Jessica Abrams – Unit Matrix – 3/10/2003
Unit Planning Matrix – 9/10 Biology, The Cell Part II.
Week 1 -Transport
Monday/Tuesday -100 minutesa. What the students will do / List requirements for transport in the block/barrier models.
Students will listen to a lecture about barriers, where characteristics of barriers that we came up with in class linked to the cell membrane. Lecture will also include characteristics of the substances trying to enter the cell membrane such as size, lipid solubility and polarity.
Analyze the cell membrane as a barrier and describe characteristics of substances that can and cannot pass through the membrane in small groups.
Students will watch a Power Point presentation about diffusion and osmosis.
Describe how concentration gradients influence diffusion
b. Student learning objectives / 1. Students will describe what constitutes a barrier and describe characteristics of barriers.
2. Students will transfer their understand of common barriers to analyze the cell membrane as a barrier.
3. Students will be able to determine whether or not substances can pass through a barrier based on their size, lipid solubility and polarity.
c. Resources / Block/Barrier models
d. Justification for teaching ideas/skills / One principle in understanding any system is to know how things enter and exit the system. The cell is a system whose health is partially dependent on what it can get from the outside environment. Thus an understanding of how substances are transported into and out of the cell will aid in students’ understanding of the cell as a system.
Justification for instructional strategies / It is a conceptual challenge to understand how substances are transported across the cell membrane. This is primarily because it requires conceptualizing of cells and molecules that cannot be seen. However, it is not impossible to understand these processes. By giving the students a tangible model on which to base their understanding, students can then use this model to understand the cell membrane and transfer processes. Students will also need instruction in factors that influence what can transport through a cell. To aid in the understanding of this abstract process, students will first listen to a lecture to give them a knowledge base, and then get into small groups where they work a particular transport question where they’re asked if a substance would transport or not. The small group work is used to help student collaborate on to enhance their understanding of transport, and the single problem they work on is to give them situated practice solving real problems involving the cell and transport of a particular substance.
e. Evidence of student understanding / Students will fill out a transport worksheet in small groups with several scenarios, asking whether or not transport will occur, and if so, in what direction. Collecting and examining these sheets will give the teacher a good sense of whether students understand the central concepts from the day.
Wednesday/Thursday -100 minutes
a. What the students will do / Students will engage in a lecture where we review information and concepts from earlier in the week that will be important for the lab (Inquiry: building a knowledge base)
Students will observe a demo of diffusion and osmosis using dialysis tubing (full of normal saline) and a high salinity solution.
Students will be asked to hypothesize about what would happen if the tubing were placed in a sugar or oil solution (Inquiry: crafting predictions).
Students will break into groups and test their hypothesis using either sugar or oil solutions. There will be a pre-written procedure for this process (Inquiry: conducting an investigation).
Students will record results of experiment in their lab notebook and analyze the results using prior knowledge established earlier in the week (Inquiry: analyzing data).
b. Student learning objectives / 1. Students will know how size and concentration influence diffusion and osmosis.
2. Students will use the scientific method to test their hypotheses about diffusion.
3. Students will demonstrate proper safety protocols for the experimental period.
c. Resources / Dialysis tubing, sugar water solution, salt water solution, oil solution, lab notebooks, weigh scales.
d. Justification for teaching ideas/skills / Diffusion and osmosis are abstract concepts, however, they take place all around us. An understanding of diffusion and osmosis can be transferred from the experimental situation to the cell, to the lungs, to the kidneys, to atmospheric sciences and many other disciplines.
Justification for instructional strategies / Because diffusion and osmosis are abstract concepts, it is necessary to see the affects of both in a tangible way. Through experimenting with the affects of different solutions on the weight of saline filled dialysis tubing, students will be able to see how molecules are transported across barriers is a selective and predictable way.
e. Evidence of student understanding / I will be circulating the room during the lab to monitor student progress. One way that I will gather evidence of understanding is through questioning students during the lab.
Friday -50 minutes
a. What the students will do / Students will present their results from the experiment using posters (Inquiry: presenting findings). The posters will describe the different scenarios in which diffusion and osmosis occurred. Students will also be responsible for describing why diffusion and osmosis occurred in their experiment.
b. Student learning objectives / 1. Students will use experimental evidence to describe how size and concentration affect diffusion.
2. Students will be able to describe when and why diffusion occurs.
c. Resources / Poster paper, colored pens.
d. Justification for teaching ideas/skills / One of the primary step in inquiry is to present your results. In this part of the class, students will present their results and in this way, make their thinking clear to the class and hopefully reemphasize their thinking to themselves.
Justification for instructional strategies / It is important that the class feel united in their search for understanding. After every member of the class has conducted an inquiry investigation about diffusion and osmosis, it will be important for them to share their results with each other. In this way, we are all sharing in the building of knowledge.
e. Evidence of student understanding / Student understanding of diffusion and osmosis will be demonstrated in their poster presentation and from viewing their lab notebooks. In the presentations, I will look for consideration of concentration, size and lipid solubility in presentations of experimental results and conclusions.
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Jessica Abrams – Unit Matrix – 3/10/2003
Week 2- Energy Flow/Specialization
Monday/Tuesday -100 minutesa. What the students will do / Students will listen to a lecture about energy and its various forms.
Students will brainstorm a list of familiar objects that consume energy.
Students will identify the forms of energy that are used or produced in each object.
Students will trace the flow of energy through each object by drawing a picture of their object and labeling the various areas that either use or produce energy.
Students will break into small groups to discuss the question, “Do cells use energy?”
Students will present group ideas to the class through an informal statement of their answer to the question.
Students will read part of their textbook that describes the various physiological processes in cells.
Students will use their knowledge of cell anatomy and physiology to create a list of areas in the cell that either use or produce energy.
b. Student learning objectives / 1. Students will be able to recognize various forms of energy.
2. Students will be able to identify processes that require energy in common objects.
c. Resources / Bring overheads of various objects that use and produce.
d. Justification for teaching ideas/skills / In order to understand the cell and why it operates the way it does, you need to understand energy flow. Energy is one of the main requirements for systems to operate whether they are biotic (the cell) or abiotic (volcanoes). Much is the cell is geared toward the production and consumption of energy. Thus, to understand the purpose of the cell, one must understand the flow of energy through a cell.
Justification for instructional strategies / At the beginning of this class, it will be necessary to build a knowledge base about energy. Once we can all understand the basics of energy, we’ll be ready to analyze systems that use energy. I like to start with familiar system such as cars, animals etc, because this gives students a way to apply new knowledge to a familiar situation. Group work will be essential in this process. First, because it will bring out any misconceptions about energy in a safe environment. Second, it will allow other students or the teacher to correct and resolve any misunderstandings about energy flow. The last part of the class involves introducing a question to the class. This question will guide the rest of the lesson on energy. It will also be the reason we explore future activities in this lesson.
e. Evidence of student understanding / During class and group discussions, I will look for evidence for students understanding of energy, energy forms and energy use. This will be demonstrated in small group discussions and during interactive lectures. For a homework assignment, student will need to use their textbook or any other resources available to them and list at least three areas of the cell that use energy, and three that either take in or produce energy.
Wednesday/Thursday -100 minutes
a. What the students will do / Students will compile and consolidate their lists of sources and sinks of energy in the cell.
Students will watch a movie about cell functioning and then compare ideas from the movie with the sources and sinks of energy described in their homework.
Students participate in a lecture where we draw a picture of a cell on the board and each group of students writes one area of the cell where energy is created or received, and one where it is used.
b. Student learning objectives / 1. Students will be able to identify areas of the cell that produce (or receive) and consume energy.
2. Students will be able to describe the mitochondria’s/chloroplast’s role as energy producer in the cell.
3. Student will use multiple sources of data (textbook, class and movie) to enhance their understanding of energy flow in cells.
c. Resources / Cell movie.
d. Justification for teaching ideas/skills / Energy is a primary theme in many subject areas. It is also a theme in our everyday lives. Many objects that students use daily require energy, including them. The flow of energy in cells can be used as a model for understanding the flow of energy in other biotic and abiotic objects. It will also enhance students’ understanding of their bodies energy needs.
Justification for instructional strategies / The primary objective of today’s class will be to compare student ideas about energy to multiple sources. This will be accomplished by comparing student ideas from the homework to a movie and in-class lecture on energy flow through cells. As the class compares their ideas about energy in cells to these multiple sources, they will be participating in knowledge building and refining together. I believe that the skill of working as a class to build understanding will reinforce the need for teamwork when trying to understand a difficult concept. It will also prepare them for their culminating project for the unit where they will also work in groups.
e. Evidence of student understanding / Evidence of understanding will come from multiple areas in this lecture. First, I will review student homework and look for evidence that they were able to understand the characteristics of objects that produce or consume energy. Second, I will observe students’ comparisons of their ideas to the movie, and look for evidence of knowledge refining. Lastly, during the lecture about energy flow in cells using a diagram, I will look for students’ concrete knowledge about sources and sinks of energy in cells.
Specialization
Friday -50 minutesa. What the students will do / As a class, survey the different types of organs in our body. Then, students will give their ideas about the function of these particular systems in the body.
Students will do an in-class reading jigsaw in groups using an article that describes the various cells from each organ systems and how they are specialized. The goal of the group work will be for each member to answer the question, “How is your cell specialized for its specific purpose in the body?” After individual sharing is complete, groups will create posters about how cells are specialized. At the end of the day, student will participate in a lecture where we look at real pictures of specialized cells and try to find evidence of specialization in the pictures.
b. Student learning objectives / 1. Students will be able to identify four different types of cells in the body.
2. Students will be able to list one way that a cell is specialized for its particular function in the body.
3. Students will be able to reason why each specialized cell is structured differently than the other cells.
c. Resources / Large picture of human body, overhead of the different types of cells in the body, poster board.
d. Justification for teaching ideas/skills / Part of the fun of science, is to use your skills in order to gather data or problem solve. In this circumstance, students already know about the energy needs of cells and the anatomy and physiology of cells. Now is there chance to reason about how cells are specialized based on their function in the body. By knowing about how various organs work (muscles, nerves, skin) and comparing this to their knowledge of the cell, student should be able to reason about cell specialization (with some help from the instructor and jigsawed readings). Once they have done this, they will feel empowered with their ability to use their skills to understand something new.
Justification for instructional strategies / The beginning of the class will involve eliciting student ideas about different organ systems in the body. Rather than lecturing about this, I think it will be useful to instead use the knowledge that is already present in the room. Using a reading jigsaw has many documented benefits in the classroom. First, it gives students an essential role in their group and second it places them in an expert position in their group, which can enhance their motivation to work. Form a time standpoint, the jigsaw also allows a large amount of information to be covered in less time than it would be during a normal lecture. The last part of the day will involve looking at real pictures of cells and trying to diagnose how they are specialized. I think that this brings a realism and practical-ness to the lecture.
e. Evidence of student understanding / I will look for evidence of student learning primarily in student poster presentations of specialization. Since I will have kept track of which students researched a particular cell, I will be able to look at the posters and determine how well each student understood their cell.
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Jessica Abrams – Unit Matrix – 3/10/2003
Week 3 –Homeostasis/ Review from the Unit/Begin Formal Performance Assessment
Monday/Tuesday – 100 minutesa. What the students will do / Student will address the question in class, “What do cells need to survive” in-class during a facilitated lecture. Once we have a list of cell needs, students will listen to a lecture about the biological limits of cell needs such as limits on temperature, waste disposal, and reproductive frequency. At this point the lecture will transition to the idea of homeostasis in general systems.
Students will then break into small groups and discuss requirements for homeostasis in themselves. Each group will then report their ideas to the class. After this, we will list the requirements for homeostasis in cells based on the class’s understanding of: the requirements for life, cell transport, energy flow and specialization.
b. Student learning objectives / 1. Student will diagnose the needs of cells based on their knowledge of the needs of all living organisms and on the cells needs for transport, energy and specialization.
2. Students will know that cells require a certain amount of energy, metabolism, reproduction and waste disposal to maintain a balanced internal environment.
c. Resources / No extra resources required for this class.
d. Justification for teaching ideas/skills / The concept of homeostasis governs many living systems. The cell is perhaps on of the smallest units in which to understand this phenomenon. However, characteristics of homeostasis in cells can be transferred to many other living systems. In this way, learning about cell homeostasis is giving students a model for understanding other living systems.
Justification for instructional strategies / I think that the most logical way to understand homeostasis is to begin with an understanding of the needs of cells. Student will have already studied this, so the beginning of class will be primarily used to solicit students’ knowledge about this. The next step in this logical progression involves placing limits on the various needs of cells. Once I have made this suggestion, I think that it will be appropriate to transition to the idea of homeostasis. By this time, student will have enough background information to understand the concept. To test whether students understand the concepts discussed in class, they will break into small groups and apply ideas from the lecture to themselves in answering the question, “What do I need for homeostasis?” The last transition of the class will be to apply our understanding of homeostasis to cells. At this point, students will have spent the day building their knowledge about the subject area. This last part will be an opportunity for them to apply their knowledge and will demonstrate to me whether or not they can transfer ideas about requirements for life and homeostasis in themselves to the cell.