The science curriculum standard for high schools in Japan places great emphasis on the practice of observation and experimentation. It is necessary, therefore, to develop suitable teaching materials for the practice. The present study was undertaken to see if the method of environmental evaluation based on the faunal composition of butterflies (Tanaka 1988) was suitable for a teaching material for observational and survey exercises in high school biology. The author surveyed the faunal composition of butterflies by Tanaka’s method at Sasazuka, Shibuya, Tokyo and at Naganuma, Hachioji, Tokyo. A similar survey was carried out in a field of Tokyo Gakugei University, Koganei, Tokyo, by senior students of the university who were all science education majors. The environmental conditions in Naganuma were evaluated as being mainly in the primitive stage, while those of Sasazuka and the field of Tokyo Gakugei University were mainly in the rural stage.

From the present study, it was confirmed that the present method was applicable to the survey in accessible locations and within a short period. The environmental evaluation based on the faunal composition of butterflies may, therefore, be suitable for one of the survey exercises in high school biology. Educational application of this survey to high school biology is discussed.

For most high school students in their biology laboratories, it seems difficult to extract DNA from tissues because the ordinary DNA extraction procedure which has been used in high school biology laboratories is complex and there are some problems with it.

The procedure was simplified to help biology teachers introduce the experiment in their ordinary biology classes. A cleansing and preservative solution for hard contact lenses was used as a detergent in place of sodium dodecyl sulphate, SDS. In order to freeze plant material to be crushed into fine pieces, dry ice, which can easily be obtained, was used instead of liquid nitrogen. The simplified procedure was shown to be applicable to DNA extraction from broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck.) flower buds as well as to that from a codfish (Gadus macrocephalus Tilesius) testis.

By using this procedure, students will be able to extract DNA from both animal and plant tissues within one class hour. This is very beneficial for the study of DNA in high school biology classes.