Two types of files. Chapter files and Excursion files (EX 1-1)

• Chapters are the main core for students to follow. Excursions are optional for them to do.

• I made some Excursions required because I liked the experience they gave students.

On the text pages there are boxes in front of the numbered questions.   

• Those are required questions to be answered.  [_] 2-3

• Bold printed activities numbered in the order to perform them, example: Activity 1-2 . These are the steps in doing experiments or activites. 

• There are numbered graphs, pictures and tables to keep students organized.

• There are numbered Problem Breaks. These are thought experiments, for student to use their creative minds. Many do not have a single true answer.  

There is small print information on the sides of the page. These are hints for teachers &         students. 

There will be instructions for moving to an Excursions in the middle of a Chapter. 

At the end of a chapter look for the small print in the margin labeled  Get It Ready Now For The Next Chapter. This will have instructions to help you organize before students get to that unit. 

Investigating Variation is a good first unit to try. There are a few things you will need to provide by copying and making . 

• The 25 x 25 page of 0s to cross out sheet.

• The cardboard Illusion cards that slide in and out of a folded piece and a ruler on the back.

• Meter stick with tape on 20cm mark.

• Provide graphs but have them produce their own tables. ( also in student answer sheet )

• Ch. 4 needs some index cards with a marker dot (peripheral vision) and  an X and dot for measuring student blind spots. 

• Stamp ink  pad for finger print activity

I require Excursion 1-1 in I.V. for my students because of their lack of measuring in cm and mm.

I encourage teachers at some point to allow students to move at their own pace. Advanced  students will get to the tough information in Chapter 4 and 5. Other students will not feel like they are falling behind.  I would do this only when you are confident with the first 3 chapters and excursions. 

I let students work in pairs. Many of the experiments need another person to help measure. 

I grouped Activities in each chapter together as "experiments". I required a written lab report for me to check before students could start. This report was turned in with their answers to questions for that chapter.(that was one grade) I had a short quiz ( 10 questions) to take after each chapter. This was one way to show  mastery of  the concepts. 

Investigating Variation uses statistical tools like average, mode, and mean.

Why You Are You is a unit that has a clear instructions ( Ch. 1) on how to raise and mate fruit flies. I would raise a class set  for the students to watch. 

I also really liked doing the rest of the basic hands-on lessons ( Ch. 2-Ch. 7) during the four weeks we raised the fruit flies.  

For the The Bean unit I bought plastic tubes, small lunch bags,  bag of dried white beans and 2 bags of dried brown beans. Organizing the beans by labeling the tubes and bags.

For Chapter 4, I cut up plastic squares from the sides of mild cartons. I colored some of the squares with a brown permeant marker.

Chapter 6 make your own Ninsects from the copies to download and cut them up. Store the pieces in small Dixie cups. for students to choose from.