Complex Animals: A
study of Invertebrates
and Vertebrates
EDC 448: Text Study, 9/27/2012
For Grade 9
By Jonathan Brown
Essential Questions
 1. If you were to design the perfect vertebrate that could
live in many different habitats, what traits would it
have?
 2. Think about what you have learned about how diverse
and specialized different species can be in different
environments. What traits do you imagine future species
will evolve to survive on an ever changing Earth one
million years from now.
 3. Write a one page creative story about how if evolution
had diverged slightly millions of years ago, a different
species could be the dominant life form on Earth.
Offline Texts!
Textbook: Biology, An
Everyday Experience
Kaskel, Albert, Paul J. Hummer, and Lucy Daniel. Biology: An Everyday Experience.
Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill, 1988. Print.
 This textbook is meant for a Biology class for high school
students. It is a Glencoe/McGraw-Hill textbook of 744
pages. The 8th Chapter in the book deals with complex
animal and is perfect for the lesson I am teaching with
this text set. The book contains easy to follow sections
that flow with the subject being taught. In addition, each
chapter contains learning objectives, diagrams, engaging
pictures, and vocabulary words to help students to better
understand the concept. At the end of each chapter is a
review section that summarizes the chapter nicely and
has many forms of questions that engage the student and
help to solidify the material.
Text Book Continued
 Quantitative: Using the Flesch-Kincaid readability test I found the
textbook to have a grade level of 9, and a reading ease score of 51.
Since I am teaching a 9th grade class this textbook is perfect.
 Qualitative: At the level of meaning level, this text is straightforward
and offers easy to follow descriptions and explanations to biological
concepts. In regard to structure, this text is definitely an informational
text. It is clearly organized into different chapters that focus on a
single biological concept. The chapters in turn have sections in them
to further break down the concept. In terms of language
conventionality and clarity, the text does contain difficult scientific
words that the student may not have encountered before. However,
the text usually defined these words for the reader in an easy to
understand way. Since the text is informative, the knowledge
demands are not significant. The book teaches you the concepts as if
you had no prior knowledge other than that of the previous chapters.
National Audubon Society:
Field Guide to New England
Alden, Peter. National Audubon Society Field Guide to New England. New York: Knopf, 1998. Print.
 This is a field guide to all the different types of
wildlife that can be found in New England. Ideally I
would be teaching my class in one of the New
England states, but if that was not the case it would
be easy to find a field guide for any area where I
taught. The field guide is an excellent resource that
is full of pictures, descriptions of different wildlife,
and diagrams. If I were to use this source I would
like to be able to take my students on a fieldtrip to
try and identify the local wildlife. This would be an
exciting change of pace from a lecture.
Qualitative Analysis of the
Field Guide
 Like the textbook, the levels of meaning and purpose are
straightforward. There is no figurative language and the
purpose is to inform the reader about different species. The
structure is broken down into different types of plant and
animal life, making it easy to find certain species. Many
interesting pictures are provided to captivate the reader. The
language conventionality and clarity is similar to the textbook.
However, the biological words are not all defined making this
text more difficult. For this reason it should be used with the
textbook. The knowledge demands are somewhat greater than
the textbook since many scientific terms are used. Prior
knowledge about different animal groups as well as an
understanding of basic vocabulary would be beneficial to fully
grasp this text. But for a 9th grade class this text would mealy
be used to identify animals in the field.
Ancestor
Sigler, Scott. Ancestor: A Novel. New York: Crown, 2010. Print.
 This is a really interesting novel by a favorite author of
mine, Scott Sigler. He is known for delving deeply into
scientific concepts in his books. When using this book I
would either read aloud certain chapters to the class or
make copies of said chapters that the students could read
themselves. I would not have enough time to teach the
whole novel. But the certain chapters that I would
discuss deal in genetics and different animal traits. The
book ties very closely with my first essential question. I
believe my students would respond positively to it as it
is engaging and exciting. Perhaps it would inspire them
to read the whole book on there own.
Qualitative Analysis of
“Ancestor”
 The chapters from Ancestor that I would focus on are slightly
more complex than the other texts I have described so far. The
levels of meaning would be more suited for an average or
above grade level student. Being a novel, different forms of
figurative language are used. Also, much of the information is
withheld from the reader forcing them to make inferences.
With regard to the structure, the story is of the fictional genre
but has roots in scientific facts. The story is told in thirdperson. The language conventionality and clarity is suited for
the average student. However, struggling students and above
average students would both be able to read the text without
too much difficulty or getting bored. The knowledge demands
require the reader to go far beyond there own life experiences,
but does also provide explanations that would help the reader
understand the concepts.
Children’s Book: Beasties
Scott, Louise Binder. Beasties. Minneapolis, MN: T.S. Denison, 1990. Print.
 This is a fun children’s book that I remember from
my childhood. When I read it it got me very
interested in animals. Though this book is way too
simplistic to use as a teaching resource for 9th
graders, I do believe parts of it could enrich the
lesson. The poem on Duckbill Platypus’s in
particular is fun while informative at the same time,
and would be a good tool to introduce mammals.
Qualitative Analysis of
“Beasties”
 At the levels of meaning, this text is very simplistic and
would definitely be suited for struggling students. I
would have my struggling readers read this poem to
help them gain confidence. The structure is simple. It is
broken down into different sections such as poems,
games, and factual information. The language
conventions and clarity is suited for struggling students.
The text is very simplistic and does not require analysis.
Furthermore, there are no knowledge demands needed
to understand this text. Since it is so simplistic, I would
only use this text for a few key poems. I would print
them out and have the class read them to introduce new
topics.
Animal Behavior book:
Black Bear, The Spirit of the Wilderness
Ford, Barbara. Black Bear, the Spirit of the Wilderness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981. Print.
 This is an animal behavior book that focuses on the
black bear. It was written by Barbra Ford. It is an
educational book. Thought a high school biology
class would not have enough time to focus on this
book in depth, I do believe that the last two chapters
are important for students to read about. These
chapters deal with the importance of people living
in harmony with animals. This is a message I would
like to teach the young generation in the hopes that
in the future they will care about wildlife
conservation.
Qualitative Analysis of
“Black Bear, The Spirit of the
Wilderness”
 The levels of meaning of this book are intended for
average students. Though, the text is not so difficult as to
discourage struggling students. The chapters I would
focus on are straightforward and clear in their message
of conservation. The structure is simply broken into
chapters, with no internal sections. In regard to
Language conventionality and clarity, this text does not
offer words that are too terribly difficult but is definitely
written at a high school level. Also, the text clearly
explains its message in a way where no knowledge
demands are necessary to understand the message. I
believe all my students will find this text interesting and
hopefully would take its meaning to heart.
Online Resources!
YouTube Video:
Vertebrate Zoology Rap
Btenkink. "Vertebrate Zoology Rap." YouTube. YouTube, 02 Oct. 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZeAzQMg9nk>.
 This is a fun video that I think students would respond very
positively to. It was created by high school science enthusiast
as an extra credit project. It is funny but also informative. Also,
it utilizes the music style of rap which speaks to the younger
generation. I believe this video would be a great way to start a
class and get the students excited about learning.
Qualitative Analysis of
YouTube Video
 On the subject of levels of meaning, this video, though
fun, has very complex themes to it. The struggling
student would be able to enjoy it for its humorous aspect
while the above grade level student would be able to
appreciate its informative nature. Looking at its
structure, it is clear this video is a form of new media.
The levels of language and complexity are surprisingly
complex for a funny rap video. The video features many
complex words that appear rapidly. Furthermore, to
fully grasp the meaning of this video extensive
knowledge demands are required. However, I would
only use this video to grab the classes attention and
introduce a new topic, not to actually teach them about
the concepts.
TeacherTube Video:
Animals
"Animals." TeacherTube -. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.
<http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=36112>.
 This is a great video made by a High School science
teacher, Miss Neuberger. I found this video on
teachertube.com and was thoroughly impressed. It
offers an engaging song, colorful pictures, and the
main facts that define each type of animals. In
addition it offers an exemplarity video clip at the
end that is incredibly interesting and is sure to perk
up students.
Qualitative Analysis of
TeacherTube Video
 The levels of meaning in this video are not too complex
but are also very important. The short pieces of
information are the key things to remember about each
group of animals. The structure is simple as well. The
video flows through the different groups by first
introducing a piece of crucial information about each
group and then follows with a bunch of engaging
pictures. The Language conventionality and clarity is
very simplistic and should be easy enough for all
students to follow. Also, there are no prior knowledge
demands needed to appreciate the video. I believe this
video, though simplistic, is a great resource and will
inform as well as entertain students.
Documentary: Planet Earth
Planet Earth. BBC. 5 Mar. 2006. Television.
 This documentary series is extremely enjoyable and
very factual. I know for a fact that high school
students find it interesting and pleasurable. The
video includes vivid imagery that entrances its
viewers. In addition, the narrator has a very
pleasant voice that soothes the audience.
Qualitative Analysis of
Planet Earth
 The levels of meaning in Planet Earth are easy to
understand. The narrators descriptions are simple and
informative at the same time. He also speaks in slow and
clear voice that is easy to follow. The structure of Planet
Earth divides it into several DVDs that each focus on a
different geographical location. Obviously there would
not be enough time to watch al the DVDs so I would
choose the one that covers all the regions, “From Pole to
Pole”. The language conventions and clarity are
simplistic enough for struggling students to follow along
while more adept students would retain the information
being given. Since this documentary is informative there
are few knowledge demands needed to enjoy it. I would
use this DVD as a fun way of wrapping up the course.
Perhaps I would provide popcorn and soda.
TV Show: The Jeff Corwin
Experience
The Jeff Corwin Experience. Disney Channel. N.d. Television.
 This is a TV show that originally aired on the
Disney channel. It follow wildlife expert Jeff Corwin
as he explores various areas for unique and exotic
animals. The show is very informative as well as fun
to watch. Jeff perfectly combines humor and facts to
create a very enjoyable experience. In addition, I
have met Jeff Corwin on numerous occasions and
can tell my students about those experiences.
Qualitative Analysis of The
Jeff Corwin Experience
 This show’s purpose is to inform as well as
entertain. It’s levels of meaning is straightforward in
its goal to teach kids about wildlife. The structure of
the show usually follows Jeff in his search for a
specific animal, with him finding many others along
the way. The language he uses is simplistic enough
for children to follow but also full of scientific
words which he explains. He also has a lot of jokes
that children probably do not get but that 9th
graders would enjoy. No prior knowledge is needed
to enjoy this show. In addition, the show has many
episodes which focus on specific groups of
vertebrates.
Website: Quizlet
"Quizlet." Science Vertebrate Study Guide Flashcards. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.
<http://quizlet.com/225189/science-vertebrate-study-guide-flash-cards/>.
 This is a great resource for studying before an exam.
The site provides online flashcards that can be used
to study for a wide range of topics. The site offers a
science vertebrate study guide. In addition to
flashcards, the site also has a section that teaches
how to spell complex science words, a practice test,
and games that all aim to teach about vertebrates.
Qualitative Analysis of
Quizlet
 The Levels of meaning and purpose of this site are very
straightforward, to teach you about vertebrates. This site can
be beneficial to all types of students, offering practice tests to
the more advance students while also offering various study
guides for struggling students. The structure is easy to follow.
It has clearly labeled buttons that lead the student to its
various resources. The language conventionality and clarity
suits all types of students. For above average and average
students it simply offers the words with definitions. For the
struggling students it actually helps to teach you how to spell
the words. If you have prior knowledge of vertebrates this site
can be used to test your knowledge. Also, if you do not have
much prior knowledge this site can help you to learn about
vertebrates. I would recommend all my students use this site
as a study resource.
THE END!
 This is a
picture of an
adorable
cheetah cub.
Just cause.