Discovery

PATTERNS OF LIFE by Meg Bayley; Longman Senior Science, 1998; 306 pp; $49.95

Reviewed by Janet Holder

At long last, a text written specifically with the new Year 12 Biology Curriculum for New Zealand students in mind.

Initial impressions suggest this text is rather traditional in its layout, and with considerably fewer colour illustrations than expected; this has been a concession to keeping the cost down to an acceptable level and to enable the majority of schools to purchase this text.. However further perusal has indicated that there are ample well-illustrated diagrams together with very clear explanations.

A very user-friendly book, the language used is easily understood by the large majority of Year 12 students, with a general reading age of 14-15 years. Though there is naturally frequent use of vocabulary specific to biology, these terms have been very clearly explained and need little additional elaboration from the teacher. This allows the students to easily use the text as a resource book at home to learn the theory, thereby freeing more classroom time for increased practical work.

Each chapter has clear headings and sub-headings and covers all the essential material in a very readable manner. Some chapters, notably those dealing with the genetics section of the curriculum, have tables of definitions which are particularly useful for students who find the large number of terms introduced in this topic somewhat daunting. In the Mendelian genetics section students will appreciate the clearly explained sample problems. At the end of several chapters there are appropriate exercises or problems to allow students to check their understanding of material covered, with answers provided at the back of the book.

The author has opted to cover only selections from the Form and Function area of the curriculum rather than attempt to cover all aspects in detail. This makes sense, in that it keeps the textbook to a manageable size and allows greater in-depth coverage. Therefore the areas of nutrition, support and locomotion, and reproduction are not covered, the author assuming that students may have already had some previous coverage of these topics in their earlier science or physical education studies. There has also been a recognition of the fact that many students begin their in-depth biological studies at Year 12 rather than at Year 11, and therefore the author has taken some care to cater for those students who have not previously studied biology by including some additional chapters.

In recognition of the fact that not all schools may have ready access to the Internet or other useful resources, the author has written one chapter covering the section of the curriculum relating to applied biology. The topic chosen is blood transfusion and heart transplants, and provides an excellent starting point for those students who require a little more in the way of direction in order to cover this part of the curriculum.

This book comes as an excellent resource both for classroom and home reference.

Janet Holder is HOD Science at Hillmorton High School in Christchurch.