PocketLab also offers many other educational resources that use embedded educational YouTube videos.

• How many Amoeba Sisters Virtual Checks do you have? Do you intend to make more?

  We currently have 36 Amoeba Sisters Virtual Checks that correspond to our more popular videos from their Amoeba Sisters Biology Learning Playlist on YouTube. We we will continue to be building by adding virtual checks for other videos in their playlist that are not yet represented. You can expect additional virtual checks to be available each month. Their playlist has 91 videos in it (and they continue to make more videos), and their goal is that they will be building out for most videos to have a Virtual Check. 
  
  ​Here is the list of topics we have currently that match with the videos in their biology playlist.

  • ​Nature of Science
  • Casual and Scientific Use of "Theory" and "Law"
  • General Lab Safety
  • Microscopes
  • Characteristics of Life
  • Biological Levels of Biology
  • Properties of Water
  • Biomolecules
  • Enzymes 
  • Enzymes: Cofactors/Coenzymes, Inhibitors, & Feedback Inhibition 
  • Prokaryotic vs Eukaryotic Cells
  • Introduction to Cells
  • Cell Organelles and Structures Review
  • Endosymbiotic Theory
  • Specialized Cells
  • How Cells Become Specialized
  • Inside the Cell Membrane
  • Diffusion
  • Osmosis
  • Cell Transport
  • Cellular Respiration
  • Photosynthesis
  • DNA, Chromosomes, Genes, and Traits
  • DNA Replication
  • Genetic Engineering
  • Cell Cycle
  • Mitosis
  • Meiosis
  • Mitosis vs Meiosis Comparison
  • DNA vs RNA
  • Protein Synthesis
  • Protein Structure and Folding
  • Evolution
  • Viruses
  • Human Body Systems 
  • Homeostasis

• I understand this a completely online resource. If I want to learn how to set up student logins or how to integrate the Virtual Checks with Google Classroom, are there tutorial videos? Who should I contact if I run into a technical issue?

  PocketLab Notebook has free live training hosted online often plus tons of pre-recorded videos and a Knowledge Base available HERE, which provides guidance on setting up student logins, integrating with Google Classroom, and more. If you need assistance, you can contact support via the chat feature located at the bottom right of their page to send a message to our tech team.

   

• Will this resource work in a homeschool environment?

  Absolute! PocketLab Notebook is an excellent resource for homeschool environments! Many homeschooling parents and groups use it to easily distribute lesson content and assignments. The platform is designed to be flexible and adaptable, making it perfect for individualized learning and group collaboration. Whether you're teaching a single student or a larger group, PocketLab Notebook offers tools that simplify lesson planning, tracking progress, and engaging students in interactive science activities.

• I found a typo or content needing a correction in one of your Virtual Checks. Can you fix it?

  Yes, please let us know!