I How-To-Do-It

Bilology Questonnaires
Grabbing Student Interest the First Week!
Neil B. Schanker

Don't we all want students to feel Human Diseases, although they could Grabbing Interest by
interested in our courses? If students be created for any course. Here are Challenging Students'

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are not "hooked" on our courses by several examples of questions:
the first week, isn't their prognosis Preconceived Ideas
fairly poor?
T or F Chocolate can cause acne.
When I report the results on the
I have developed something I call a T or F Tropical rain forest soil is third day, I read the question, give the
biology questionnaire that can get stu- rich and good for farming. percentages of responses, and ask the
dents interacting and thinking from T or F Warts can be caused by students what they think. Let me give
Day One of college, high school or
middle school biology courses.
touching toads. several examples:
The first subject concerns everyday * 68%T 32%F Sugar causes tooth
life, the second subjecthas been in the decay (dental cavities).
How It Works news media recently, and the third The answer is false. Bacteria actu-
On the first day, I hand out a list of hopefully raises a smile. By the way, ally feed on the sugar that pro-
15 true/false questions. The students the answers are all false. duces acids which destroy tooth
are instructed to find someone, not in
the class, who has never taken the
course and have him/her answer the Sample Questionnaire
questions. On the second day, the
students hand in their results. I tabu- Please return the scantron form by the NEXTCLASSso I can tabulatethem
late the results and report them on the this week.
third day. Thank you.
Directions:Findsomeoneage 18 or overwhohas nevertakena diseasecourse.This
personcouldbea fellowstudent,a relative,or anyoneyou canfind.
Why It Perks Student Interest
1. The student has immediately
done something that is active and
interactive in nature. DISEASEAND THEGENERAL
PUBLIC:
2. The student has undoubtedly A QUESTIONNAIRE
read the questions and wonders
if the person s/he gave the ques- True/False-Choose A for True and B for False:
tionnaire to answered correctly A B 1. Cold outdoor temperaturescan cause the common cold.
or not. A B 2. The lungs are part of the digestive system.
3. Because the questions are (hope- A B 3. If you step on a rusty nail, the rust can cause tetanus.
fully) interesting and fun, I'd like A B 4. In the U.S., one out of three people will contract cancer.
to believe that the student thinks, A B 5. In the U.S., tuberculosis is a rare disease today.
"Hey, if this course is anything A B 6. Warts can be caused by touching toads.
like this questionnaire, maybe it A B 7. Chicken soup can help relieve symptoms of the common cold.
will also be interesting and fun." A B 8. Chocolate can cause acne.
A B 9. A fever can help the human body fight disease organisms.
A B 10. The flow of the Chicago Riverwas reversed to decrease disease.
How I Make the Questions A B 11. Sugar causes tooth decay (dental cavities).
I have used questionnaires for Prin- A B 12. All ticks can transmit Lyme disease.
ciples of Biology, Microbiology, and A B 13. In the U.S., AIDS is the most common sexually transmitted
disease.
A B 14. Vomiting can help protect the human body.
Neil B. Schanker is an Instructorof Biol- A B 15. Strep throat should not be treated. It will go away anyway.
ogy at College of the Siskiyous in Weed,
CA 96094. Thank You For Your Time.

286 THEAMERICAN
BIOLOGY
TEACHER,
VOLUME
57, NO. 5, MAY1995
 enamel. Ever since they were lit-
tle, they've been told that "sugar
causes cavities"and this answerre- Sample Questionnaire
ally surprisesthem. Please return the scantron form WEDNESDAYso I can tabulatethem this
* 69%T 31%F The stomach is the week.
majorsite of digestion (breakdown Thank you.
of food).
The answer is false, but most peo- Directions:Find someoneage 18 or over who has nevertakena collegebiology
ple don't give the small intestine course.Thispersoncouldbea fellowstudent,a relative,or anyoneyou canfind.
much credit.
* 81%T 19%F If you step on a
rustynail,the rustcancausetetanus.
Sorry,it's not the rust, but bacteria.
False. BIOLOGYANDTHEGENERAL
PUBLIC:
* 34%T 66%F Some photosynthe- A QUESTIONNAIRE
tic reactionscan occurin the dark.
Many who thought they remem- True/False Choose A for True or B for False:
bered photosynthesis from high A B 1. The cell is the basic unit of life.
school biology are surprised that A B 2. Some photosynthetic reactions can occur in the dark.
this is true. A B 3. Vitaminsprovide you with energy.

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After going over the results, I know A B 4. Genetically,the father determines the child's sex.
I have their full attention and that this A B 5. The lungs are part of the digestive system.
is a "teachable moment." I tell my A B 6. The stomach is the majorsite of digestion (breakdownof food).
students that I pulled these questions A B 7. According to Darwin, modern giraffes have such long necks
frommy lecturenotes and thatthrough- because their ancestors were constantly stretching to reach
out the semester, we will be learning leaves.
moreaboutthese and other "fun facts." A B 8. Humans and dinosaurs once coexisted.
Although to some, this may sound like A B 9. Accordingto Darwin, chimpanzees evolved into humans.
"pop science," the fact that I will be A B 10. An oxygen molecule you just inhaled could have been inhaled
returningand delving into these topics by a dinosaur long ago.
justifiestheir use in my opinion. A B 11. Tropicalrain forest soil is rich and good for farming.
Does It Work? A B 12. Most ocean life is found toward the center, away from the
coasts.
As I'm going over the results, I A B 13. Aerosal spray bottles in the U.S. contribute to ozone layer
usually stop at about question number depletion.
seven and say that maybe I'll just stop A B 14. Worldwide birthrates have greatly increased during recent
there and do the rest next time. Invari- years.
ably, students shout, "No, don't A B 15. Science can solve most of society's problems.
stop!" and "Do the rest now!" I go
ahead and give the results, and I think Thank You For Your Time.
to myself, "Yes, I've grabbed your
interest. You're hooked!"

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BIOLOGY 287
QUESTIONNAIRES