I am looking for a book to teach very simple and applied stats (a first class about descriptive and inferential stats). I previously used the book : "Introductory Probability and Statistics: Applications for Forestry and the Natural Sciences Kozak, A.; Kozak, R. A.; Staudhammer, C. L.; Watts, S. B."
While the book was great as it covers the material and has a few applied examples, I find that the questions and practice problems in the book were very academic (questions with dice, and such). My class was meant for students who will not be statisticians but technicians in wildlife managment/biology.
They enjoy real life situations problems. Does anyone know a book covering the same material, but with more real life situations?
I have often used Pagano and Gauvreau for such a course. The topics are about right, the level is pre-calculus, the data are real, and the authors are practicing statisticians in the Harvard med and publish health schools.
Possible disadvantages: data are mostly heealth/medical and not much forestry/ecology. Also, there are no key formulas in boxes; the author's approach seems to be to get students to think the process through each time. Also, you may not find quite enough basic drill exercises. You may want to get some data of your own in various fields, make your own list of formulas for review, and make up a some numerical drill problems.
I have also used Daniel's book. Some realistic data, but maybe no actual real data. (He told me once that he simulated some of the data as normal based on published $\bar X$'s and sample SD's.) It has been through several editions, but even recently little trace of computer use. Also, I found the arrangement of topics (separating tests and CIs) to be frustrating. Still, it's at the right level and maathematically correct.
Over many years I have tried a variety of other texts before I retired to teaching only stat grad courses part time. Maybe something wonderful has come onto the market in the last couple of years, but the two books I mentioned above are the only ones I know of that I would ever use again for beginning undergrads with majors outside of statistics.
There is a very nice elementary book by Dalgaard, but it's main goal is to teach basics of statistical analysis with R software. Real bio/medical data. First-rate statistical consultant/ analyst/ programmer. For the right students, I'd use it without hesitation, but from what you say I don't guess it's right for your classes.