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Supplemental Materials for “The Serengeti Rules”

If you read my blog post on recommended summer science reads, you saw my confession that I’m not generally a big non-fiction reader. I love to read, but fiction is my go-to.

As I was compiling a science book list for students and teachers, I kept seeing and getting recommended The Serengeti Rules by Sean Carroll (If you’ve used any HHMI videos in your class, you know who he is). I decided to check it out from the library and I’m so glad I did. The first section of the book discusses cellular rules of regulation. When I first started reading I was thinking “I thought this was an ecology book!” but what’s fascinating is he relates cellular rules of regulation to ecological rules of regulation in later sections of the book. So many concepts cross over. For example, cells maintain balance using homeostasis, ecosystems maintain balance with carrying capacity. Cells populations are regulated from the bottom up by food availability, and so are animal populations. Cellular process such as enzyme activity are regulated by  negative feedback, while populations are regulated by negative feedback in the form of trophic cascades. It was cool to see the cross over and I kept thinking “this book is perfect for honors and AP biology students!”

As I set out to look for supplemental student and teacher resources for this book, I came across the official version published by the Princeton Press. There is a ton of great information included in that document, but it didn’t suit my teaching style. I wanted students to pull out the main ideas and have clear graphic organizers to fill out as they read the book without getting caught up in the nitty gritty details. So I went back through the book and created my own resource for students that is more user friendly. It includes writing prompts, graphic organizers, chapter discussion questions, and more. Below are some images of what the resource looks like (page borders differ depending on if they are a pre-reading, during reading, or post-reading activity).

HHMI also has some additional resources that supplement the book that you can find on their website. And most exciting…. they are coming out with a Serengeti Rules documentary some time this fall! The trailer looks fascinating and I can’t wait to see the full movie. Keep your eyes peeled- the HHMI website  frequently offers free DVD’s to classroom teachers.

I hope you enjoy the book!

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Hi, I'm Becca!

I help busy science teachers get your prep back by providing you time saving lessons, labs, and resources.

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