What day is it? What week? No ones knows anymore. This just feels like a constant and endless cycle of trying to hunt down assignments in the random places students are trying to turn them in to (even though you specifically said to turn it in to google classroom), 2 weeks after it was due while also trying to explain to juggle the barrage of parent and student emails. Sound familiar enough? Even with all the chaos and struggles of distance learning, I do appreciate the fact that we get to cover material that I wouldn't normally have the time to. This is why I have been focusing so heavily on the human body systems with the kids for the past couple of weeks. The topic is engaging, relevant and provides some activities students and their families and can do at home together. Also, most parents are somewhat familiar with the human body, so if a student wants them to help, they won't be ripping their hair out, compared to a more complex topic, such as let's say, genetics? This week is a fun and familiar body system to cover, the MUSCULAR SYSTEM. Since the kids already have some prior knowledge of this system, I tried to focus on extensions of how the system works and also spiral in some review of cellular respiration and lactic acid fermentation. So here is the breakdown of the activities: #1 Feel the "burn" lab: I do this with my kids when we cover cellular respiration to talk about aerobic respiration vs. anaerobic fermentation and the process of lactic acid fermentation. It is such a good activity and requires no equipment that I thought to bring it back in a condensed version. Students use their hands to feel the lactic acid build up and record data of how long that takes. Students then connect this to previous experiences and makes connections between the muscular system and the respiratory system through cellular respiration. #2: What is the strongest muscle?: Students read the article "What is our strongest muscle?" from NewsELA (you an also adjust reading levels for the article as needed). They then pick one of the muscles mentioned in the article and construct an argument about which is the strongest (there is no wrong answer here, they just need evidence to back it up). There is a spot for students to include links to the websites they used to provide evidence, which is great practice for citing sources. #3 Muscles in Space: Students read a short article put out by NASA on muscle atrophy in space and then watch a video that covers how space exploration affects muscles. Students then predict the effects of space on muscles by drawing the muscles of the lower let of an astronaut that has been in space for 30 days. This also introduces them to some of the muscles found in the leg. Students then describe how muscles are affected by the lack of movement. #4 Interactions with the Nervous System: Students conduct a virtual lab where they explore how muscles stimulated by the nervous system, collect data on how different muscles respond to increased weight and stimuli, and answer guided questions using the data collected as their evidence. If you are interested in purchasing this lesson, you can do so through TpT
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4/21/2020 0 Comments Digestive System Distance LearningMany of the articles I have been seeing have debated whether to try to teach the kids new information during our time away or to just review. My thought is, why not do both? At the beginning of the school year, we go over biochemistry, which includes the biomolecules, their functions, nutrition and enzymes. No matter how interesting I make it, it still is a very difficult unit for them to grasp. We cover human body systems at the end of year, so I thought the digestive system would be a great way to spiral back to this unit. Next year, I may even throw this into the biochemistry unit towards the end to cap it off. You could even add this onto a unit on cellular respiration and begin with the digestive system and how molecules are broken down, and then focus on glucose and how it is broken down and absorbed by the body, and then go even more molecular and focus on the cellular processes. Like my other human body systems distance learning activities, I tried to make it easy enough for the kids to follow along on their own, while providing short chunks of information with activities to go along with it. So here we go: This set of activities follows the flow of food from the beginning of the digestive system to the end. At each stop, the kids learn information and preform a short activity to go with that organ. Using the 5E model: Engage The Mouth: Students learn about the mouth's purpose in the digestive system, while also reviewing the concept of monomers and polymers. Students preform a demonstration and then describe how salivary amylase helps us break down food. Explore: The Esophagus: Students describe how peristalsis works in the esophagus to bring food to the stomach even if they were upside down. Explain: The stomach: The function of the stomach and its relation to the pH scale is explored. My kids don't seem to come to me with the knowledge of what pH is, so I give a simple and brief explanation, along with describing where stomach acid falls. Students then look at a graph describing the activity levels of enzymes at different pH levels. Using what they have just learned, student need to analyze why certain enzymes work best at certain pH levels. This really works on the student's ability to interpret graphs. It is explained how to read the graph and some support is included on the graph as well for students who struggle. Elaborate: The small intestine: The function of the small intestine is described, with a focus on the enzymes found in the small intestine, specifically, how carbohydrates are broken down. Students read a brief case study on lactose intolerance and must explain the reasoning behind the person's symptoms. The large intestine, rectum and anus: The one perk of distance learning, is that I don't have to talk about the anus in front of thirty, 14 year old (just kidding, we are science teachers, we could care less right??). This gives a brief overview of the function along with the role bacteria play in the gut. I focus on this because one of the Texas TEKS is that bacteria can be beneficial and it is a common misconception that all bacteria are "bad." Kids use the link (click on the word link, it is embedded) and summarize 3 of the beneficial functions bacteria have in the gut. The helper organs: We can't forget all of the supporting actors in this process. I find that there are so many pieces to the digestive system, that many kids get overwhelmed, so I way try to keep it REALLY simple. Students click on the link for a short article which describes the function of the 3 accessory organs, and then match the description with the corresponding organ. I will be using this through google classroom and have my kids "write" in the answers using Kami, Dochub, or they can print it out and write directly on it. They just then attach their files to me on the assignment and that's it. If you have other annotation extensions, please let us know in the comments. We love to hear from other teachers! Thanks y'all and keep chugging. If you would like the purchase the lesson, please see TpT. 4/14/2020 0 Comments Distance Learning: Nervous SystemHello friends for another installment of distance learning related to the human body systems. I hope everyone is staying healthy and in good spirits as we continue down this unprecedented journey. This week, I have made a distance learning infographic/hyperdoc inspired activity related to the nervous system. If you read my last post, you know that the Texas standards TEKS, don't really include the human body systems per se, but they have a way of showing up on STAAR. And in this case, the body systems lend themselves perfectly for some fun lab activities that don't require special equipment, and can involve the whole family in learning. These activities were created for my diverse mostly 9th grade Biology classes, but could also be used for middle school, if you have more determined kiddos. The nervous system is one that kids have some familiarity with, but can't seem to really describe what it does. This is why I wanted to include some fun, hands-on activities that will help them understand how the nervous system and the body work together to interpret and respond to external and internal stimuli. And as you know, I am a huge fan of the 5E model, so I will always include that formatting here Here is the run-down: Engage: Activity 1: Students write out what they know about the 5 senses. Since students have been learning about the 5 senses since elementary, that will help them connect their prior knowledge. Explore: Activity #2: Students record their reaction times to the online test found here . Students first record their own reaction times. Then students have a friend or family member "distract them", and complete the trials a second time. Students then analyze the data and relate it back to the information flow of the nervous system. Explain: Activity #3: Using this article and video , students now apply the 5 senses to the science of the nervous system and watch a 2 minute video on the basics. Students are instructed to debrief using the 3-2-1 strategy. Explore: Activity #4: Students study different optical illusions to illustrate how the brain and the eyes can work together to process information. Exit ticket: Students they create a "two-dollar" summary using key words from the lesson. If you interested in purchasing this lesson, please head to my TpT store here 4/9/2020 0 Comments Science Teaching Resources, Distance learning is hard. Period. You want your kids to be engaged in fun activities to keep their minds off of this craziness and yet, you also want them to get quality content, all while you are not there to help them. We were essentially on our last unit before all of this hit. It covers a wide variety of topic from plant reproduction to human body systems, to levels of organization. Last week, we did a into to human body systems with a web quest. In the next coming weeks, we will be exploring a number of human body systems through some guided activities. Especially with distance learning, I try to up the scaffolding by making by instructions VERY clear and in a step by step manner so it is easy to follow for the kids. So, I am a 9th grade (mostly) Texas biology teacher. If you are also in Texas, you know that STAAR (our high stakes testing) was canceled this year, YAY! Now, while human body systems are not really in the 9th grade TEKS (they are a 7th grade one) you also know that STAAR questions show up EVERY year with multiple questions about them, and the fact that kids need to know how their bodies function. So we usually cover it to some extent anyway. But the silver lining of all of this is that we get to cover more of the human body systems in more depth than normal. Hooray for silver linings. If you are a middle school teacher or an anatomy teacher, this will also work for you as well. I will work on first making the middle school/9th grade versions of these and then I will go back and up the ante for my Anatomy and Physiology and upper level friends. But for right now, these 6 activities are something that our students can easily do and have fun! I am a proponent of the 5E model, so I organized the activities by that as well. So down to the details. Engage Activities: Activity #1: Students will measure their resting heart rate using BPM (no equipment required for any part of this lab) Activity #2: Students then measure their exercise pulse using jumping jacks. Activity #3: Exercise pulse is measured using a family member of friend (in same household of course) There are discussion questions which has students relate their experiences back to the circulatory system Explore Activity: Activity #4: Using this website (flash is needed, but usually runs fine on Chromebooks), students will first read about the different components on the circulatory system and answer guided questions. Then, students will trace the pattern of a RBC through the body and summarize the travel pattern of a RBC. Explain Activity: Activity #5: Teachers can download the article from NewsELA (one of my favorite sites) "What animal has the weirdest heart?" or have students login to their accounts. I recommend printing the article as a PDF and then uploading it to your platform (I use Google classroom). Student can then annotate on paper or use the Kami or Dochub extensions to annotate the article using the guide. There are also guided questions for students. Elaborate Activity: Activity #6: One of the ways that STAAR usually tests students in through the interactions between different body systems. Here students will read a paragraph on running and then use a graphic organizer to give examples of how those body systems work in conjunction with the circulatory system. I will be assigning this on Friday of this week, and it will be due for my kids the following Friday. This will be the only assignment for the week as their is multiple sections for them to complete. If you would like to purchase this lesson, it is on my Teachers pay Teachers account here Below, activities are listed under the most relevant label. Click on the link to access.
DISTANCE LEARNING: Human Body Systems: Circulatory System Activities Nervous System Activities Digestive System Activities Muscular System Activities Pathogens and the Immune System Activities Respiratory System Activities DIGITAL INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOK (CAN BE USED REMOTELY OR IN CLASS) Scientific Method Canister Activity Science equipment and Lab Safety CER Introduction Data Collection and Graphing Data Collection and Graphing Breakout Room Game Data Analysis DNA DNA Basics Notes Ecology Food Chains and Energy Pyramids Food Webs Biomagnification Ecological Succession Community Interactions Ecological Levels of Organization Biomes Nitrogen Cycle Biochemistry Biochemistry Vocabulary Basics Macromolecule Practice Enzymes Basics Enzyme Reaction Rate Lab Cell Processes Cell Basics Cells Monster Breakout Game Homeostasis and the Cell Membrane Cell Transport (osmosis, diffusion, active vs. passive etc.) Virtual & At Home Osmosis and Diffusion Labs Energy in a Cell Photosynthesis Advanced Photosynthesis Modeling (AP/IB Honors etc.) |
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