Additional information
by Ron Wagler (Author)
If you've ever wished you could teach with tarantulas-or roly polys, or Madagascar hissing cockroaches--this is the resource for you. It tells how to help middle schoolers get up close and personal with amazing arthropods, the bugs that make up more than 75% of Earth's animal species. Adventures With Arthropods provides 26 lessons that are geared to middle school teachers and their students but may be modified to use for elementary school, high school, and even college classrooms and for formal and informal learning at zoos, museums, and nature centers.
The lessons--many of which support the Next Generation Science Standards--teach students everything from anatomy, growth, and behavior to eating preferences and environmental needs of three arthropod groups. They also illustrate arthropods' many essential ecological services, without which global ecosystems would collapse.
Best of all, the book addresses teachers' concerns about keeping arthropods at school. You'll learn which arthropods are classroom-safe and what's involved in caring for them humanely. Through Adventures With Arthropods, you'll discover how to choose species that don't require too much maintenance and are sure to captivate both your students and you.
Author Biography
Ron Wagler is an associate professor of science education at the University of Texas at El Paso and the founder and director of the Living Arthropod and Environmental Education Laboratory. His laboratory is the only laboratory in the world dedicated to research related to arthropod education. The research behind this book was conducted in Ron's laboratory and then field tested in many different educational settings to verify its accuracy and effectiveness. Ron has been recognized nationally and internationally for his research in the field of arthropod education and has authored or coauthored more than 60 national and international peer-reviewed and professional publications. Ron pioneered most of the foundational research in the area of arthropod education and is considered one of the foremost experts in his field. He has received more than $1.2 million in research grant funds and has been a principal investigator or coprincipal investigator on many grant proposals. He has presented his arthropod education research and been a keynote speaker, expert panelist, roundtable speaker, and guest speaker at national and international conferences. Ron has more than 25 years of experience teaching biology, science education, and environmental education to students from the preK to doctoral levels. He participates in service to his department, college, and university; the national and international science education and environmental education communities; and his local community. Ron's research, teaching, and service activities have won corporate, conference, university, state, and national awards and have been highlighted in many media outlets, including National Geographic. You can follow Ron's ongoing adventures with arthropods on his Living Arthropod and Environmental Education Laboratory Facebook page at www.facebook. com/LivingArthropodEducationLaboratory.
