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BSCS Biology: An Ecological Approach. Kendall/Hunt, 1998

Cell Structure and Function: Instructional Analysis

I: Providing a Sense of Purpose

Conveying unit purpose

Rating = Fair
The material meets indicators 1, 2, and 5 but does not meet indicators 3, 4, and 6.

Indicator 1: Met
The material provides an explicit statement of purpose for sections and chapters. For example, Section Two: Continuity in the Biosphere states, “How continuity is maintained in populations and how populations change over time are considered in Section Two” (p. 97s). And Chapter 5: Continuity in Cells states, “This chapter is about cells, the basic units of life—how they are constructed, how they work, and how they reproduce” (p. 99s).

Indicator 2: Met
Prior to the explicit statement of purpose, sections and chapters include an introductory paragraph that brings some clarity to the purpose statements, particularly the chapter purpose statements. For example, Chapter 5: Continuity in Cells states that:

Each of these levels of organization enables the organism to solve its problems of staying alive and of passing on its distinctive nature to its offspring. Even the simplest organisms have various parts that allow them to take in food, to move, to detect the environment, and to reproduce. Biologists study all these parts to learn how they function, how they interact, and how they permit life to continue. This chapter is about cells, the basic units of life—how they are constructed, how they work, and how they reproduce.

p. 99s

Indicator 3: Not met
There is no interesting question posed or problem to be solved. The stated purposes are not likely to be interesting or motivating to students. While the paragraphs are accompanied by a photograph and related questions that “encourage student interaction with the text” (p. T4), these accompanying items are not linked to the stated purpose. For example, the photograph at the beginning of Chapter 5: Continuity in Cells is accompanied by the questions “How many darkly pigmented dots are inside these spots? What are these dots, and how large are they?” (p. 99s).

Indicator 4: Not met
Although questions are provided at the beginning of each chapter and section—both in the student text accompanying the introductory photograph and in the Knowledge Check part of the teacher notes—none focuses on the purpose of the chapter or section.

Indicator 5: Met
Since each purpose statement lists the major topics in the chapter, lessons are consistent with the stated purpose.

Indicator 6: Not met
Although each chapter ends with a summary of the chapter contents, none of the summaries explicitly returns to the stated purpose.

Conveying lesson/activity purpose

Rating = Poor
The material meets indicator 1 and somewhat meets indicator 2. No other indicators are met.

Indicator 1: Met
The material uses a few strategies to convey the purpose of readings and investigations to students. Guidepost questions—for example, “What features do cells have in common?” (p. 99s) and “What principles from the physical sciences help explain the functions of organisms?” (p. 108s)—frame major sections. Section headings such as “Eukaryotic Cells Contain Various Organelles” (p. 106s) summarize the main point of smaller sections. For investigations, the purpose is found in the introduction (e.g., “Many types of cells have been described and photographed. In this investigation, you will examine some of them” [p. 116s]).

Indicator 2: Somewhat met
Some of the Guidepost questions and section headings avoid technical terms, as in the headings “Cells Are of Two Basic Types” (p. 102s) and “Cell Activities Require Energy” (p. 108s). Others are less likely to be comprehensible to students because they use vague phrases and terms, as in the heading “Membranes Organize Eukaryotic Cells” (p. 102s).

Indicator 3: Not met
Students are not asked to think about the purpose of the readings or the lab activities. No directions are given to the student to read, think about, or discuss the Guidepost questions, and no suggestions are given to the teacher to have students read and think about them (e.g., on p. T4, where the role of the Guidepost questions is explained).

Indicator 4: Not met
The provided purposes do not convey how the readings or lab activities are related to the unit or chapter purpose.

Indicator 5: Not met
The material does not engage students in thinking about what they have learned so far and what they need to learn next.

Justifying lesson/activity sequence

Rating = Fair
The material somewhat meets indicator 1 but does not meet indicator 2.

Indicator 1: Somewhat met
For each chapter, the Strategies section of the teacher’s guide suggests a sequence of readings and investigations. For example, the following suggestions are made for Chapter 5: Continuity in Cells:

Let the activities drive this chapter and, if time allows, attempt all of them. Remember to have your students respond to the interactive legends at the beginning of Section Two and at the beginning of each chapter. Then, begin the chapter with Investigation 5.1. Sections 5.1–5.5, the first assignment, are a review of that investigation. Investigation 5.2 is an introduction to diffusion and osmosis. Investigation 5.3 is a visual demonstration of the effects of surface area/volume on diffusion rate. It is also another opportunity for students to attempt to quantify their results. Investigation 5.4 is a more traditional observation of mitosis on slides; it should be supplemented with a video or film illustrating the dynamics of this process.

p. T52

The activities and readings are sequenced logically, but the topics in the text are not. The presentation of key ideas is interrupted often by more sophisticated and/or tangential information. For example, the section on the organelles of the cell focuses mostly on the names and details of the structures of the organelles (e.g., “Although they may have different shapes in different cells, all mitochondria consist of two layers of membranes—an outer membrane and a folded inner membrane—as shown in Figure 5.6g” [p. 107s]), without relating the structural details to the functions they serve.

Indicator 2: Not met
The material does not provide a rationale for its sequence of activities. The Strategies section does include suggestions for the use of investigations—for example, “Let the activities drive this chapter….begin the chapter with Investigation 5.1.…the first [reading] assignment [is] a review of that investigation” (p. T52). However, these few suggestions stop far short of providing a “story line” for the information in the chapter.

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II: Taking Account of Student Ideas

Attending to prerequisite knowledge and skills

Rating = Poor
The material minimally meets indicator 4 but does not fully meet the indicator. No other indicators are met.

Indicator 1: Not met
The material does not typically alert teachers to important prerequisite knowledge or skills. Though the teacher’s guide mentions that “Knowledge of cellular structure and function is essential to students’ understanding of biology.…Even though they may have observed cells previously and may have learned some generalizations about the cellularity of organisms, probably few students have grasped the full force of the cell theory” (p. T52, Strategies), no specific prerequisite ideas are mentioned.

Indicator 2: Not met
The material does not alert teachers to the specific ideas for which the prerequisites are needed.

Indicator 3: Not met
The material does not alert students to the specific ideas or skills that are being assumed.

Indicator 4: Minimally met
The material briefly mentions three out of five prerequisites for this topic. Part of the prerequisite idea that “Atoms may stick together in well-defined molecules or may be packed together in large arrays” [4D(6-8)/1], is found in the text statement that “Most elements…occur as molecules (MOL uh kyoolz), which are usually combinations of two or more atoms” (p. 12s). No further explanation is given. Three chapters later, however, many details about the parts of atoms and types of chemical bonds are provided. These details are far beyond what is needed to treat this prerequisite idea.

Similarly, part of the prerequisite idea that “Various organs and tissues function to serve the needs of all cells for food, air, and waste removal” [5C(6-8)/2] is mentioned briefly in the text. In chapter 16, in the context of introducing the human circulatory system, the text states that “These tubes or vessels make up the circulatory system, which carries raw material to the cells and removes wastes from the cells’ environment” (p. 403s).

Lastly, part of the prerequisite idea that “The rate of reactions among atoms and molecules depends on how often they encounter one another, which is affected by the concentration, pressure, and temperature of the reacting materials” [4D(9-12)/9] is implied in a text statement about catalysts. The text explains that:

Even when they are dissolved in water, most atoms and molecules react extremely slowly, if at all. Not enough of them come into contact with each other. Certain substances, however, promote chemical reactions by increasing the chances of contact. These substances are called catalysts (KAT uh lists).

p. 73s

However, two other prerequisites for this topic are not presented in this material:

• Within cells, many of the basic functions of organisms—such as extracting energy from food and getting rid of waste—are carried out. The way in which cells function is similar in all living organisms. [5C(6-8)/3]
• The configuration of atoms in a molecule determines the molecule’s properties. Shapes are particularly important in how large molecules interact with others. [4D(9-12)/8]

Indicator 5: Not met
The text makes no connections between the prerequisites and key ideas about cell structure and function. For example, part of one prerequisite idea (that various organs and tissues function to serve the needs of all cells for food, air, and waste removal) is mentioned in chapter 16, nine chapters after the related key idea is treated.

Alerting teachers to commonly held student ideas

Rating = Not rated
For the topic of cell structure and function, materials were not rated on this criterion because no research base outlines commonly held student ideas.

Assisting teachers in identifying their students’ ideas

Rating = Poor
The material minimally meets indicator 1 but meets no other indicators.

Indicator 1: Minimally met
Although teacher notes at the beginning of each chapter include Knowledge Check questions, very few of these questions are relevant to the key ideas. Most Knowledge Check questions focus on other ideas, such as “What are the two basic types of cells?” and “What is the cell cycle?” (p. 99t). Some questions are relevant to the key ideas, such as “What is the importance of the plasma membrane?” and “What is the nucleus, and what is its importance to a cell?” (p. 99t). However, these relevant questions lack the specificity needed to help teachers diagnose students’ difficulties with key ideas about cell structure and function. The Guidepost questions in the student text do provide some potentially useful questions, but their intent is to “arouse student interest and curiosity and help students identify important ideas” (p. T4), not to help teachers find out what students already know. There is no suggestion that students are to respond to these questions.

Indicator 2: Not met
While some questions are written in clear, non-technical language, others include technical terms such as “plasma membrane” (p. 99t). Overall, too few questions are relevant to the key ideas about cell structure and function.

Indicator 3: Not met
The teacher’s guide states that “Annotations in the Teacher’s Edition include a list of major concepts and questions that will help you assess students’ prior knowledge” (p. T1). However, too few of the Knowledge Check questions focus on key ideas about cell structure and function.

Indicator 4: Not met
The material does not include questions or tasks that ask students to make predictions or give explanations of phenomena. Knowledge Check questions do not specifically ask for explanations.

Indicator 5: Not met
The material provides no suggestions to teachers for probing for deeper understanding or interpreting student responses.

Addressing commonly held ideas

Rating = Not rated
For the topic of cell structure and function, materials were not rated on this criterion because no research base outlines commonly held student ideas.

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III: Engaging Students with Relevant Phenomena

Providing variety of phenomena

Rating = Poor
Since the rating scheme depends on how many phenomena meet both of the indicators, the report for this criterion is organized to reflect the overall rating rather than each indicator judgment.

There are very few phenomena that could be used to support the key ideas about cell structure and function. For the idea that the cell membrane controls what can enter and exit the cell (Idea a), Investigation 5.2: Diffusion Through a Membrane has students use dialysis tubing to make a model of the cell membrane (pp. 118–119s). To support the idea that cells have specialized parts for specific functions (Idea b), Investigation 12.2: Life in a Single Cell has students observe a paramecium. Specifically, students are to notice how the paramecium moves, eats, and eliminates (pp. 304–307s). Discussion questions link the investigation to the key idea, for example, “What appears to be the function of the cilia?” and “…summarize how you now think a paramecium ingests and digests food and eliminates wastes” (p. 306s, Part B, Discussion question 1; Part C, Discussion question 2). Although no generalization of this key idea is provided and not all of the cellular functions listed in the key idea are discussed specifically (such as protein building, energy capture and release, and the transport of materials), the more easily observable functions are discussed explicitly.

No other phenomena are provided for any of the other key ideas. Although Investigation 4.3: Enzyme Activity has students explore what factors affect the functioning of catalase (pp. 91–94s), it does not explain or link the investigation to the functioning of cells, as key Idea d does (i.e., that most cells function best within a narrow range of temperature and acidity).

Providing vivid experiences

Rating = Poor
Since the rating scheme depends on how many phenomena meet all of the indicators, the report for this criterion is organized to reflect the overall rating rather than each indicator judgment.

The material meets no indicators. Very few of the firsthand experiences are linked to the key ideas about cell structure and function. The two phenomena that are provided (observing a paramecium [pp. 304–307s] and modeling a cell membrane [pp. 118–119s]) are likely to be vicarious for students. However, this is not sufficient for the set of key ideas.

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IV: Developing and Using Scientific Ideas

Introducing terms meaningfully

Rating = Fair
The material does not meet indicator 1 and minimally meets indicator 2.

Indicator 1: Not met
The material does not link related terms associated with the key ideas to relevant experiences. For example, the term “organelle” is introduced by asking students to compare photomicrographs of a eukaryotic cell and a prokaryotic cell (pp. 102–103s). However, the photomicrographs are difficult to interpret and are not likely to be helpful in making the distinction between cells with organelles and cells without organelles. Similarly, the terms for cellular organelles are introduced in the student text with reference to diagrams of cells (pp. 104–105s). Again, these diagrams do little to clarify the term or function of the organelle.

Indicator 2: Minimally met
There is no attempt to limit the use of technical terms presented in association with the key ideas for cell structure and function. Excess terms are presented, such as “thylakoids,” “mitotic spindles,” “cytosol,” “biosynthesis reactions,” “cellulose fibers,” “nucleoli,” “nuclear envelope,” “prokaryotes,” and “eukaryotes” (pp. 102–107s), many of which are not defined.

It is worth noting that in a few cases the technical term is not introduced even when the process is. For example, the processes of endocytosis and exocytosis are described in the text and shown in diagrams (pp. 110–111s), but the terms are not presented. Furthermore, neither the Concept Review questions at the end of major sections nor the Applications or Problems at the end of chapters focus on the meaning of terms. And the chapter summaries refrain from using technical terms. These instances of restricting the use of technical terms merited the Fair rating.

Representing ideas effectively

Rating = Poor
Since the rating scheme depends on how many representations meet all of the indicators, the report for this criterion is organized to reflect the overall rating rather than each indicator judgment.

The material includes hardly any representations that meet all of the indicators (comprehensible, accurate, and explicitly linked to the real thing). Hence, the representations will not serve to clarify the key ideas.

For the topic of cell structure and function, very few representations focus on the key ideas. One investigation has students use dialysis tubing to make a model of the cell membrane. This activity is likely to clarify the idea that the cell membrane controls what can enter and exit the cell (Idea a). However, most diagrams presented in relation to the key ideas do not focus on the key ideas. For example, for the idea that the cell membrane controls what can enter and exit the cell (Idea a), two diagrams show active and passive transport across the cell membrane (p. 110s), which goes beyond this key idea. Likewise, for the idea that cells have specialized parts for specific functions (Idea b), diagrams of the cells focus on the structures in the cell, rather than the functions (pp. 104–105s). While the captions describe the functions of the organelles, they contain technical terminology and are unlikely to clarify this key idea. No other representations, modeling activities, or analogies are presented in association with the key ideas.

Demonstrating use of knowledge

Rating = Poor
The material meets no indicators.

Indicator 1: Not met
The material does not demonstrate the use of any of the key ideas. For example, it does not use any of the key ideas about cell structure and function to explain phenomena.

Indicator 2: Not met
The material provides no performances.

Indicator 3: Not met
The material provides no performances that could be identified as demonstrating the use of knowledge.

Indicator 4: Not met
The material presents no running commentary or criteria for judging a good explanation.

Providing practice

Rating = Poor
Since the rating scheme depends on how many practice tasks meet all of the indicators, the report for this criterion is organized to reflect the overall rating rather than each indicator judgment.

The material does not provide a sufficient number or variety of tasks across the set of key ideas. The material provides one practice task each for two key ideas and none for the other key ideas. For the idea that cells have specialized parts for specific functions (Idea b), one question asks the following:

Question: A cell can be compared to a small country. A cell has a membrane at its outer edge that screens what comes into the cell. Likewise a small country may have border guards at its edges to prevent the entry of certain people or objects. Make a list of cell parts. Then, try to think of parts of the country that may have similar functions.

Suggested Response:
Nucleus—capital, library
Mitochondria—power plants
Golgi apparatus—factories, warehouses
ER—highway and railway systems
Lysosomes—waste treatment plants

pp. 123s and T53, Problems, item 3

For the idea that the cell membrane controls what can enter and exit the cell (Idea a), one question involves the cell membrane and the suggested response mentions briefly that the membrane “screens” what enters the cell:

Question: Trace the path of a molecule as it enters and moves through a plant cell and eventually enters a vacuole. Through which structures must it pass?

Suggested Response: A molecule first must pass through the dead cell wall in a plant cell. It then is screened at the plasma membrane. If it can pass through this, it then will pass through the cytosol until it reaches the vacuole. Here, it must pass through one more membrane before it gets inside the organelle.

pp. 123s and T53, Applications, item 4

A question related to these key ideas (Ideas a and b) asks “Which cell parts can you see using the highest magnification of your microscope?” (p. 123s, Applications, item 2). The suggested response lists the cell wall, plasma membrane, and several organelles (p. T53). But this question focuses on the size of cellular structures rather than their functions and therefore does not allow students to practice these key ideas.

No practice tasks are provided for the other key ideas.

Both of the aligned tasks shown above are novel. However, the material does not provide familiar tasks or a sequence of questions or tasks in which the complexity is progressively increased. As a result, students have no preparation for the novel tasks. The material does not provide students first with opportunities for guided practice with feedback and then with practice in which the amount of support is gradually decreased.

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V: Promoting Students’ Thinking about Phenomena, Experiences, and Knowledge

Encouraging students to explain their ideas

Rating = Poor
The material meets no indicators. No instances were found in which students were encouraged to express, clarify, or justify their ideas.

Indicator 1: Not met
The material does not routinely encourage students to express their ideas. No instances were found in which students were asked to express their ideas about key ideas in the cell structure and function topic.

Indicator 2: Not met
The material does not encourage students to clarify, justify, or represent their ideas.

Indicator 3: Not met
The material does not provide opportunities for each student (rather than just some students) to express their ideas.

Indicator 4: Not met
The material does not provide specific suggestions to help the teacher provide explicit feedback to students or include text that directly provides students with feedback.

Indicator 5: Not met
The material does not include suggestions on how to diagnose student errors, explanations about how these errors may be corrected, or recommendations for how students’ ideas may be further developed.

Guiding student interpretation and reasoning

Rating = Poor
The material somewhat meets indicator 1 but does not meet indicators 2 and 3.

Indicator 1: Somewhat met
The material provides specific and relevant questions for readings, but the questions provided at the end of investigations are not typically relevant to the key ideas. The student text includes Concept Review questions at the end of each major text section, very few of which relate to the key ideas about cell structure and function. For example, only two Concept Review questions from the first reading section in chapter 5 are relevant to these key ideas: “Describe the structure and function of the plasma membrane” and “Discuss the functions of three cell organelles” (p. 108s, items 5 and 6).

The teacher’s edition includes corresponding numbers in the inner margins of the text where the answer to each Concept Review question is provided (e.g., pp. 102–103t).

While some of the investigations could be used to support the key ideas, the discussion questions rarely provide the link between the phenomena examined and the key ideas. For example, Investigation 5.2 has students use dialysis tubing to make a model of the cell membrane. However, only one discussion question—“What assumption did you make about the structure of the dialysis tubing?” (p. 119s, Discussion question 6)—connects this activity to the key idea that the cell membrane controls what can enter and exit the cell (Idea a).

Indicator 2: Not met
The questions do not have helpful characteristics such as helping students to relate their experiences with phenomena to presented scientific ideas, helping students to make connections between their own ideas and the phenomena observed, helping students to make connections between their own ideas and the presented scientific ideas, or anticipating common student misconceptions. As indicated in the teacher’s guide, the Concept Review questions are “a series of recall questions” (p. T4) and the answers to them can always be found in the preceding text.

Indicator 3: Not met
The material provides no sequenced questions to guide students stepwise toward complex ideas.

Encouraging students to think about what they have learned

Rating = Poor
The material meets no indicators.

Indicator 1: Not met
No instances were found in which students are given an opportunity to revise their initial ideas.

Indicators 2 and 3: Not met
No instances were found in which students are asked to consider how their ideas have changed during instruction.

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VI: Assessing Progress

BSCS Biology: An Ecological Approach provides a test bank with items for each chapter and the teacher’s guide indicates that the Applications questions can also be used to test students’ ability to synthesize knowledge. For the first two criteria, these components were examined for chapter 5—the main chapter that treats the key ideas related to cell structure and function.

Aligning assessment to goals

Rating = Poor
Since the rating scheme depends on how many assessment tasks meet both of the indicators, the report for this criterion is organized to reflect the overall rating rather than each indicator judgment.

BSCS Biology: An Ecological Approach provides several assessment items related to two of the key ideas for cell structure and function and no items for the other three key ideas. However, all of the relevant assessment items require only that the student provide the appropriate term for the function described in the question. The relevant items in the test bank (shown below) mostly assess the recall of terms related to the idea that cells have specialized parts for specific functions (Idea b):

Membrane-enclosed bags in the cytosol which contain food or fluid are known as:

1. chloroplasts
2. mitochondria
3. ribosomes
4. vacuoles

Test Item File Manual, p. 116, item 31

The control center of a cell is the:

1. cell membrane
2. cytoplasm
3. endoplasmic reticulum
4. nucleus

Test Item File Manual, p. 120, item 47

Which of the following types of cell structures in plant cells carries on photosynthesis?

1. lysosomes
2. chloroplasts
3. mitochondria
4. ribosomes

Test Item File Manual, p. 121, item 50

The test bank provides a few items to assess the idea that the cell membrane controls what can enter and exit the cell (Idea a), but still focuses on matching technical terms with the description:

controls the entry and exit of substances into and out of the cell

1. plasma membrane
2. Golgi apparatus
3. lysosome
4. mitochondria

Test Item File Manual, p. 116, item 33

The test bank provides no items to assess the other key ideas. While the Applications provide a couple of questions for other key ideas (see questions listed for the criterion Providing Practice), these questions are insufficient to assess the set of key ideas.

Testing for understanding

Rating = Poor
The material does not provide assessment items that focus on understanding the key ideas.

Indicator 1: Not met
None of the assessment items focuses on understanding the key ideas. These items can be answered by rote memorization of terms or phrases.

Indicator 2: Not met
None of the items is novel.

Using assessment to inform instruction

Rating = Poor
Since the material provides no tasks for this criterion, this report is organized to reflect the overall rating rather than each indicator judgment.

The material does not use embedded assessment as a routine strategy. The introduction to the teacher’s guide does indicate that tests can serve to inform instruction:

Tests can increase student comprehension, and they can help you identify concepts that should be retaught. Students should be aware that “missed ideas” will receive your attention. To reteach such ideas, select alternative ways of presenting them, and/or test with a different format, and give students a second chance to learn.

p. T25

However, no questions are identified throughout the chapters that can be used to diagnose students’ remaining difficulties. Similarly, the material does not assist the teacher in interpreting student responses to the end-of-chapter questions in order to diagnose what learning difficulties remain. And the material does not provide specific suggestions to teachers about how to use the information from the end-of-chapter questions to make instructional decisions about what ideas need to be addressed by further activities.

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VII: Enhancing the Science Learning Environment

Providing teacher content support

Rating = Some support is provided.
The material provides minimal support in alerting teachers to how ideas have been simplified for students to comprehend and what the more sophisticated versions are. Content background notes usually summarize the student text (e.g., p. T52, Strategies), state main ideas for each lesson (e.g., p. T51, Concepts; p. 99t, Major Concepts), or briefly elaborate on student text concepts (e.g., pp. 102t, 103t). Overall, the teacher content support is brief and localized.

The material provides some sufficiently detailed answers to questions in the student book for teachers to understand and interpret various student responses (e.g., p. T53, Suggested Answers to Applications, answers 4–5). However, there are some limitations to the responses provided in the teacher notes, which occasionally are brief and require further explanation (e.g., p. T53, Suggested Answers to Problems, answers 2 and 5). In addition, reference to specific text sections for Concept Review questions may not allow teachers to interpret various student responses (e.g., p. 103t, answer 5 indicated in inner margin).

The material provides minimal support in recommending resources for improving the teacher’s understanding of key ideas. A reference list without annotations subdivided by chapter is provided within each chapter’s teacher notes (e.g., pp. T52–T53, References). While these resources might help teachers improve their understanding of the key ideas, the lists lack annotations about what kind of specific information the resources provide. In addition, the Teacher’s Resource Book has an annotated reference list of software and media resources organized by chapter (pp. x–xxxiii). The annotations identify topics and sometimes specify scientific concepts that are addressed in the resources.

Encouraging curiosity and questioning

Rating = Some support is provided.
The material provides a few suggestions for how to encourage students’ questions and guide their search for answers. For example, students are sometimes asked to design their own experiments (e.g., p. 122s, For Further Investigation).

The material provides some suggestions for how to respect and value students’ ideas. Introductory teacher notes emphasize respecting students’ contributions in class discussions (p. T27). In addition, teacher notes state that multiple student answers should be acceptable for some questions (e.g., p. T53, Suggested Answers to Problems, answers 2 and 5).

The material provides some suggestions for how to raise questions such as “How do we know? What is the evidence?” and “Are there alternative explanations or other ways of solving the problem that could be better?” The material includes some tasks that ask students to provide evidence or reasons in their responses (e.g., p. 118s, Procedure, item 8; p. 121s, Discussion, item 1; pp. 122–123s, Applications, item 1).

The material provides some suggestions for how to avoid dogmatism. The first chapter explicitly discusses the nature of science as a durable yet dynamic human enterprise in which all people can participate (e.g., pp. 14–17s). In addition, the material describes developments in scientific thinking about the cell theory (p. 101s, Biology Today) and discusses the work of current scientists (e.g., p. 451s, Pioneers).

The material does not provide examples of classroom interactions (e.g., dialogue boxes, vignettes, or video clips) that illustrate appropriate ways to respond to student questions or ideas. However, some sense of desirable interactions may be gained from general guidelines (e.g., p. T28, Cooperative Learning Strategies) and particular directions for cooperative group activities (e.g., pp. 116–118st, Investigation 5.1; pp. 118–119st, Investigation 5.2).

Supporting all students

Rating = Some support is provided.
The material generally avoids stereotypes or language that might be offensive to a particular group. For example, photographs include a diverse cultural mix of students and adults (e.g., pp. 15s, 61s, 451s), but the number of photographs that include people throughout the material is few.

The material provides some illustrations of the contributions of women and minorities to science and as role models. Most of the contributions of women and minority scientists, however, appear in separate sections entitled Biology Today and Pioneers. These features provide information about current biology research and the work of particular scientists. For example, one Pioneers feature describes the life and work of a physician and physiologist, Dr. Sarah A. Nunneley. The essay discusses Nunneley’s background, education, and varied career experiences as the first woman to be board certified in Aerospace Medicine (p. 451s).

The material suggests multiple formats for students to express their ideas during instruction and assessment, including cooperative group activities and laboratory investigations (e.g., pp. 116–121s), essay questions (e.g., pp. 123s, T53, Applications, items 4–5), drawing (e.g., p. 117s, Procedure, items 3 and 5), research projects (e.g., p. 123s, Problems, item 8), and written reports (p. T8, Investigations). However, the material does not usually provide a variety of alternatives for the same task in either instruction or assessment.

The material does not routinely include specific suggestions about how teachers can modify activities for students with special needs. However, the student text, Teacher’s Guide, Student Study Guide, and Teacher’s Resource Book provide some additional activities for students. Within each chapter, there are For Further Investigation activities (e.g., p. 122s) in which students may further study a related interest. The Student Study Guide and the Teacher’s Resource Book include supplemental activities and investigations similar in complexity to those in the student text (e.g., TRB, pp. 69–70 and 130–131, Supplementary Investigation 9, Osmosis).

The material provides some strategies to validate students’ relevant personal and social experiences with scientific ideas. Some text sections relate specific personal experiences students may have had to the presented scientific concepts (e.g., pp. 115–116s). In addition, some tasks (e.g., p. 123s, Applications, item 8; p. 123s, Problems, item 5) ask students about particular personal experiences they may have had or suggest specific experiences they could have. However, the material rarely encourages students to contribute relevant experiences of their own choice to the science classroom. Overall, the tasks are well integrated with students’ personal and social experiences with scientific ideas.

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