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Curriculum Development > High School 9-12 > Comprehensive Programs > BSCS Biology: An Ecological Approach

BSCS Biology: An Ecological Approach

BSCS Green Version, 10th Edition (introductory biology: Kendall/Hunt Publishing 2006)

BSCS Biology: An Ecological Approach is designed for first-year high school biology students. BSCS's Green Version textbook integrates the major concepts of biology into an ecological framework. Embedded into the curriculum are fundamental concepts such as science as inquiry, the history of science and the impact of science on society, and the diversity of life.

Using a student-centered, active-learning approach, Green Version offers students a rich array of hands-on activities and laboratories that develop inquiry skills and conceptual understanding. BSCS believes that students acquire and retain an in-depth understanding of biology when they are directly involved with the concepts and skills they are learning. Green Version emphasizes the process of discovery over the memorization of facts so that students don't just learn about science, they think science.

Key Features:

"Guideposts" that ask students interactive questions to begin the process of investigation
"Pioneer" sections with brief vignettes about people, technology and ideas that parallel the topic under study
"Biology Today" sections that explore topics of biological interest with important societal implications
"Knowledge Check" questions that permit teachers to assess student understanding of major concepts
NSTA SciLinks Web resources are printed in the text, directing users to recommended Internet sites
Laboratory investigations and class projects that give students hands-on experiences
Computer-based learning written into the student text as activities, includes the BSCS award-winning interactive CDROM, "The Commons: An Environmental Dilemma," and ecological simulations designed by BioSim, ADA Technologies
Inquiry-oriented discussions that develop scientific thinking and communication skills

Audience:
Introductory high school biology (9th and 10th grade)

Components:

Student text (packaged with 2 CDROMs)
Teacher's Annotated Edition (packaged with Student CDROMs and Teacher Resources on CD)
Computer Test Bank (includes test generator, management and grading tools, and an online student-test-taking module)
Student Study Guide (teacher's annotated version on Teacher Resource CD)
Color transparencies

Publisher:
Kendall/Hunt Publishing, Dubuque, Iowa. To contact the publisher for examination copies, call 1.800.542.6657.
For more information, see Distributors of BSCS Programs.

Content:
Major biological concepts are woven through the chapters resulting in an engaging, cohesive, conceptually based teaching framework. The concepts of Green Version include biological evolution, the diversity of life, genetic continuity, organism-environment interactions, the biological roots of behavior, the relationship between structure and function, homeostasis, science as inquiry, science and society, and the history of biological concepts. For more detailed information, see the Table of Contents.

Pedagogy:
Students learn biological concepts and content through direct involvement in collaborative, student-centered laboratory investigations that promote in-depth understanding and long-term retention. Investigations appear at the end of the chapters so that students can focus on the content within a chapter without distraction.

Miscellany:

Instructional theory underlying Green Version; implementation support; reviewer and teacher comments.

Questions and Answers:
A list of Frequently Asked Questions about the program.

Revision Ideas:
If you have been using Green Version and have discovered content and/or conceptual errors or have suggestions for improvement, E-mail your comments to highschool@bscs.org. We rely on teachers like you to help us make future editions of our curricula the best that they have discovered content and/or conceptual errors or have suggestions for improvement, E-mail your comments to highschool@bscs.org. We rely on teachers like you to help us make future editions of our curricula the best that they can be.

For more information:
Contact BSCS by E-mail at highschool@bscs.org or write to us at:

BSCS
Attn: Green Version
5415 Mark Dabling Blvd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80918-3842

This project originally received funding from the National Science Foundation