Jasmin Latif
Analysis of a Biology Textbook for Instructional Purposes with
Respect to the Michigan High School Content Substandard
Populations (B3.5)
The biology subject specific textbook used for this analysis is Biology: Principles
and Explorations. It was written by G. B. Johnson and P.H. Raven and published by
Holt, Rinehart, and Winston in 2001. It is being used as a general reference text for
students with ranging ability levels in 9th and 10th grade integrated science classes at
Community High (Ann Arbor).
There is a broad learning goal of The Michigan ecological standards:
Interdependence of Living Systems and the Environment (B3). I chose to analyze
Biology: Principles and Explorations with respect to a smaller learning goal, Populations
(B3.5), which falls under B3. In order to properly interpret these standards it was
necessary to significantly “unpack” them first. This unpacking was done collaboratively
and can be reviewed by accessing the following EDUC 422 website:
https://teacherknowledge.wikispaces.com/Biology+-+Unpacking+Ecological+Energy+Flow
Within Biology: Principles and Explorations, there is Chapter 16 entitled
Populations. This chapter has only two sections. Section 16-1 is How Populations
Grow, whereas Section 16-2 is How Populations Evolve. Section 16-2 has no relevance
to the B3.5 standard, so I chose to ignore it. I used Project 2061 criteria III.A (Providing
a Variety of Phenomena), III.B (Providing Vivid Experiences), and IV.B (Representing
Ideas Effectively), to analyze how well Section 16-1 helps with instruction concerning
the B3.5 learning goal. The complete and detailed version of the Project 2061 textbook
analysis criteria can be accessed on the following website:
http://www.project2061.org/publications/textbook/hsbio/report/crit-used.htm
My analyses are organized into the chart included below. The chart only includes the
items which I found to be helpful in reaching the learning goal.
Performance
Expectations for B3.5
1) Graphing population
growth
Variety of Phenomena
Fig 16-1. The photo is
an example of
population growth and
can be used to support
the idea of population
growth
RLBA (p.342). Graphs
found in the Census can
be useful examples.
Fig 16-4. The graph can
be explicitly linked to
learning how to graph
exponential population
growth. It can be used
to explain time (the
independent variable)
appears on the x-axis
and number of
individuals (the
dependent variable)
appears on the y-axis.
The lack of inclusion of
unit labels or increments
on either axis may be
helpful in the beginning
when discussion of the
graph is simplistic, but
something more detailed
will have to be used to
explain how the points
are plotted in order to
construct the graph.
Fig 16-5. The graph can
be explicitly linked to
learning how to graph
logistic population
growth. This graph is a
bit more sophisticated
than Fig 16-4. Time
appears on the x-axis
Vivid Experiences
Fig 16-1. The photo
provides a vicarious
sense of population
growth by depicting a
place densely crowded
by people.
Representing Ideas
Effectively
Fig 16-1. The densely
crowded depiction
seems comprehensible
to students and is
explicitly linked to
population growth in
real-life.
RLBA (p.342). The
Census provides a realworld example of how
data is collected and the
importance of graphing
population growth.
Fig 16-4. Although
highly schematic, the
graph is accurate and
comprehensible. The
use of red emphasizes
the J-shape.
Fig 16-5. Although
highly schematic, the
graph is accurate and
comprehensible. The use
of red emphasizes the Sshape.
HWPPB (p.345). This
textbox is explicitly
linked to a human reallife application.
Students can see the
importance of graphing
and tracking population
graphs over time.
Students can see the
benefits of population
graphs in that they can
help to predict future
needs of our society.
and number of
individuals is replaced
by population size on
the y-axis. Again, no
unit labels or increments
appear, but green arrows
are used to indicate in
which direction time
increases and population
size increases. This can
be helpful when learning
how to graph population
growth.
HWPPB (p.345). This
textbox can be used to
show another way
scientists can graph
population growth. It is
explicitly linked to this
performance standard in
that it discusses how the
graph is created with
respect to axes and
labeling.
2) Influences on
population growth
3) Consequences of
invading organisms
4) Advantages and
disadvantages of
reproductive strategies
Fig 16 -1. Data given
in caption can be used to
start discussion on what
students feel may be
influencing this example
of population growth
Fig 16-7. These photos
can be used to support,
and are explicitly linked
to the concept of
reproductive strategies.
Fig 16-7. These photos
give direct examples of
two commonly wellknown organisms to
students (one for rstrategy and one for kstrategy). However, in
the text which
references this figure, it
is suggested that the
characteristics of these
strategies are
summarized in this
figure. This is
confusing, because there
is no mention of the
characteristics; there
simply appear the
photos and short
captions explaining
which organism is what
type of strategist. I
would like to augment
these photos with a 2column summary table
with “cockroaches” in
the first column and
“whale” in the second
column. Under each
column would be listed
the characteristics of the
corresponding
reproductive strategy for
each organism.
Construction of this
table with students
would facilitate
comparison of the two
types of strategies which
is helpful to learn the
advantages and
disadvantages of each.
5) Influence of biotic
and abiotic factors on
population dynamics
6) Exponential growth
and carrying capacity
Fig 16-1. The data
given in caption can be
used to introduce the
possibility of Earth’s
carrying capacity for
humans.
IDA (p.354). This
activity provides a
vicarious sense of being
a real life scientist that
uses an exponential
growth graph to estimate
carrying capacity.
RLBA (p.342)
Examination of the
Census provides a reallife link to studies of
populations that grow
exponentially
RLBA (p.342). The
Census can be examined
for exponential growth
curves and possible
carrying capacity can be
extrapolated.
Fig 16-4. Although
highly simplified, the
graph is accurate and
comprehensible. The
use of red emphasizes
the J-shape.
Fig 16-4. This graph is
explicitly linked to
exponential growth
(self-explanatory)
Fig 16-5. Not as simple
as fig. 16-4 (see
description under
“Variety of Phenomena”
in this table), the graph
is accurate and
comprehensible. The
use of red emphasizes
the S-shape. Levelingoff at carrying capacity
is explicitly indicated
and pronounced by a
blue line extending back
to the y-axis from its
point on the curve.
Fig 16-5. The logistic
growth curve is
explicitly linked in the
text to exponential
growth and carrying
capacity. It explains
that the logistic model is
used when exponential
growth is limited by
density-dependent
factors and carrying
capacity corresponds to
the largest population
size an environment can
IDA (p.354): This
activity is explicitly
linked to a real-life
sustain with these limits.
IDA (p.354): This
activity is explicitly
linked to the key idea.
Students need to
understand carrying
capacity and how to
identify and interpret an
exponential growth
graph.
occurrence. Students
are asked to interpret
data that actual scientists
gathered. Students are
given exposure to what
an exponential curve
may look like made
from real-life data.
They can see that the
graph does not have a
perfect S-shape. The
graph fluctuates just
above and below the
carrying capacity, this is
more realistic. It is
important for students to
contrast ideal graphs
from real-life graphs.
Key to Helpful Representations and Phenomena (appear in chart)
Fig 16-1: Photo of rush-hour commuters, caption explains there are more people living in greater NYC
area than lived on Earth 10,000 yrs. ago.
Real Life Box Activity (RLBA) p.342: Defines U.S. Census and how government collects detailed
information on the country’s population, the activity has students use the Internet to learn more about it,
why every household should complete a Census form, and what steps have been taken to improve its
accuracy.
Fig 16-4: Graph of an exponential growth curve, caption explains that it has a characteristic J-shape.
Fig 16-5: Graph of a logistic growth curve, caption explains that it has a characteristic S-shape.
Fig 16-7: Two photos. First photo shows cockroaches who are given as an example of r-strategists in
caption. The second photo shows a Humpback whale who is given as an example of a k-strategist in
caption. The figure is titled “Different species have evolved different growth patterns”.
Health Watch on Population Pyramids Box (HWPPB) p. 345: Shows a graphic example of a population
pyramid and accompanying text explains it is one way to represent the structure of a large human
population. It explains age groups are plotted on the y-axis and the number of individuals is plotted on the
x-axis. It discusses why the graph takes on the shape of a pyramid, how dominant age-groups (ex: babies
or elderly) can be seen from the graph, and how if these dominant age-groups need certain types of health
care (ex: pediatric or geriatric) the graph can be used to predict the health care trends for the population in
the future.
Interpreting Data Activity (IDA) p.354: This activity asks students to determine the carrying capacity of
an island for a pheasant population that was introduced onto the island in the 1930s. Students are given a
population growth graph with ‘Years since introduction’ on the x-axis and ‘Number of individuals’ on the
y-axis. They are also asked to describe how they reached their answer.
It is obvious from the table that the ideas of performance standards #3 and #6
were very poorly represented in section 16-1. In fact, I found no appropriate
representations or phenomena which addressed invading populations or the physical and
chemical influences on population growth. There is hardly any mention of the physical
and chemical influences found in the text, but there are no relevant figures to accompany
these brief mentions. Invading populations, however, are not mentioned in the text at all.
As the teacher, I would look to remedy this first and foremost. Maybe I could turn to
another biology textbook written for students of the same age groups to look for more
informational readings and representations on invading populations and physical and
chemical influences. In order to address influences of invading populations, students
must understand how food webs are altered with the new population and what this means
for existing populations. If students see that invading populations change the ecosystem
and the amount of available resources, they will see how this affects population growth.
Beyond simply giving the definition of an invading species, I would hope to provide my
students with graphs of population growth that show pronounced shifts in growth rate
before and after an invading species. With physical and chemical influences, it is
important for students to distinguish between biotic and abiotic factors. I would ask my
students to create a list of factors and then go over it as a class and fill in important
factors they overlooked.