EQ: What collectively makes us alive?

HS-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes:

The cells all around us (and within us) are alive; how can we tell?

HS-LS1-3 Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that feedback mechanisms
maintain homeostasis. [Clarification Statement: Examples of investigations could
include heart rate response to exercise, stomate response to moisture and temperature,
and root development in response to water levels.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment
does not include the cellular processes involved in the feedback mechanism.]

Lesson Idea and Rationale: Lesson showing how different flowers and plants react to different
stimuli. This includes heliotropism of flowers, difference in sugar content of fruits and
vegetables, difference in bloom colors of flowers based on soil properties, root development in
aeroponic and hydroponic plants. Through different plants the teacher will illustrate how
organisms respond to stimuli in order to maintain homeostasis.

Student Profile: High School Biology

Understandings:

Organisms must maintain homeostasis in order to survive.

Organisms use the resources available to them to maintain homeostasis.
Variations in the amount of available resources result in variations of organism actions.

Inquiry Questions:

What is homeostasis?
What is required to maintain homeostasis? How is this acquired?
How do organisms respond to stimuli?
What makes a stimulus/environment acceptable to an organism, what makes one
unacceptable?

Evidence Outcomes:

Students will understand homeostasis as it relates to its role in plant life.

Students will understand that response to stimuli is often an effort to maintain homeostasis.
Students will be able to form and support a valid opinion on how an organism will respond to a
given stimulus, and how this connects to maintaining homeostasis.

Set:
Have students interact with real plants, this could be something like bringing in 2 flowers of the
same species, one that has bloomed very well the other not so much, or two of different colors.
This could also be having the students taste different fruits or vegetables with different sugar
content.

Procedure:

Introduce set and allow students to question why the given differences or actions may be
present. Source questions and have students write them on the board. ~ 10 minutes

Introduce topic of homeostasis and give students the information on what a cell needs to
maintain homeostasis ~ 10 minutes

Students will be put into small groups and given one of the plant comparisons shown in the set.
These students will categorize the differences between the given plants based on categories
specific to each plant comparison. ~8 minutes

Students will then be asked to synthesize a short paragraph or list explaining what kind of
stimulus would have caused the difference noted. Students will also be asked to list the
necessary resources that the plant had to get to its current state. ~15 minutes
*It will be necessary here for the teacher to be present and mobile to clear up any
misconceptions or misguided notions

Students will then Jigsaw groups having each group present their findings on the plant
comparison. ~ 20 minutes

Closure: Short clarifying session with teacher, where any questions are addressed that have
been left unanswered from early. Teachers will also drive home the point that homeostasis is
the building basic requirement for life and that response to stimuli is an effort to maintain
homeostasis.

Assessment:
Informal assessment based on how students present their given plant comparison to other
students.
Grades will be given on data gained from the group work of students, however this will be an
assessment on how well the students used scientific principles to make assumptions and gather
data, not as much on how accurate the information was.
Formative assessments will be informal, teachers asking questions to students as they explore
the plant comparison and begin to synthesize their own data.

Next steps:
Next lesson will have to open with a review of how well students understand homeostasis and
response to stimuli. (This seems like the kind of thing that would be good for student
engagement but needs some time in the shop to fully work. I expect this lesson to be very
successful the second or third time around.) Students would then move into a lesson which is
more detailed as to what specifics are involved in maintaining homeostasis. This includes what
resources are necessary, and which cell processes are part of maintenance of homeostasis.