RAFT

March 27, 2014

Mrs. Napolitano

Science Department Head

Sunny High School

1414 Elmwood Ave.

Providence, RI 02908

Re: Textbook Adoption for Intro to Biology, Fall of 2014

In anticipation of a new, wonderful school year at Sunny High, I’ve begun my search for a Biology textbook to complement my lesson plans. I’ve recently had the opportunity to review Prentice Hall’s 2002 textbook titled “Biology”. It was written by Miller and Levine. This book, although perhaps the first of many editions, is an invaluable asset for an introductory high school level Biology course. The authors have earned their PHDs from Brown and Harvard and have each published several books and numerous research articles in prestigious scientific journals. Among the list of consultants that they employed in putting together this text book, they’ve also included a lengthy list of High School Reviewers and Contributing Writers from across the country which allows for direct input from those who would stand to benefit the most from an all encompassing, well organized, student friendly, textbook.

Among the many resources that accompany this textbook are included lab manuals, a guided reading and study workbook, and chapter tests which come not only in two levels for differentiated learning styles, but also in a Spanish version for ELL students.  Teachers are also given the option of acquiring a package that includes teaching transparencies, CD-ROMs and videotapes to further explore particular topics.  The table of contents groups chapters into units and each chapter is broken down into sections which include additional features such as excerpts discussing current issues in Biology, Technology and Society, Careers in Biology and Biology and History. Offering those additional topics as a conversation piece throughout the book will help students understand why they’re studying Biology, what they can do with that knowledge and how much further we’ve yet to go to uncover the many mysteries of Science.

Upon closer inspection, I began flipping through Chapter 37 which covers Circulatory and Respiratory Systems. Different fonts and colors are used for different types of headings. The section heading, for example, “The Circulatory System”, is in a large burgundy type and the subheadings for that topic are half the size and in a bold, blue color. This makes it easier for students to preview the chapter before actually reading it from beginning to end. Important concepts within the paragraphs are highlighted in green and important vocabulary words are in black bold-faced type.  The margins are equipped with a reading guide, which states the key concepts and vocabulary words that the students will encounter in each section. Reading strategies are also included within the guide to help readers prepare for what they are about to learn.  This includes potential questions that students may already be struggling with. Before any reading is to be done however, an inquiry activity is included at the very beginning to get the students thinking. In this instance, students are guided through measuring their own heart rates and then asked to formulate a hypothesis proposing an explanation for any differences observed between a sitting heart rate and a standing one.  This engages students immediately and prepares them for the lesson at hand.

Every page contains illustrations in the forms of pictures, charts and/or diagrams with clear explanations and labels. The pictures included in the sections describing careers in Biology, do a very good job of including minorities and females who in the past, in my opinion, have been underrepresented in the scientific fields. Since Sunny High is an urban school comprised primarily of underprivileged minorities, this is a very important feature because it will provide our students with strong role models and perhaps even inspire our students to pursue a scientific career.

Aside from being user friendly, the book also has checkpoints which ask one important question that requires the readers to draw upon what they just read and formulate an answer. This is important because the students must actively think about what they are reading and that will help them make the transition between short-term and long-term memory. The students will be reading for mastery. Another form of check-point included in each chapter is the Section Assessment. It is usually no more than five questions and although some simply require the use of rote memory, some push the reader to engage in more critical thinking. Critical thinking is further encouraged during the activities included in each chapter which sometimes require the student to design an experiment or model. This would lend itself perfectly to group learning and indirect teaching, which in turn  will allow me to focus on the accommodations that I intend to use with the students who are struggling in my class.

The chapters finish off with a study guide, which helps prepare the student for the assessment included, but as if that weren’t enough, each chapter includes a page of questions designed to prepare students for Standardized Testing.  Incorporating this right into each lesson will allow me to cover much more content throughout the year instead of sacrificing learning time to test preparations which I am aware are a very high priority to our school and district.

Every chapter included in this book builds on the previous one and since this book is designed for an introductory level experience, only the very important key points are introduced and just the right amount of detail is provided. I do not foresee having to skip over any of the content but in the event that our New England weather interferes with the amount of in-class time at my disposal, I will probably cover the different types of organisms with less depth than I would cover concepts such as photosynthesis and genetics. I believe teaching them the important basic concepts will better prepare them for future classes, including their college careers.

This book is very complete and lacks nothing that I have found in any other textbook. Since it is an older edition, I believe it will keep our school well within its budget while providing students with a high quality resource.

Sincerely,

Brigette Banta-Cain