Biomimicry, the process of using nature to guide innovative thinking and development, can be useful in helping students grasp scientific concepts. Teachers interested in incorporating biomimicry into lesson plans might find that experiential learning at informal science institutions (ISIs) with natural models and artifacts is a valuable tool to…

We designed and implemented two instructional approaches to plant education, with the intention of supporting positive attitudes toward plants among sixth-grade students (11-13 years old). In one instructional approach, students prepared a book about plants that have interesting characteristics. In the other approach, students visited a botanical…

A 3-week laboratory module was developed for an undergraduate microbiology course that would connect student learning to a real-life challenge, specifically a local water-quality project. The laboratory series included multiple field trips, sampling of soil and water, and subsequent analysis for bacteria and nitrate. Laboratory results confirmed…

This bioacoustics activity combines concepts in invertebrate taxonomy, animal communication, and acoustical physics while providing a unique opportunity for physics and biology teachers to collaborate and introduce their students to an exciting, interdisciplinary research field. Here, we propose a lab-and field-based activity that uses hydrophones…

Biology curricula cover fungi in units on bacteria, protists, and primitive plants, but fungi are more closely related to animals than to bacteria or plants. Like animals, fungi are heterotrophs and cannot create their own food; but, like plants, fungi have cell walls, and are for the most part immobile. Most species of fungi have a filamentous…

In this article, the author presents a field study project that explores factors influencing forest community structure and lifts the veil off of "plant blindness." This ecological study consists of three laboratories: (1) preliminary field trip to the study site; (2) plant survey; and (3) analyzing plant community structure with descriptive…

An important aspect of teaching biology is to expose students to the concept of biodiversity. For this purpose, bacteria are excellent examples. The advanced placement (AP) biology class at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, Georgia, learned how to explore bacterial biodiversity using molecular fingerprinting. They collected marine water samples,…

Research has shown that when students are given the opportunity to ask their own questions and design their own experiments, they become more interested in learning the answers. In this article, the author describes an effective method to do a field trip to the beach and gets her students to make observations about marine animals, come up with a…

Presents advantages of using wetlands educationally and their relevance to local, national, and global environmental issues. Discusses field trips to mangrove forests and freshwater marshes. (Author/MKR)

Photography makes an easy and excellent tool for teaching field biology courses, allowing students to study nature without harming it. This photographic technique is used in capturing images of vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants during class field trips, then making these images available for students to identify and study from a departmental…

Describes numerous educational experiences in the state of Alaska. Includes travel options, descriptions of the different regions of Alaska, and tips on pretrip preparations. (ZWH)

A transdisciplinary course in marine biology and oceanography is described. The course was conducted during an experimental educational venture in which the school calendar was organized into two shortened semesters and a one-month miniterm in January. The field experience involved activities in the Florida Keys during the miniterm. (EB)

Describes methods used in the organization of a field trip from Illinois to Florida, illustrating the use of the traverse in illustrating ecological rules. (AL)

Describes an autumn field trip experience for ecology students at Kirkland Lake Collegiate and Vocational Institute in northern Ontario, Canada. (CS)

Described is a field trip program to the Woodland Park Zoological Gardens, Seattle, Washington, which includes an indoor lecture-discussion and tours of the zoological facility led by docents. An educational survey revealed that fourth graders asked the greatest number of logical animal biology questions and had the highest interest in reading…