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STC/MS™
Units Organisms—From Macro to Micro
ISBN 0-89278-900-X
Subject:
Growth and development of organisms
Students of all ages, but particularly those of middle school age,
have a natural curiosity about living things and how they function.
Organisms—From Macro To Micro taps this curiosity by first
helping students
clarify what they already know about organisms and then perform a
series of engaging, thought-provoking, hands-on activities that will
enable them to extend their knowledge. They work with a minimum of
16 living organisms during the unit’s 20 lessons, which are
divided into three parts: |
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Materials included in the
Organisms— From Macro to Micro
Unit Kit |
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The Beginning
– During the first six lessons, students perform inquiry
activities during which they clarify what they
already know about organisms, then develop and
hone laboratory and critical-thinking skills used
throughout the unit. They set up several
unit-long inquiries during which they
investigate organisms at different stages of their
life cycle. The brief life cycles of Wisconsin
Fast Plants and cabbage white butterflies offer
students an in-depth look at the interdependence
of these organisms as well as the opportunity to
observe traits passed on from parents to
offspring. |
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Continuing the Cycle
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Students explore the world of cells, asexual and
sexual reproduction, and several important life
processes of plants and animals. This part
culminates with the introduction of the Anchor
Activity (a research project), in which students
work in groups during the remainder of the unit
to investigate the relationship between structure
and function in vertebrates and share their
findings with the class. |
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Completing the Cycle
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The remaining lessons offer students experiences
with several interesting organisms—mold, yeast,
Daphnia, and Hydra—as they design their
own inquiries and gather and interpret the data.
Students also prepare a graphical dichotomous key
using photos and observations they have recorded
about the organisms encountered during the unit. |
Each part of the unit concludes with a formal assessment; informal
assessments are imbedded into the lessons. Unit length: 8–12 weeks
of instruction.
QuickTime™ Video download:
Organisms—From Macro to Micro
(56k) (Broadband)
Download an outline of the conceptual sequence for Organisms—From
Macro to Micro.
(PDF
Download)
Kit Configuration
Organisms—From Macro
To Micro Unit Kit equips one class of 32 students and
includes:
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Basic equipment (items that can be shared by
more than one class of students if the unit is
taught to multiple classes)
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1 |
Material Set (items that cannot be shared by
more than one class) |
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1 |
Refurbishment Set (items used up during
instruction) |
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1 |
Teacher’s Guide |
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16 |
Student Guides (nonconsumable)
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Price information
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