This unit gives students the chance to learn more about the systems at work in their own body. Mr. McWeeny introduces this unit with vocabulary words and a lecture about the organization of organisms. Biogenesis, Spontaneous Generation, Respiration, and Life Processes are the vocabulary words Mr. McWeeny reviews with his students. Life processes, or the processes with which all life forms function, will be more further reviewed during the three labs he assigns. The five levels of organism organization Mr. McWeeny teaches are: 1. Cells (The smalles living substance that makes up all living organisms) 2. Tissue (Cells make up tissues) 3. Organs (Made of tissues ... Like the heart) 4. Systems (A group of organs that work together) 5. Organism (A living thing made up of systems) The Quiz around these vocabulary words and lecture has only seven questions: 1. What is an organism? 2. Define Life Process 3. Summarize the neaing "Biogenesis" 4. What is Spontaneous Generation/ Give one example of a myth founded on belief in this concept. 5. What is cellular respiration? Included in your answer what is needed and what is produced. (This is a review of cells from the Cell Unit Mr. McWeeny does with his students). 6. List three life processes (EXCEPT Respiration) and briefly explain each. 7. List and explain each of the 5 levels of organization, stating from the smallest unit to the largest. ughts and opinions ... Students didn't mind the quiz but the video they saw evoked some rather interesting questions as well as some strong thoughts and opinions: How in the world were the pictures shot inside the throat showing the vocal cords?" "How could there be a camera small enough to see an ear drum actually listening to music?" "I thought the video was too informative and way too graphical...In the future I hope to never see a video like that again. Forever."   The Respiratory Lab:Students liked the hands on approach to learning about the respiratory system: It is good to have it (the work) hands on … it is fun, you learn more if you actually do it yourself than when people lecture ... It is important (the respiratory system), it is your body, your life ... We learned the different parts ... how it (oxygen) goes through your mouth to your lungs, and we made a diagram. Students noted that Mr. McWeeny wouldn't give them answers ... They had to figure it our for themselves by doing the math. One student went so far as to say "In math, you don't always remember what you do because it is not on your own ..."     The pages of the Respiratory Lab assignment are below. Click on them to enlarge them. Page One, Part I: Determination of Lung Capacity Students are asked to fill 2-liter bottles with water and cap them. Next, they are to turn the bottles upside down in a half filled (with water) fish tank. The caps are removed under water and students place a rubber tube into one of the bottles. With a straw, they are to blow through the tube into the bottle. When one bottle is out, without taking a breath they are to switch bottles. The amount of air in the bottles is what is in their lungs. Page Two, Part II: Breath Waste Students breath onto the closed end of a freezer-cooled test tube. They see condensation and learn about heat as a waste product of breathing. Next they wipe the test tube and put a small amount of lime water in the bottom of the test tube. This helps them test for Carbon Dioxide.   Page Three, Part III: The Lung Machine Students label a diagram of a lung and consider a lung "machine" that uses a balloon and a rubber casing to demonstrate how a diaphram and rib cage makes us breath in and breath out. Page Four, Part IV: Breathing Health Mr. McWeeny has students rest quietly and count the number of breaths they breathe in a minute. Then he has them run up and down stairs before counting their breaths in a minute another time. By reviewing the change in their rate of breath, students can determine how if they are healthy or not. Once the lab is completed, students are to write in their journals about the experience. Specifically: How they felt about the lab (thoughts and opinions), How they felt their lab group worked out (was it effective? Why? Why not?), and then they are to list two things they learned.     The Circulatory Lab: Before the lab begins, students are to label the parts of the heart, show the direction of blood flow, color arrows blue that are oxygen-poor blood and color arrows red that are oxygen-rich blood on a heart diagram. Further, they are to answer ten questions about blood flow from a science book. Once the lab starts, students are pretty much on their own to get the assignments done. One student, after the lab, wrote that I thought the lab was fun because we were on our won most ot the time.   The fun paid off for for one student who explained that when he had a physical for basketball ... (my doctor) was telling me about blood flow ... I was able to give him answers … I was having circulation problems so I was wondering if it was because I ate too many bad foods ... And he said yes, your blood is moving through your veins too fast. He said that if you eat a lot of fatty things then (I may not have such problems). Another student remarked that she thought it was interesting that you get cold because your blood is slowing down... The pages of the Respiratory Lab assignment are below. Click on them to enlarge them.   The Nervous System Lab: During the Nervous System Lab ... We learned about stimuli and responses ... People kept writing when they were told to stop after a repetitive task. (We learned that) your body can't switch from one thing to another quickly ... it has to take time for the nerves to adjust. Students begin to closely observe these nerve-related behaviors during this lab. Beginning with voluntary and involuntary changes in their pupils, students explore what they can and can't control in their bodies. The Pupil Control activity works in the following way: Students are to cover one of their eyes with their hand for about a minute. When they remove their hand, they quickly look into a mirror and observe that their pupil gets smaller in an involuntary way because they could not control the size change. In similar exercises, students explore their reflexes and their receptors. Overall, students liked doing this lab in a group because "you get their ideas." The pages of the Nervous System Lab assignment are below. Click on them to enlarge them.

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A Year of 8th Grade Science Contents Introduction Bill's Teaching Biography Bill's Most Influential Books Bill's Teaching Philosophy An Interview with Bill McWeeny The Classroom Environment Setting Up the Year: Throughlines Setting Up the Year: Notebooks The Culturing Unit The Family Tree Unit The Cell Unit The Body Systems Unit     - Implementing the Body Systems Unit         - The Quiz and Video         - The Respiratory Lab         - The Circulatory Lab         - The Nervous System Lab     - The Body Systems Unit and TFU     - The Body Systems Assignments and Examples of Student Work Pictures of Practice Contents Introduction The Colonial Biography Unit (7th Grade History) A Year of Seventh Grade English A Year of Eighth Grade Science The Jazz Unit Snapshot Using the CCDT to Develop Generative Topics Teaching for Understanding Quick Menu - select a destination - INFORMATION   What's Understanding?     - An Interactive Look at Understanding   What's Teaching for Understanding?     - A Performance Criterion   What's the TfU Framework     - Throughlines     - Generative Topics     - Understanding Goals     - Performances of Understanding     - Ongoing Assessment PICTURES OF PRACTICE   The Colonial Biography Unit (7th Grade History)   A Year of Seventh Grade English   A Year of Eighth Grade Science   The Jazz Unit Snapshot   Using the CCDT to Develop Generative Topics COMMUNICATION CURRICULUM DESIGN TOOLS   Planners   Tip Sheets   On-line Tools

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