High School Curriculum
High school is a very different world for students and for educators. Teachers must find a path that bridges the material that was taught in middle school with what their students will need to know for life beyond high school. More Info
Science and Global Issues: Biology, Second Edition
SGI Biology, Second Edition Evolution Unit
19-34 (4-7 weeks)
There is great variety within and between the earth’s ecosystems. Each ecosystem differs from others in its varieties of species, genetic makeup of its species, and the evolutionary relationships of species. All of these levels of variation comprise the earth’s biodiversity. This biodiversity is the product of billions of years of evolution. Ecologists and evolutionary biologists study the evolutionary processes that produce biodiversity, what caused the subtle and dramatic shifts that occurred in the past, and how biodiversity might change in the future. Conservationists often focus on understanding the biodiversity of an area in order to establish priorities for conservation of species. They and other scientists are also concerned with how human activities affect biodiversity. In this unit, you will investigate the levels of biodiversity and the evolutionary processes that increase, decrease, or maintain biodiversity. You will also examine humans’ social, environmental, and economic influences on biodiversity, and make recommendations for which forest area on a fictitious island should receive funds for conservation.
Content in SGI Biology, Second Edition Evolution Unit is organized into activities, as follows:
| Activity Title | Activity Overview | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Biodiversity and Sustainability | How are the biodiversity of an ecosystem and the sustainability of human communities related? |
| 2. | Human Activities and Biodiversity | How do humans alter the biodiversity of groups of taxa? |
| 3. | Geologic Time | What are the key events of geologic time? |
| 4. | Darwin and the Development of a Theory | How did Darwin build on his and others' work to develop his ideas about natural selection and evolution? |
| 5. | Using Fossil Evidence to Investigate Whale Evolution | How does fossil evidence determine the relationships of whale ancestors and their descendants? |
| 6. | Evidence from the Fossil Record | How do scientists interpret evidence in the fossil record? |
| 7. | The Phylogeny of Vertebrates | How do you test a tree hypothesis for a group of taxa? |
| 8. | Studying Hominids | How do biologists study the evolutionary relationships of hominids? |
| 9. | Studying Lineages for Conservation | How does evidence about phylogenetic relationships assist evolutionary biologists and conservationists in making sustainable conservation decisions? |
| 10. | What Is a Species? | How do new species separate from existing species? |
| 11. | Natural Selection | How does natural selection lead to speciation? |
| 12. | The Genetic Basis of Adaptation | How did a change in the environment lead to genetic changes in populations of the rock pocket mouse? |
| 13. | The Processes and Outcomes of Evolution | How do evolutionary processes lead to changes in biodiversity? |
| 14. | Ideas about Evolution | What scientific evidence and reasoning supports ideas about evolution? |
| 15. | Conservation of an Island Biodiversity Hotspot | Which of four areas should receive priority for conservation? |
Student Book
The student book uses a variety of approaches to make science accessible for all students. Each activity in the student book is designed to support concept and skill development. The various types of activities include: Laboratories, Investigations, Modeling, Readings, Talk It Over, and Projects. Through inquiry-based, hands-on experiences students connect basic biological concepts with relevant, real-world sustainability issues. Woven throughout the student book are integrated literacy strategies that help students process new science content, develop their analytical skills, make connections, and express their knowledge orally and in writing.
The embedded assessment system helps teachers identify students’ strengths and weaknesses throughout the course. This provides valuable information about when lessons might need to be adjusted so that all students get the best chance to build their knowledge and appreciation of science. The student book is richly illustrated with relevant photographs and diagrams. A comprehensive appendix provides additional student resources.
The LAB-AIDS Science Lab Notebook
The use of a science journal or notebook is strongly recommended for all science classes. A journal not only models the way scientists work but it helps to develop and reinforce students’ science learning and literacy skills.
The LAB-AIDS Science Lab Notebook was designed with “Best Practices” in mind. Each of the 160 LABLOG pages, has a 2-column design with GraphAnywhere, which allows data tables and graphs to be drawn in a fraction of the usual time, and plenty of room to record data, notes, and responses to questions. It is also three-hole punched to allow students to store the entire notebook, or individual completed pages, in their binder.
Complete Materials Package
The course specific materials packages provide a vast array of unique and signature items designed specifically for the program. Course Essential packages are available which allows you to buy only the unique items designed for the course. You could also purchase materials by unit if you are teaching only section of the program, or you can purchase items individually for those teachers that have well–equipped lab facilities. Our goal is to provide the necessary material without duplicating what you already have in your classroom, thus maximizing your budget.
Teacher Edition
The SEPUP wraparound Teacher Edition provides detailed information to support teachers in conducting each activity in the student book and explains how scientific concepts are developed within the big picture of the units and the course. The information provided includes practical tips such as equipment set-up and how to conduct the activities, as well as suggestions on how to enhance students’ learning experiences and how to tailor the activities to individual students and classrooms.
Additional support for all of the embedded assessments, literacy strategies, and other information can be found on the accompanying Teacher Resources DVD. Together the Teacher’s Edition and Teacher Resources DVD provide comprehensive support for differentiated instruction, valuable background information on scientific content and teaching strategies, lists of objectives, answers to student analysis questions, and student exemplars that address the assessment scoring guides. The DVD also includes unit overviews, and all transparencies, student sheets and blackline masters
Student and Teacher Portals
Individual, classroom or district licenses can be purchased for access to our student books on-line. It features editable Word documents for each set of Activity Assessment Questions which allows students to e-mail their finished work back to the teacher. Microsoft Word Tools provide strong support for diverse learners. The Spelling and Grammar Checker uses red and green underline squiggles representing spelling (red) and grammar (green) errors alerting students to potential errors. The thesaurus helps to refine writing as well as expose students to new vocabulary words. Students with poor spelling skills often have difficulty using a dictionary. This feature provides an instant definition for a highlighted word, eliminating the task of dictionary lookup. Students can also use the Thesaurus to find the synonyms of words. All pages were created using Adobe Acrobat Reader. A great feature of the Adobe program is “The Read Aloud Function”. The program audibly reads the text, allowing the student to follow the reading on the page. You can speed up or slow down the program based on the student’s ability. This helps all students increase their vocabulary.
| SGI Biology, Second Edition Evolution Unit | Item # | Price | Quantity |
|---|
