Intel® Teach Program
Thinking with Technology Course
Class Act
Exploring Systems of Life
.
Unit Author
First and Last Name
Susan Rezzonico
School District
ASD20
School Name
School City, State
Unit Overview
Unit Title
Class Act- Exploring Systems of Life
Unit Summary
In this unit, students will use several activities and Internet resources to develop an understanding of the
structure and functions of various organisms. Students will focus on the five Kingdom classification
(monerans, protists, fungi, plants, animals), identifying the structure, function, and classification of
organisms. Physical and technical characteristics of major life groups will be explored in laboratory
experiences. In teams, students will identify patterns of similarity and differences among living organisms
using the Seeing Reason tool. Students will complete an exploration of the cells to include comparisons
between protists, plant and animal cells. Students will have a choice of an investigation project to create a
Showing Evidence tool to prove why their chosen Animal Phyla is unique. Each student will create and
maintain a Systems of Life folder on the class Wiki, which will contain links from completed on-line projects.
The concluding project for the unit will be a Seeing Reason project demonstrating the interrelationship
between humans and other living creatures. Students will begin to see themselves within the systems of life.
Subject Area
Life Science
Grade Level
7-8th grade
Approximate Time Needed
(6 wks minimum)
Unit Foundation
Habits of Learning Taxonomy
Striving for accuracy and precision, questioning and posing problems, gathering data through all
senses, taking responsible risks, thinking interdependently
Applying, analyzing, evaluating
Targeted Content Standards and Benchmarks
STANDARD 3: LIFE SCIENCE: STUDENTS KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE CHARACTERISTICS
AND STRUCTURE OF LIVING THINGS, THE PROCESSES OF LIFE, AND HOW LIVING THINGS
INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT. (FOCUS: BIOLOGY-- ANATOMY,
PHYSIOLOGY, BOTANY, ZOOLOGY, ECOLOGY)
BENCHMARK #3.1:
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Classification schemes can be used to understand the structure of organisms.
DISTRICT 20 LEARNING OUTCOMES 3.1.1
Construct and use classification
3.1.2
systems based on the structure of
organisms (e.g., list characteristics of
living things, and sort a group of
organisms).
Compare and contrast physical and
technical characteristics of humans and
other major groups of organisms (e.g.,
insects, birds, mammals, plants), and
identify.
BENCHMARK #3.2:
There is a differentiation among levels of organization (cells, tissues, and organs) and their
roles within the whole organism.
DISTRICT 20 LEARNING OUTCOMES 3.2.1
Describe the differences among levels
of organization (cells, tissues, and
organs) and their roles within the whole
organism.
BENCHMARK #3.5:
Different types of cells have basic structures, components and functions (e.g., cell membrane,
nucleus, cytoplasm, chloroplast, single-celled organisms in pond water, Elodea, onion cell,
human cheek cell).
DISTRICT 20 LEARNING OUTCOMES 3.5.1
Describe the observable components
3.5.2
and functions of a cell.
Compare and contrast the basic
structures and functions of different
types of cells (e.g., plant vs. animal
cells, muscle vs. cheek cells).
Student Objectives/Learning Outcomes
 Explore and discuss how people compare and contrast to make judgments, decisions, and choices
 How classification is the arrangement of objects, ideas or information into groups, the members of which have
one or more characteristic in common
 Evaluate and describe how classification makes things easier to find, identify, and study
 Explore the increasing complexity of structure in living things from cell to organism.
 Describe and evaluate methods of classification of organisms.
 Compare and contrast common characteristics among members of the various kingdoms.
 Explore the characteristic of protists, plants and animal cells
 Examine the structure and processes of plants.
 Explore characteristics of invertebrates and vertebrates and how those characteristic differ in function.
 Describe the vast diversity and relationships between organisms and create useful research questions
Curriculum-Framing Questions
Essential
Question
How are living things related?
Why is this important?
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Intel® Teach Program
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1. Why do we classify things?
2. How does organizing and grouping life help us understand the importance of
diversity?
3. We classify people in many ways; for example, by race, religion, physical
appearance, ethnic origin, profession, life style, and so on. In which ways can
classification of human beings be helpful? In which ways can it be harmful?
4. Why do you think scientists would be more interested in the details of
internal and external structures than the behavior or general appearance of an
organism?
Unit
Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What features do we use to group the organisms?
What might be the purposes of these features?
Why would scientists find grouping organisms useful?
How can a dog be related to a cat?
What impact do creatures have on one another?
What impact do Humans have on other life forms?
What are the unique characteristic of the different organisms in the Animal
Kingdom?
8. Can a bird be an animal and a vertebrate? Why?
9. Can scientists use what they've learned to establish relationships between
other organisms?
Content
Questions
Assessment Plan
Assessment Timeline
Before project work begins
 Analogy/manipula  Teacher
tive
observation of
attitudes, self
Apple Demo,
confidence,
Shoe
Classification,
desire to learn,
Balancing Nail
flexilibity, and
 Daily journal
entries on Blog
willingness to
cooperate
 Ruberic
referenced
student selfassesment on
dispositons
towards learning
Students work on projects and
complete tasks
 Project check
lists
 Oral feedback
during lab
experience
 Working
productively
on team as
evidenced by
lab blog
and/or on-line
project
comments
and work files
 Research and create
ppt on organism
from the Animal
Kingdom
 Showing Evidence
project- “I Am
Better Than Pond
Scum”- comments
on tool
After project work is
completed
 Ruberic for
Seeing
Reason
project “Our
Place in this
World”
 Scoring Guide
Ruberic on Systems
of Life Web
portfolio
 End of Unit,
multiple choice test
that maps to the
standards
 Student/Teacher
conferences via
student blog using
Time Management
Ruberic
 Quizlettes on
Vocabulary
Assessment Summary
Students will begin to learn the performance skills of observation and basic classification schemes via
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the Apple Demo/Balancing Nail activities (pairs) and the Shoe Classification (whole class) activity.
Daily brief entries in students’ journals record reactions regarding day’s activities. During the
analogy/manipulative activities, the teacher will be conducting observations of student attitudes, self
confidence, desire to learn, flexibility, and willingness to cooperate. Students will also complete the self
assessment on readiness to learn. Students will be completing multiple lab activities and entering
reports using lab rubric as guide into their blogs regarding observations and conclusions from the labs.
Special attention will be paid to the students’ ability to work efficiently and effectively on a team.
Teams will choose an organism to research and create a Power Point presentation highlighting unique
characteristics of their organism, challenges for survival and positive relationships with other coinhabitants of their environment. Using the researched organism, teams will complete the “I Am Better
Than Pond Scum” Showing Evidence tool to evaluate students’ growth in analysis and evaluation
learning skills. The teacher conferences with each group will provide feedback on investigation plans
and help to ensure interpretations of the task are correct. The time-management rubrichttp://educate.intel.com/en/ProjectDesign/UnitPlanIndex/DontTrashEarth/trash_rubric_management.ht
m
and Project Checklist will encourage self-assessment of time used productively. As unit chapters are
being covered, students will complete Quizletes pertaining to the sections to enhance learning and
retention of vocabulary (example: Bacteria- http://quizlet.com/1023287/bacteria-flash-cards/ )
Completion of the Seeing Reason tool “Our Place In this World” will be used to assess students’ level of
ability to master system analysis of the unit content. A rubric will accompany the project to allow
students to practice self-regulation of tasks to achieve desired goal. Submission of the unit portfolio
will include a final reflection by the students so they will be able to assess the effectiveness of the
science process and whether or not the skills helped them in completing the tasks in the unit. Final
assessment via multiple choice test matched to standards will be used to further confirm students’
mastery of the unit content and provide data for evaluation of the effectiveness of the unit.
Visual Ranking Elements (Complete this section if this tool will be used in the unit)
Visual Ranking Project Name (For the Visual Ranking workspace)
Project Description (For the Visual Ranking workspace)
Prompt (For the Visual Ranking workspace)
Sorting List (For the Visual Ranking workspace)
Practice Ranking (For your future quick reference)
Teacher ID:
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Password:
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Practice Team ID 1:
Password:
Practice Team ID 2:
Password:
Seeing Reason Elements (Complete this section if this tool will be used in the unit)
Seeing Reason Project Name (For the Seeing Reason workspace)
Our Place in this World
Project Description (For the Seeing Reason workspace)
Humans are a part of a complex system of living creatures that inhabit the earth. As we have studied what makes
different creatures unique it is equally important to discover how we are interdependent for survival. Students are
to create a relational map indicating how humans and their activities impact life on earth.
Research Question (For the Seeing Reason workspace)
How do humans and their activities ineract and impact life on earth?
Practice Map Dog Gone! How does a dog interact with humans and impact life at home?
Students are to practice how one variable is either in a beneficial or detrimental relationship with other elements in
its environment.
Practice Team ID: Lab Rats01
Password: Lab Rats01
Showing Evidence Elements (Complete this section if this tool will be used in the unit)
Showing Evidence Project Name
I Am Better than Pond Scum!
Project Description (For the Showing Evidence workspace)
Students will choose an animal within the various groups explored during the laboratory skills. Students are to
support their claim by supplying evidence (characteristics) that differentiate their animal from protists.
Prompt (For the Showing Evidence workspace)
What makes my animal unique in the animal kingdom as compared to protists?
Practice Case (For your future quick reference)
Practice Team ID: Lab Rats02
Password: Lab Rats02
Reviewing Team ID:
Password:
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Claims
My animal is the most unique life form in the universe!!! (By providing evidence (observable
characteristics) I can prove that my animal is better than lowly protists.)
Evidence
Unit Details
Prerequisite Skills
Students must have demonstrated an understanding of the safety procedures required in the lab.
Must have basic experience and knowledge of how to access sites on the internet- to include the class
Wiki and blog, use a word processor, create power point slides.
Instructional Procedures
Setting the Stage
Opening this unit, will be a discussion on “How living things are related? Why is this important”. The end
game of the unit is to help encouage the working understanding of interdependence- to help students
experientially comprehend this concept, in team, they will complete the “Balancing the Nail” activity. To lead
into the concept of the importance of classification, the unit questions- “Why do we classify things? And
“How does organizing and group things help us understand the importance of diversity?” The conversation
will lead to the benefits of classifcation. Students will walk through a warm-up activity that focuses on the
skills needed to make observations “The Apple Demo”. To help illustrate classification, students will enter
the classroom and remove one of their shoes. The basic classification activity “Shoe Classification” will be
completed after the opening discussions and observation skills activity. Daily brief entries in students’
journals record reactions regarding day’s activities. During the analogy/manipulative activities, the teacher
will be conducting observations of student attitudes, self confidence, desire to learn, flexibility, and
willingness to cooperate. Students will also complete the self assessment on readiness to learn. Students
will be given links on the class Wiki to the Project checklist, Time Management Assesment, and the
individual Project ruberics.
Instructional Procedures
The class will move through the chapters on the Life Systems via teacher presentations, on-line video clips
of organisms, lab experiences, documentation of observations- verbal and visual via submissions to on-line
student journals, field trip to the Natural Science Museum, guest speaker presentation: Arborist from
Mountain High Tree Service, and completion of on-line Quizlets for vocabulary learning. Teams will choose
an organism to research via classroom experiences and Internet to create a Power Point presentation
highlighting unique characteristics of their organism, challenges for survival and positive relationships with
other co-inhabitants of their environment. Using the researched organism, teams will complete the “I Am
Better Than Pond Scum” Showing Evidence tool to evaluate students’ growth in analysis and evaluation
learning skills. The unit question explored will be “Why do you think scientists would be more interested in
studying the internal and external features of an organism instead of their behavior or general appearance?”
Daily, brief entries onto class blog will record students’ self evaluations of daily work completed.
Conclusion of Unit
The Seeing Reason project “Our Place in This World” will be introduced once the chapters and animal
systems have been covered. This project will allow the students the opportunity to exercise their higher
level thinking skills to answer the Essential Question: “How are living things related?” Students will be
compiling digital files of work completed to be submitted as Systems of Life portfolio including selfevaluation of work. Submission of the unit portfolio will include a final reflection by the students so they will
be able to assess the effectiveness of the science process and whether or not the skills helped them in
completing the tasks in the unit. Students will also be required to respond to the question: “We classify
people in many ways; for example, by race, religion, physical appearance, ethnic origin, profession, life
style, and so on. In which ways can classification of human beings be helpful? In which ways can it be
harmful?” Final assessment via multiple choice test matched to standards will be used to further confirm
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students’ mastery of the unit content and provide data for evaluation of the effectiveness of the unit.
Accommodations for Differentiated Instruction
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Resource
Student
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Nonnative
English
Speaker
Gifted
Student
Activate prior knowledge with a written or verbal review of key concepts at the beginning of class.
Present the agenda for the lesson and task expectations verbally and in written form. Have available
on Wiki.
A model of the final product before beginning an experiment, project, lab, etc.
Use of one-on-one and small group instruction for students who require additional support.
Carefully consider student abilities, learning styles, role models, type of assignment, etc., when
Grouping students for cooperative learning and/or team projects with peer partners.
Collaborate, co-teach, or consult with team teachers, counselors, parents, etc.
Design instruction that incorporates a multi-sensory approach (visual, auditory,
tactile/kinesthetic)
Include demonstrations, simulations (Web Quests), hands-on activities, and mnemonic devices,
Prepare study guides, and have available on class Wiki a copy of class notes, or graphic organizers
ahead of time. Allow some students to use partially completed Elements during the lesson.
Design specific management procedures to insure acquisition of content and task completion
Using…planners, agendas, assignment sheets, Wiki pages, Blogs, homework/personal checklists,
project rubrics, folders, notebooks, and/or parent notes.
Frequently monitor students via reading blogs and viewing online student work pages to enhance
attention to the content.
Use frequent and varied questioning strategies. Target higher order thinking skills.
Utilizing the interactive white boards and creating note folders on class Wiki allows constant student
access for time accommodation need
Provide multiple links to interactive web applications that enhance comprehension of content
Use of on-line videos
Adjust Intel Elements according to student abilities
Use electronic books to provide access to the curriculum for reading accommodations or provide
simplified versions of books and materials with similar content

Use of electronic books to provide easy translation of curriculum or provide simplified versions of
books and materials with similar content

Use of internet applications and digital images to facilitate visual comprehension coupled with
vocabulary

Simplify self-assessment rubrics to match language proficiency

Use team projects allow for peer support to increase verbal comprehension and oral proficiency

Use cross curricular extensions for student for enhancement of content.

Create an Evidence Based element around topic related to unit (i.e. Are Neanderthals our Ancestors
or an Evolutionary Dead End?)

Student chosen investigation to be compiled on Power Point presentation (i.e. Identifying life forms in
regional park/pond etc.

Create experiment that tests responses to varying conditions in the environment. Use blog to log
daily activity. Develop a Seeing Reason element that visually displays the conclusion of the
experiment.
Materials and Resources Required For Unit
Printed Materials
Text books, lab handouts
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Supplies
The following to be order or availible for pairs of students: Microscopes,
slides (flat and well), cover slips, paramicium, Euglena, Volvox, Elodea leaf,
onions, toothpicks, iodine, apples, frogs, earthworms, planeria, squid,
dropper pippettes, disecting kits (wax trays, probes, scaple, pins), specimin
jars, beakers, paper towels
Technology Hardware
Technology needed: computers, DVD player, printer, projection system,
digital cameras,
Technology Software
Word processing program for creating entries in journals. Internet browser
program for all web based elements, blog entries and web quests. Digital
processing software
Neanderthals on Trial – TAG extension activity and “First Flower”
online video
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/resources/subj_06_00.html#life_6
5
Experiential Learning Cycle
http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/experience.htm#SubjectDiscip
lines
Simple Science with Everyday Objects- Balancing Nails activity
Internet Resources
http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/HOMEEXPTS/nichols.html
Apple Demo and Shoe Classification Labs, Creepy Critters
Classification Lab- chart and ppt
http://www.middleschoolscience.com/life.htm
Classifying Critters Web Quest
http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/forkids/critters/index.html
Quizlete web application for vocabulary example
http://quizlet.com/1023287/bacteria-flash-cards/
Field Trip to the Natual Science Museum to observe collections/artifacts from
various life forms.
Other Resources
Guest speaker- the Mountain High Tree Service Arborist to give presentation
on science careers that use classifcation daily and why that skill is critical to
her work.
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Intel Teach Program are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.
*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
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