New BES publications
Exciting ecology teaching for the science National Curriculum
Ecology - a science that matters: a new BES poster for schools.
Everyone to whom I have shown this poster says that it looks very good, both
very interesting and very attractive, and most people want to know how they
can get their own copy. All you have to do is send £5 to the address below!
Instead of text book definitions this poster shows what ecology is by what
ecologists do. There are 15 topics each illustrated by an interesting and
attractive coloured photograph, each provided by different ecologists, most
of them members of the BES. Each provided some text which was edited by ETCC
member Margaret Palmer and then chewed over several times by ETCC. This was
to ensure that the ecology, presented in 'bite-sized chunks', was in a
consistent style and in suitable language for the average secondary school
pupil, yet had lost none of the scientific integrity of the original source.
As such it was a excellent example of ecological scientists and ecologists
involved in education collaborating to communicate science.
An enterprise like this needs to start with good content but once we had
assembled our material we enlisted the services of Bill and Chris Stotesbury
and their 'Book-on-the-wall' company. They specialise in producing high
quality posters which communicate a lot of information in a form to which
everyone will respond. Previous such posters which they have produced have
covered such diverse topics as English country churches and the River Medway
to breweries and football teams. We hope Ecology - a science which matters
will be pinned up wherever secondary pupils line up waiting for their
science lesson and that every time they look at it they will notice yet
another bite-size chunk providing yet another fascinating insight into the
science of ecology. Some, we hope, may start to want to become ecologists
themselves but the majority will simply end up by understanding a little
more of why ecology is a science which matters and want to know more.
To produce such a poster as this and to mail it to every school in Britain
and Ireland is a major undertaking. We considered finding a sponsor as a
partner but in the end we did not pursue this very far. This poster is a
statement about ecology from none other than the BES itself, acting, quite
properly, as the voice of British Ecology. When we fulfil this role we are
beholden to nobody but ourselves. We targeted secondary schools because the
nearest most members of the public ever get to an ecologist may well be
their science/biology teacher at school and because, for most young people,
their school experience is likely to shape their attitude to ecology more
than anything else. As so often happens, a poster designed for secondary
school pupils is likely to be appreciated by the public at large.
To obtain your own Ecology - a science that matters poster write to:
BES ecology poster,
The Book on the Wall Company,
Wyke Lodge,
London Road,
Ryarsh,
West Malling,
Kent, ME19 5AS
enclosing a cheque for £5 made payable to The British Ecological Society
Brine Shrimp Ecologyby Stephen Tomkins & Michael Dockery
This book finally lays to rest the erroneous idea that ecology is soft science. This book enables you and your pupils to set up as many model ecosystems as you can find lemonade bottles and to use them for practical ecological investigations in the laboratory.
The book provides thirteen starting points for ecological investigations in the school laboratory with photocopiable worksheets, teachers notes, secondary data exercises, technicians guide and background information together with brine shrimp eggs and enough bacterial and algal innoculum to start off your first ecosystem in a bottle. Especially developed for secondary science at Keystages 3 and 4 (where ecology particularly needs livening up) and Scottish Science stages S1 to S4, the book is nevertheless full of ideas and resources for primary science and for post 16 biology projects. Children and young people (of any age!) find a bottle ecosystem with brine shrimps, algae and bacteria fascinating and it is a useful focus for a discussion.
Available from:
Homerton Brine Shrimp Project
Dept of Biological Sciences
Homerton College
CAMBRIDGE
CB2 2PH
(01223) 507175
Price £14.50 including post and packing, brine shrimp eggs and innoculum.
Specimen material (provided copyright free)
 Food chains and Food Webs in Primary Science
by Sue Barker & Clare Norris.
Even if you have little previous knowledge of ecology, you can equip yourself with photocopiable worksheets, teacher's notes and as much background information as you need to teach practical ecology in the classroom and in the school grounds. All the materials in this book have developed in the classroom. They were originally designed for Keystage 2 of the Science National Curriculum of England and Wales and Scottish Environmental Studies P4 to P7 but there is lot that the teacher could adapt for use with younger children.
Available from:
Homerton Brine Shrimp Project
Dept of Biological Sciences
Homerton College
CAMBRIDGE
CB2 2PH
(01223) 507175
Price £9.50
Specimen material
Rooting for a Career in Ecology and Environmental Management
Second edition of the BES highly successful careers booklet
The BES Careers booklet, produced in collaboration with the Institute of
Ecological and Environmental Management (IEEM) and, like the schools poster,
edited by Margaret Palmer, ETCC's publications editor, has just been
published in its second edition. The full text can be downloaded from the
BES web-site but many will want to have high quality hard copy, particularly
to pass on to students. Copies of the booklet can be obtained free of charge
on receipt of a self-addressed A4 envelope with stamps to the value of 75p
from the BES office:
British Ecological Society
26 Blades Court
Deodar Road
Putney
London
SW15 2NU
UK
Telephone: 020 8871 9797
Fax: 020 8871 9779
E-mail: general@ecology.demon.co.uk
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