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Investigating Life

The Investigating Life thread begins every chapter with a fascinating real-life story emerging from actual research. The story concludes with an Opening Question that is explored throughout the chapter’s Investigating Life thread. By the end of the chapter, students should be able to understand the answer to the Opening Question.

Experiment & Work with the Data

The chapter continually returns to the opening story and question: the Experiment describes the original research behind the story and the Work with the Data gives students the opportunity to analyze research results for themselves. Work with the Data includes questions in the book and an additional corresponding exercise online and assignable in LaunchPad.

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The Investigating Life thread provides a consistent pathway through each chapter that engages students from the first page (Opening Story), through the body of the chapter (Experiment, Work with the Data), to the last page (Future Directions). Through this emphasis on real experiments and data analysis, these learning tools show students how the concepts they’re learning apply to the real world.

Answer to Opening Question and Future Directions

As the final piece of the Investigating Life thread, the Opening Question, which students have been considering throughout the whole chapter, is restated and the answer is explained in full detail. The final Future Directions section explores new questions and research opportunities that the chapter content leads to, setting the stage for students to consider how the textbook material matters in their lives.

Media Links

Throughout the chapter, Media Links prompt students to go online for video clips, animations, activities, and simulations that correspond to what they’re reading. All of these items can be assigned in LaunchPad, and most are accompanied by assessments.