Science and Global Issues: Biology is different from a traditional textbook, this program gives students the opportunity to explore the issues of real-world problems through unique hands-on labs and investigations.
The five units in this program look at the issues of
- human impact on ecosystems
- world health
- genetically modified organisms
- biodiversity
Science and Global Issues: Biology creates a complete learning system with coordinated references between the comprehensive student textbook, built in formative and summative assessments, an extensive teacher’s guide, and ancillary supports:
- PowerPoint slides for each chapter
- Instructional videos for teachers on each lab investigation
- LABsent a solution for absent students
JANESVILLE BIOLOGY REVIEW PORTAL ACCESS
Get started with the Janesville School District Biology Review Online Portal Access
Sign in with your email, create a password and use the following passcode: janesville-sgi-bio
Portal Supports:
Science and Global Issues: Biology (SGI: Biology), developed by SEPUP at the Lawrence Hall of Science, uses an issue-oriented approach to connect biology to students' lives and communities. Activities and investigations, tied to the unit issue and phenomena, require students consider apply scientific evidence and to analyze the trade-offs involved in personal and societal decisions.
Each unit issue must be engaging to diverse students, be sustainable over time, must foster debate, and require an understanding of important concepts and processes in order to make evidence based decisions. The program avoids taking a position on the issues, but rather provides students with the understanding and skills that will allow them to make their own evidence informed decisions.
Flip through a sample Student Book section for the Cell Biology unit, Activities 2-4.
Everything you need - organized
Can you kind of imagine it? You need to prep for a lab. Using the material list, you reference the outer labels and slide open the right drawer. Everything is organized. It all has a place - like an actual place just for that thing. It's an exciting idea, right? No more digging through bins of stuff. No more store stops for supplies. It's all there - everything you need.
Take a look at the SGI:Biology unit drawers here.
Embedded Program Features
Assessment
Integrated into the programs the SEPUP assessment system sets up ways to collect evidence on student learning and improve performance.
Supporting all learners
An intentionally flexible approach to all program activity types help accomplish our goal that all students achieve scientific literacy.
Literacy
Embedded strategies help teachers explore students' thinking and give students multiple opportunities to confront their preconceptions.
Forming the core of the SEPUP Assessment System are assessment variables (content and process skills to be assessed), assessment questions or tasks used to gather evidence and scoring guides for interpreting students’ responses. The diagram shows the key components.
The seven assessment variables, listed in the first box, define the content and processes that students are expected to learn. For each of these variables there is a scoring guide with which to measure students’ achievements according to five competency levels.
Literacy & Notebooking
The Lab-Aids® Science Lab Notebook
A science notebook 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 is designed to support best practice note-booking strategies. It includes three-hole punched pages in a two-column design for Cornell-style notes. GraphAnywhere pages allow students to both write and easily create data-tables and graphs anywhere on the page. The unique “Lab-Log” column serves as a blank canvas for drawings, connections, and self-reflective notes. 160 pages total.
Supporting reading comprehension
Anticipation Guide • Directed Activities Related to Text (DART) • Listen, Stop, Write • Reading Scientific Procedures • Three-Level Reading Guide
Enhancing student writing
Keeping a Science Notebook • Writing a Formal Investigation Report • Writing Frames • Writing Review • Research Project • Assessment: Communicating Scientific Information
Facilitating group discussion
Discussion Web • Intra-act • Oral Presentation • Walking Debate • Assessment: Group Interaction
Synthesizing concepts and vocabulary
Categorization Activity • Concept Map • KWL • Talking Drawing • Venn Diagrams
