Life….A framework for study…

Dan Bartsch, TeacherScience Horizons Initiative

2010

Rationale…Students in life sciences rarely arrive in class with a framework for which to tie class experiences (labs, inquiry work, experiments, and readings towards), and many have no idea how relevant biological study is towards their lives not only now, but in the future as well. The framework and lessons that follow attempt to build a schema for which any biological experience can be related back to and student inquiry can emerge from.

Standards and Correlates

Standard 1…Students, through the inquiry process, demonstrate the ability to design, conduct, evaluate, and communicate the results and form reasonable conclusions from scientific investigations.

Standard 2…Students, through the inquiry process, demonstrate knowledge of properties, forms, changes and interactions of physical and chemical systems.

Standard 3…Students, through the inquiry process, demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics, structures, and functions of living things, the process and diversity of life, and how living organisms interact with each other and their environment.

Instructional Focus

•Basic Concepts and Knowledge•Students develop an understanding of scientific concepts using

facts, theories, principles, and models.•Unifying Concepts and Processes•Students recognize patterns and processes, making connections in

terms of systems and subsystems that explain the interrelationships of the natural and designed world.

•Science as Inquiry•Students demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to perform

scientific inquiry.•Habits of Mind•Students develop habits of mind including curiosity, open-

mindedness and persistence.•Communication•Students communicate and apply scientific concepts.•Science in Personal and Social Perspectives•Students apply scientific principles to personal and social issues.

Life Processes

• Order of importance

• Relate to all life levels

The Five Parameters

• Food, Gasses, Pressure, Temperature, Water

• Goldilocks

Homeostasis Inquiry

• Chemical• Physical

The big eleven1. Respiration (tree)2. Circulation (pulse)

3. Responsiveness (knuckles)4. Boundary maintenance (circle)

5. Movement (spirit fingers)6. Adaptation (fist/hand)7. Digestion (break apart)

8. Absorption (eight fingers up)9. Assimilation (nine fused)

10. Excretion (ten away)11. Reproduction

Lesson Plan…day one…Learn the big eleven….give minor descriptions of each term, teach

hand signals (amidst other things…)

Lesson Plan Day 2…Do Now: Review the big eleven with a partner and

go through the hand signalsDo Next: Group quiz

Do After: Read about the organelles of the cellon assigned pages and relate each of the following organelles with at

least one of the eleven life properties.

...would continue to the next day

...Assessment would be a written assignment responding to the following prompt...

Define each of the big eleven life properties in your own words...

Correlate the structures of the cell to the eleven

life properties

(Rationale…using terminology is crucial, it’s

not always(ever) about memorization…the key is to apply and then adapt

to a new situation…this would be a group

activity)

The Parameters of Life

…Relate back to the eleven• Every lab, every process,

would be in the context of homeostatic balance (Goldilocks and the teeter totter)…

• Initial labs :• Bromoblue/respiration• Hr. training/circulation• Nystagmus/pulse

Real world applicationsOpen ended inquiry

• Use of probeware to explore

Big Concepts…big evaluationBiology students…Osmosis long term project with dialysis tubing (squooshie cells) and common sports drinks and nutrients…poster presentations of at least one data set from major class experiments. (Google Doc’s)

Anatomy students….Wolfe’s/Davis Law self-designed experiments about the adaptation of various tissues.

Lab/Daily Notebook

Each Lab/Reading/activity• Biweekly summary that

must include a ‘shout out’ to the relevant eleven life properties and/or life parameters

• Relate structure of the week to parameter or property

• Google doc/data update.

Notebook Rubric• 4….daily observations and

notes visible and evident, including missed day updates, bi-weekly summaries up to date, structure/organism of the week noted/documentation of both reading log and google updates.