Big Idea 14: Organization and Development of Living Organisms

This interactive game uses the traditional hangman premise with all questions and answers involving science vocabulary. There are general sets of science vocabulary to choose from, as well as specific topics. You can even choose vocabulary pertaining to 5th or 8th grade FCAT Science Tests!

Type: Educational Game

This collection of images of six different animals illustrates the wide range of feeding strategies and physical structures that have grown out of the relationship between organisms and their food. The environment plays a dramatic role in shaping the evolutionary changes that organisms undergo, and for animals, food is one of the most important components of the environment.

Type: Image/Photograph

Students will investigate the relationship between an organ and its function focusing on the stomach, liver, small and large intestines, and pancreas. They will be given a budget when purchasing their items to make their organ prototypes (adding/subtracting decimals).

Type: Lesson Plan

In this STEM design challenge, students will build a working hand model to examine the function of the skeletal and muscular systems.

Type: Lesson Plan

Have you ever wondered why we have lungs? What really controls our breathing? In this lesson, students will identify parts of the lungs and explain their functions. Students will also create a working model of the lungs.

Type: Lesson Plan

Can you name that organ with one clue? What about two? Students will get the opportunity to research organs and create clue cards with at least four clues that will help others Name That Organ!

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is an easy to follow guide to teaching students about the three main sections of the brain and some of their functions.

Type: Lesson Plan

Have you ever wondered why we have a heart? What is the hearts function within our body? In this lesson students will identify the parts of the heart and its functions in conjunction with the circulatory system. Students will be exposed to an interactive diagram where the parts of the heart are displayed individually its functions are explained. Students will get hands-on by completing several pulse experiments with their own heartbeat.

Type: Lesson Plan

This Model Eliciting Activity (MEA) is written at a 5th grade level. In this open-ended problem, students are presented with a variety of exercise machines, the best health feature of each machine, prices, and popularity (based on a local competitor's gym). Students must rank the exercise machines and describe their procedures for ranking. The durability of each machine feature is later added as a twist so that students can revise or test their original procedures.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx

Type: Lesson Plan

Students work in cooperative groups to research and write questions for an active game designed to review the major organs of the systems of the human body (digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and excretory system).

Type: Lesson Plan

It's ALIVE! Or is it? Engage students with a hands-on look at muscles, tissues, bones, bone marrow, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and connective tissue. It is an exciting way to hook students into learning the structures promoting a better understanding of how they work. It will be a lab students will refer back to and remember! The lab takes about 1 hour; however the research and presentations can take up to a week.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson explores the similarities between how a human being moves/walks and how a robot moves. This allows students to see the human body as a system, i.e., from the perspective of an engineer. It shows how movement results from (i) decision making, i.e., deciding to walk and move, and (ii) implementing the decision by conveying the decision to the muscle (human) or motor (robot).

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson explores the similarities between how a human being moves/walks and how a robot moves. This allows students to see the human body as a system, i.e., from the perspective of an engineer. It shows how movement results from (i) decision making, i.e., deciding to walk and move, and (ii) implementing the decision by conveying the decision to the muscle (human) or motor (robot).

Type: Lesson Plan

Have you ever wondered why we have skin? What is the skins function for our body? In this lesson, students will identify the parts of the skin and its functions in conjunction with the integumentary system. Students will be exposed to an interactive diagram where the parts of the skin are displayed individually its functions are explained. Students will get hands-on by creating a 3-dimensional model of the skin and its parts.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this activity, students filter different substances through a plastic window screen, different sized hardware cloth and poultry netting. Their model shows how the thickness of a filter in the kidney is imperative in deciding what will be filtered out and what will stay within the blood stream.

Type: Lesson Plan

The general manager (GM) of a National Football League (NFL) team has to decide which injured players to going to cut (remove) from the team and which players to keep. This is a very difficult decision for the GM to make. The GM cares about the players and this decision will end the football careers of those who are cut. This happens every season, so the GM wants a system that can be used to make this decision every year. Experts in the organs of the human body and their functions are needed to create this system.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this activity, students participate in a series of timed relay races using their skeletal muscles. The students compare the movement of skeletal muscle and relate how engineers help astronauts exercise skeletal muscles in space.

Type: Lesson Plan

Identify the basic needs of living things,the ways living things protect, support and reproduce. Also compare and contrast how plants and animals meet their basic needs in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn to:

• identify the heart as an important organ for life.
• describe the features of the heart including the four chambers, pulmonary artery and veins, the aorta and the valves.
• explain functions of the various parts of the heart.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

If you watch this video, your brain will be learning more about itself! Think about it.

Type: Perspectives Video: Expert

Understanding human physiology will allow you to stand under your own power at the end of a long rowing trip.

Related Resources:
KROS Pacific Ocean Kayak Journey: GPS Data Set[.XLSX]
KROS Pacific Ocean Kayak Journey: Path Visualization for Google Earth[.KML]

Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.

Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast

Students make predictions, then plan and conduct an investigation. They discuss whether their evidence is consistent with a proposed explanation and communicate the steps and results from their investigation.

Type: Teaching Idea

Students investigate sea lion adaptations and create a sketch that illustrates a sea lion's body parts and adaptations.

Type: Teaching Idea

In this teaching idea, students gather evidence to understand features that enable animals to meet their needs. In particular, students examine images and videos of the mouth structures of different animals to help them understand how animals are adapted to obtain food in their environment.

Type: Teaching Idea

Students will explore the structure, colonial lifestyle, and feeding strategy of a reef-building coral.

Type: Teaching Idea

In this activity, students squeeze a tennis ball to demonstrate the strength of the human heart. Working in teams, they think of ways to keep the heart beating if the natural mechanism were to fail. The goal of this activity is to get students to understand the strength and resilience of the heart.

Type: Teaching Idea

In this activity, the student will learn about fish anatomy as he or she builds a fish model.

Type: Teaching Idea

In this project idea, students are tasked with defending a specific organ and its need to survive in the body. Students write to support their positions and prepare a presentation for the class.

Type: Teaching Idea

In this activity, the students will identify and describe three different types of fish scales.

Type: Teaching Idea

Students will have an opportunity to explore how the scientific method can be used to understand kidney disease and how the kidneys and urinary system work in the human body.

Type: Teaching Idea

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. This National Geographic article describes the amazing attributes of the human brain, comparing its features to everyday objects like a light bulb or a computer.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. This text explores the possibility of creating a prosthesis (artificial limb) that can feel things.

Type: Text Resource

This site has videos, articles, quizzes, and games for children to learn how the body and its systems work.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation

This resource provides a collection of games based on identifying the parts of the eye and their functions, understanding the vision process, and learning about some of the protective eye wear associated with certain sports and daily activities.

Type: Virtual Manipulative