Unit in ecology for high school biology

Abstract

Scope of Study: This report provides a unit in Ecology which can be introduced in High School Biology. It is to be used as an additional unit in a high school biology course. The major objective is to introduce the basic ecological principles associated with the science of life and give attention to laboratory and field work when one of these principles needs to be illustrated. The report is divided into two parts. The first part provides the general ecological principles, and the second part, the laboratory and field work selected to illustrate these principles.

Findings and Conclusions: This report will aid the students in understanding the importance of ecology and its relationship to other sciences. A high school teacher can do much to direct his students toward gaining some understanding of the basic principles of ecology. The use of the laboratory and field exercises contained in the report will enable the student to demonstrate the basic ecological principles. The writer recognizes the limitations in scope of this unit in ecology and therefore has attempted to select laboratory and field exercises which a biology teacher could use without interrupting the normal school schedule.