A Tale of Two Classrooms
The bell rings and Mrs. Jones clears the hall with lingering students around. She enters her
classroom as her students are making their way to their seats to listen to announcements. Mrs.
Jones asks two of her students to pass out a morning work sheet that has a list of respiratory
and circulatory words on it to define. After announcements she tells her students to take out
their notebooks and to get ready for science. Mrs. Jones says, “Today we will learn about the
respiratory and circulatory systems and how they work together to support survival, growth
and behavior. Later, I will tell you how the information we will go over could be a part of a plan
to help combat the national obesity trend. She posts the definition of the respiratory and
circulatory system on the board and has the children read it silently. The students then read
chapter one with a partner and answer and complete an activity sheet pertaining to the
respiratory and circulatory system. Once the students finish, Mrs. Jones posts the answers for
them to check their sheets on their own, then shows them a video on the respiratory and
circulatory system and asks them to take notes. As a class the students view a model of the
respiratory and circulatory system and discuss the different parts and the importance of them,
and the teacher explains how the systems work together. Mrs. Jones asks if there are any
questions before their assessment. She hands out an exit ticket for students to list three things
they learned about the each system, and explain how the two systems work together.
A Tale of Two Classrooms
The bell rings and Mrs. Ford signals for the remainder of her students to come in. She enters
her classroom as her students are making their way to their seats to listen to announcements.
After announcements, Mrs. Ford tells her students to form a small group of 3-4 people then
based on a list of leadership roles provided on the promethean board, students decide as a
group the leadership role they will take while working together. In their chosen teams, the
students work together to come up with questions they have about the respiratory and
circulatory system. Students’ text their questions in using, “Poll Everywhere” to review as a
class, and post responses to each other’s questions as answers are discovered throughout the
lesson. Shortly after, students conduct an experiment where they monitor their heart rate and
breathing rate by checking their pulse and counting their breaths per minute. They apply their
multiplication skills to calculate their heart rate and breathing rate. Mrs. Ford asks, “What do
you predict will happen to your heart and breathing rate if you exercise?” Students work with
their teams to come up with a response, and text in their response using, “Poll Everywhere”
Students then, devise and carryout an exercise plan, and repeat their heart and breathing rate
calculations. Afterwards, they analyze the data collected, and watch a video about the
respiratory and circulatory system. As a follow up activity students design a plan to create
models of how the two systems work together. Students get their designs approved or revisit
the, evaluate and refine part of the design process. Materials are collected and students
complete their projects. As Mrs. Ford walks around the room listening to the conversations
that are occurring amongst the students, she asks; “As a doctor, how would you explain to a
patient how the respiratory and circulatory system work together to support survival, growth
and behavior? How would you use this information in a plan to help combat the national
obesity trend?” Students work with their team members to come up with responses to the
questions and post them on the whiteboard to share with the class. As an exit ticket, each
group comes up with an advertisement that promotes the importance of the respiratory and
circulatory system.