Described in this unit are three activities related to classification and fish identification. In the first activity students design and use a dichotomous key to common classroom items, while Activity B involves the construction of a key to Lake Erie fish families. During Activity C, each student writes a story and draws a humorous picture of a…

Designed to introduce basic ecological relationships in a lake community, this investigation uses a Lake Erie food chain involving people and walleye as an example. The first activity is a board game in the form of a biomass pyramid; students begin with 1000 kilograms of algae and attempt to reach the "harvest" with at least a kilogram…

Describes the philosophy, development, content structure, and general instructional strategy of BioCom, an introductory biology curriculum for the heterogeneously mixed high school science classroom. Discusses recent recommendations by national commissions and science education research and similarities and differences between BioCom and ChemCom.…

Presents a study that compares an introductory high school biology curriculum, Biology: A Community Context (BACC), with traditional curricula. Discusses the differences between standards-based BACC and traditional instruction. Identifies the instructional method in BACC as investigative inquiry and the activities proceed from concrete to more…

This teaching guide supplements a science unit concerned with bud maturation recommended for use in fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms. The first section describes possible activities for children to explore, such as field study, collections, dissecting, and experiments. The second section offers a few brief suggestions for teaching the unit. The…

This booklet contains a six-week series of laboratory investigations that may be used individually or in combination to complement other biology course materials or as an independent laboratory course in radiation biology. Contents include twelve activities dealing with radiation biology, five additional activities suitable for individual work,…