Dear Parent:

As part of your child's class, we will be exploring a web site that shows video and illustration of conception, pregnancy and birth. If you would like to preview this site, the web address is http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/miracle/

The site was created and maintained by NOVA and is a part of the PBS (public broadcasting service) website and network. NOVA explores reproduction with a microscopic view of conception and development of a new human life.

The program:

• explains sexual and asexual reproduction.
• discusses the importance of the mating rituals of humans and other species, explaining the evolutionary benefits of sexual reproduction in creating variation and improving a species' survival rate.
• explores the function of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in carrying human genetic information.
• describes the human reproductive systems.
• traces the journey of sperm from the time it enters the female body to when it fertilizes the egg.
• presents the earliest stages of development of the embryo, using time-lapse microphotography to show the divisions of cells.
• documents the development of the embryo into a fetus, highlighting the growth and formation of vital organs, body parts, and senses.
• concludes with the birth of a child.

Because of some of the graphic imagery of this site, your permission will be required for your student to view this site at school.

Yes, I give my permission for my student to view this site.