Implementation of a Curriculum-Integrated Computer Game for Introducing Scientific Argumentation.

Argumentation has been emphasized in recent U.S. science education reform efforts (NGSS Lead States 2013; NRC 2012), and while existing studies have investigated approaches to introducing and supporting argumentation (e.g., McNeill & Krajcik 2008; Kang, Thompson &Windschitl 2014), few studies have investigated how game-based approaches may be used to introduce argumentation to students. In this paper, we report findings from a design-based study of a teacher's use of a computer game intended to introduce the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) framework (McNeill &Krajcik 2012) for scientific argumentation. We studied the implementation of the game over two iterations of development in a high school biology teacher's classes. The results of this study include aspects of enactment of the activities and student argument scores. We found the teacher used the game in aspects of explicit instruction of argumentation during both iterations, although the ways in which the game was used differed. Also, students' scores in the second iteration were significantly higher than the first iteration. These findings support the notion that students can learn argumentation through a game, especially when used in conjunction with explicit instruction and support in student materials. These findings also highlight the importance of analyzing classroom implementation in studies of game-based learning.

A Card-Sorting Activity to Engage Students in the Academic Language of Biology.

The activity described in this article is designed to provide biology students with opportunities to engage in a range of academic language as they learn the discipline-specific meanings of the terms "drug," "poison," "toxicant," and "toxin." Although intended as part of an introductory lesson in a comprehensive unit for the high school level, this approach to teaching academic language can be adapted for use with older or younger students and can be modified to teach other terms.

The Bio Bay Game: Three-Dimensional Learning of Biomagnification.

Pressing concerns about sustainability and the state of the environment amplify the need to teach students about the connections between ecosystem health, toxicology, and human health. Additionally, the Next Generation Science Standards call for three-dimensional science learning, which integrates disciplinary core ideas, scientific practices, and crosscutting concepts. The Bio Bay Game is a way to teach students about the biomagnification of toxicants across trophic levels while engaging them in three-dimensional learning. In the game, the class models the biomagnification of mercury in a simple aquatic food chain as they play the roles of anchovies, tuna, and humans. While playing, the class generates data, which they analyze after the game to graphically visualize the buildup of toxicants. Students also read and discuss two articles that draw connections to a real-world case. The activity ends with students applying their understanding to evaluate the game as a model of biomagnification. Throughout the activity, students practice modeling and data analysis and engage with the crosscutting concepts of patterns and cause and effect to develop an understanding of core ideas about the connections between humans and the environment.

Integrating the Dimensions of NGSS within a Collaborative Board Game about Honey Bees.

The current reform in U.S. science education calls for the integration of three dimensions of science learning in classroom teaching and learning: Science and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas. While the Next Generation Science Standards provide flexibility in how curriculum and instruction are structured to meet learning goals, there are few examples of existing curricula that portray the integration of these dimensions as "three-dimensional learning." Here, we describe a collaborative board game about honey bees that incorporates scientific evidence on how genetic and environmental factors influence variations of traits and social behavior and requires students to collaboratively examine and use a system model. Furthermore, we show how students used and evaluated the game as a model in authentic classroom settings.

How Do Small Things Make a Big Difference? Activities to Teach about Human-Microbe Interactions.

Recent scientific studies are providing increasing evidence for how microbes living in and on us are essential to our good health. However, many students still think of microbes only as germs that harm us. The classroom activities presented here are designed to shift student thinking on this topic. In these guided inquiry activities, students investigate human-microbe interactions as they work together to interpret and analyze authentic data from published articles and develop scientific models. Through the activities, students learn and apply ecological concepts as they come to see the human body as a fascinatingly complex ecosystem.

An interacting network of T-box genes directs gene expression and fate in the zebrafish mesoderm.

T-box genes encode transcription factors that play critical roles in generating the vertebrate body plan. In many developmental fields, multiple T-box genes are expressed in overlapping domains, establishing broad regions in which different combinations of T-box genes are coexpressed. Here we demonstrate that three T-box genes expressed in the zebrafish mesoderm, no tail, spadetail, and tbx6, operate as a network of interacting genes to regulate region-specific gene expression and developmental fate. Loss-of-function and gain-of-function genetic analyses reveal three kinds of interactions among the T-box genes: combinatorial interactions that generate new regulatory functions, additive contributions to common developmental pathways, and competitive antagonism governing downstream gene expression. We propose that T-box genes, like Hox genes, often function within gene networks comprised of related family members.