Living Environment
Student Work
Unit Inquiry, Lesson 2
Investigating the Effects of Drugs on Living Things
Name:
Period ______
Laboratory Experience 2
Worth 90 Lab Minutes
Date :
Bridge
Watch the video clip title “This is your Brain on Drugs”.
How can this metaphor apply to you as a human?
Objective:
Design a controlled
experiment in which
you test the effects of
common over the
counter drugs on living
things (specifically
Daphnia, commonly
called water flees)
Is this a good example of the effects of drugs? Why or why not?
Mini Lesson
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Living Environment
Student Work
Share out your responses from the bridge. The medicines that we
commonly take to help us when we get sick are considered drugs as
well. There are different kinds of medications that have different
effects on us, especially with regards to our heart rates and they are
found in these medications.
Different classes of medications include stimulants, depressants,
antihistamines, and pain relievers. Research each of these classes of
medication and compare them to the materials that you are given.
What do doctors say the side effects of each medicine are on our
heart rate? Identify some of the facts on these medications and
record which medicine falls into which category in the space provided.
Unit Inquiry, Lesson 2
Essential
Question:
How can you behave as
a scientist to determine
the effect of legal drugs
on living things?
Stimulants:
Depressants:
Antihistamines:
Pain Relievers:
Work Period
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Living Environment
Student Work
Unit Inquiry, Lesson 2
View the video on Daphnia heartbeat so you know what you are looking for in the experiment.
Design a controlled experiment to determine the effects of OTC drugs on living things
Title of Lab: ______________________________________________________
Exploration
Use this space to record observations that relate to the question being investigated. Also record
researched facts that might relate to the investigation as well.
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Living Environment
Student Work
Unit Inquiry, Lesson 2
Question
Record your question that you will be investigating here. It is best to write it in a “Does
__________________ affect ________________? Format so the variables are easy to identify (first
line is always the independent variable, second line is always the dependent variable)
Identify your Variables
Independent Variable:
Dependent Variable:
Prediction/Hypothesis
Based on the question that you asked, record your thoughts on what the result will be and why. Use
the “I think ___________________________________, because ______________.” format.
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Living Environment
Student Work
Unit Inquiry, Lesson 2
Experimental Design
List the materials that you are going to use and the procedure (steps) you are going to take to test your
hypothesis.
Materials:
Procedure:
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Living Environment
Student Work
Unit Inquiry, Lesson 2
Data Collection
Use this space to organize and collect your data. Remember, data can be qualitative (descriptions,
words, observations) as well as quantitative (numbers, values). Use both kinds of data when you can.
Organize your data into a table with a title, make a graph whenever you can, and use the variables to
help you do this!
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Living Environment
Student Work
Unit Inquiry, Lesson 2
Data Analysis
Put your data into words. This will be a relationship of your variables: what happened to the dependent
variable when you changed the independent variable?
Evaluation
This is where you talk about your experiment. Discuss how your results compare to your hypothesis:
do you agree or disagree with your original thoughts and use evidence from your experiment to back
this up. Second, discuss sources of error (at least 2), or things that could have gone wrong in your
experiment. Finally, develop a further investigation question: based on what you found out in this
experiment, what else do you wonder about? Again, use your “Does ________ affect __________”
format for this question.
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Living Environment
Student Work
Unit Inquiry, Lesson 2
Summary
Present out the results of your experiment (your data analysis)
EQ: How can I behave as a scientist to see what effects common legal drugs have on living
things?
Closing
1. Trade your experiments with another group and evaluate the procedures. If you can repeat
the
experiment easily then put a smiley face next to it if not then a sad face.
2. Do you think that the Daphnia give us an accurate basis for how these same legal drugs
would affect humans? Why or why not?
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Living Environment
Student Work
Name:
Unit Inquiry, Lesson 2
Period ______
Date :
Lesson 2. Daphnia and Drugs Independent Practice 1
1. A scientist conducted an experiment in which he fed mice large amounts of the amino acid
cysteine. He observed that this amino acid protected mouse chromosomes from damage by toxic
chemicals. The scientist then claimed that cysteine, added to the diet of all animals, will protect
their chromosomes from damage. State whether or not this is a valid claim. Support your answer.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. A student observes that an organism is green. A valid conclusion that can be drawn from this
observation is that
(1) the organism must be a plant
(2) the organism cannot be single celled
(3) the organism must be an animal
(4) not enough information is given to determine whether the organism is a plant or an animal
3. Why do scientists consider any hypothesis valuable?
(1) A hypothesis requires no further investigation.
(2) A hypothesis may lead to further investigation even if it is disproved by the experiment.
(3) A hypothesis requires no further investigation if it is proved by the experiment.
(4) A hypothesis can be used to explain a conclusion even if it is disproved by the experiment.
Base your answers to questions 4 and 5 on the graph below and on your knowledge of biology.
4 Pepsin works best in which type of environment?
(1) acidic, only
(2) basic, only
(3) neutral
(4) sometimes acidic, sometimes basic
5 Neither enzyme works at a pH of
(1) 1
(2) 5
(3) 3
(4) 13
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Living Environment
Student Work
Name:
Unit Inquiry, Lesson 2
Period ______
Date :
Lesson 2. Daphnia and Drugs Independent Practice 2
Base your answers to questions 1 through 5 on the data table below and on your knowledge of biology. The data
table shows the concentrations of oxygen in parts per million (ppm) present in freshwater and seawater at
various temperatures.
Directions (1–3): Using the information in the data table, construct a line graph on The grid on the next page,
following the directions below.
1. Mark an appropriate scale on each labeled axis. [1]
2. Plot the data for freshwater oxygen concentration on the grid. Surround each point with a small circle and
connect the points. [1]
3. Plot the data for seawater oxygen concentration on the grid. Surround each point with a small triangle and
connect the points. [1]
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Living Environment
Student Work
Unit Inquiry, Lesson 2
4. Predict the oxygen concentration in freshwater at 35°C. [1]
__________ ppm
5. State one relationship between temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration in water. [1]
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
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