Times Educational Supplement (TES),
Reviewed by: Teresa King (PGCE student),
University of Worcester, 25 Jan, 2009
OCR Biology AS Workbook 2009
This comprehensive series of worksheets from Biozone are designed to supplement a standard course text book. The worksheets can be detached from the book in order that they could be handed in for marking. However, with over 100 worksheets they would have to form an integral part of the one year course in order for students to complete them all.
At a RRP of £16.95, but available at £10.95 plus p+p to students from the publishers, the cost of the book is not insignificant, especially if you consider that a complete class set would be required and renewed each year as photocopying is not permitted.
The worksheets are very informative and easy to read. There is a lot of information on each page and they are designed to stretch the student. The tasks of each worksheet mostly involve answering questions and filling in information from the text found on that page, moving on to more synoptic questions. The space given to write each answer is sufficient but not generous.
There are also a few cut and stick activities. There is no differentiation in either task or information given in order to support weaker students, who may struggle with the dense nature of the text and nature of some of the questions.
In order to reduce costs and keep costs down the book is printed in black and white and some of the photographs used are not very clear. As it is designed to be used alongside a textbook, however, this is not really a failing on its part.
Overall I do not think that I would use this book in my classes. The cost is too high to justify not using it fully, and this would be too repetitive for students. I may consider using it to set homework from, although I feel that the high cost will be prohibitive in some schools.
Link to review: http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storyCode=6006194 |