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Biology: Principles & Explorations
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Reviewer:
Ellen Lamb
Mills Godwin High School
Richmond, Virginia
Textbook Name: Biology: Principles & Explorations
Authors: George B. Johnson and Peter H. Raven
Copyright: 1998
Publisher:
Holt, Rinehart and Winston
6277 Sea Harbor Drive
Orlando, Florida 32887
800 225-5425
Publisher's Web Site:
 Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Review: I use this text for honors biology for sophomores, and the reading level is appropriate to that group. I have found it easy to use, most of the time, because of the well-annotated teacher's edition. Here there are instructions for lab preparation and for using the book's many ancillaries, including transparencies and the study-guide masters, extra lab activities, and assorted worksheets available for each chapter. There are some especially good hints for new teachers. These include attention-grabbers at the beginning of each unit (e.g., holding two meter sticks in one hand to represent a chromosome with two chromatids), analogies for some difficult concepts, and practical application tips, along with appropriate links to content.
The major weakness of the book, in my opinion, is that it is rather dated. The chapters are not all arranged in the order I prefer to teach them, and anyone who has taught for a while may also find that to be the case. But overall the book is fine to use. I would prefer it for regular-level students, rather than honors, but it does challenge many of my students at the honors level. I am confident that this book takes students through whatever they need to know to be successful in AP Biology, assuming they remember the major principles. The book even uses some organizational techniques (e.g., vee diagrams for labs and concept maps for each chapter) that are good models for students to master as they progress to more demanding courses.
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