Drink up!
Grade Level
& Duration:
10th Grade
4 Days
Subject:
Biology
Prepared By:
Gabriel Benjamin Wickizer
Analyze Learners
Overview & Purpose (STEMcinnati theme)
Imbalance and disproportion formatively define the
human context, connecting individual human
experience to the global ethos. They also form the
basis for transport of matter and energy by the
mechanism of diffusion. In this interdisciplinary
lesson, students experience examples of
disequilibrium and dynamic equilibrium while
engaging in the human effort to qualify and quantify
nature’s transport mechanisms. From pure water to
fake blood, across the factory floor and through the
water filtration plant, students will apply the content
in to real-world scenarios that make up their own
everyday social experience. They will see the link
to careers in hydrology, medicine, energy and
manufacturing in the context of hands-on
activities, virtual environments and games. Video
interviews with career professionals followed by
reflection will expand the activity beyond in-class
instruction and create student ownership of the
lesson, Students will use emerging forms of
communication to complete assignments, such as
email and blog articles.
Education Standards Addressed
SC-HS-3.4.3 (DOK 2) Students will
 describe cell regulation (enzyme function, diffusion, osmosis, homeostasis);
 predict consequences of internal/external environmental change on cell
function/regulation
Energy Transformations
SC-HS-4.6.11 (DOK 3) Students will
 Explain the source, transfer, and use of energy in living systems on Earth.
 Describe the role of carbon-containing molecules and chemical reactions
in energy transfer in living systems.
SC-HS-4.6.7
Students will:
 explain real world applications of energy using information/data;
 evaluate explanations of mechanical systems using current scientific
knowledge about energy.
The universe becomes less orderly and less organized over time. Thus, the overall
effect is that the energy is spread out uniformly. For example, in the operation of
mechanical systems, the useful energy output is always less than the energy
input; the difference appears as heat.
DOK 2
MA-HS-1.4.1
Students will apply ratios, percents and proportional reasoning to solve real-world
problems (e.g., those involving slope and rate, percent of increase and decrease)
and will explain how slope determines a rate of change in linear functions
representing real-world problems.
DOK 2
MA-HS-2.2.1
Students will continue to apply to both real-world and mathematical problems U.S.
customary and metric systems of measurement.
MA-HS-4.3.2
Students will design simple experiments or investigations to collect data to answer
questions of interest.
Select Goals and
Objectives
Teacher Guide
Student Guide
Goals
(Specify
skills/information
that will be
learned.)
Objectives
(Specify
skills/information
that will be
learned.)
Materials Needed
 Paper
 Pencil
 Others
Students understand that constant molecular motion and consequent particle
interactions facilitate the diffusion of matter and energy.
Students understand that diffusion tends towards a dynamic equilibrium, where
matter and energy density are constant in a system and see this in relation to
process engineering and production methodology.
Students experience living membranes as engineered interfaces and also as living
tissues that carefully regulate the presence of energy and matter in a system, both
by passive and active means, learning the vocabulary and jargon apropos of such
mechanisms
1. They will identify solutions using appropriate vocabulary (hypo-,hyper-,
isotonic)
Day 1
2. Students will describe diffusion as it relates to molecular kinematics and
dynamics.
3. Students will apply process inputs and constraints to achieve dynamic
equilibrium on a simulated factory floor.
4. They will solve hierarchical problems on diffusion through osmotic
membranes
Day 2
5. Students will infer the relationship between solute concentrations,
membranes and osmosis using various examples (red cells, tea).
6. They will discuss the use of active transport to oppose osmosis and
speed up deflocculation of water.
Day 3
7. Students will relate active transport phenomena of living cellular
membranes (phagocytosis, pinocytosis, endocytosis, exocytosis,
facilitated diffusion).
8. Students will prescribe a method to increase the active flocculation of a
dirt-water suspension.
9. Students will identify the error in the Netlogo computerized simulation of
diffusion and generate a short article on desalination by reverse osmosis.
10. Students will evaluate interview responses by professionals and students
about the application of cell biology in careers and society and formulate
new questions for those professionals as a result.
Day 4
Select
Instructional
Strategies –
Information
(Give and/or
demonstrate
necessary
information)
Utilize Technology
Kinesthetic Instruction (Color Game, Factory Floor)
Visual/Spatial Instruction (Red Cell Videos, Color Game, Factory Floor, My
Membrane is Alive, Video Reflection)
Inquiry (Bubble Deflocculation Experiment, Factory Floor, Netlogo Simulation,
Reverse Osmosis Research Project, Red Cell hands-on demo)
Verbal/Written (Red Cell Demo Worksheet, Video Reflection)
Emailed answers, a blogged assessment, computer simulation, and video not only
make this lesson technology-emphatic, they increase student engagement and
offer a new window into their cognitive processes.
Other Resources
(e.g. Web, books, etc.)
30+ Clear cups, 6 oz.
(re-usable)
Food Coloring
Food Safety Gloves
Peanut Butter
Spreadable Cheese
Club Crackers
30+ Plastic Knives
Red Dish Sponge(s)
Mesh
Personal Computers
Require
Learner
Participation
Day 1 Activity
(Describe the
independent
activity to reinforce
this lesson)
Catch – Desks in Cells: students will walk into the classroom arranged for the
Color Game, a strange grouping of desks. They will have to pick new seats to find
seats for themselves. Their desks should be prepared with the pre-assessment
sheet.
Pre-assessment – (see sheet) Students will respond to the following written
questions on the sheet on their desks along with cups of water for the color game.
Color Game – Students will move about the classroom acting as “atoms” with the
desks arranged to buffer their movement (see Color Game Desk Layout for rules,
questions and the suggested layout). the activity will be timed to help demonstrate
the lag associated with natural passive diffusion. “Snapshots” will be taken
throughout the game to address the concepts illustrated by this activity. This is an
opportunity to stop, think and ask questions. My suggested questions are included
in the layout document.
Factory Floor
Introduce: “A substance will diffuse into a space until it is evenly dispersed
throughout it. Does anyone know another word for this condition? What is each
individual molecule doing once this condition is reached? One real-world example
of dynamic equilibrium is a factory. When everything flows smoothly through a
factory, uniform products come out the other side at a steady rate”
Students will play the game and again stop for “snapshots.” The game is divided
into two parts. The first is without a weighing station. The variance in weight can
be used to show the students that we must not have an equilibrium yet. Ask them
to apply their knowledge of equilibriums to change the game and come closer
(during the first snapshot). In the second part of the game, weighing stations and
rulers are introduced to standardize the flow.
Introduce: “In a real factory, measurements of the process material help to
maintain equilibrium. This is called quality control. It can help a factory to achieve
equilibrium….”
Again at the snapshot, ask the students how it is going and to apply their
knowledge to improve the system. Compare the products at each phase and use
them as indicators of equilibrium or disequilibrium.
Clarification – Reiterate the connection among process engineering, its impact on
the foods we eat, and the content
Essential Questions
Does diffusion stop when equilibrium is reached?
What two things must a molecule be doing to diffuse? (Can one molecule diffuse?
What were the rules of the game?)
Post-Assessment – Pass out the same sheets, make sure the students name
them and briefly answer
4 min
Other Resources
(e.g. Web, books, etc.)
4 min.
11 min.
23 min.
2 min.
4 min.
3 min.
30+ Clear cups, 6 oz.
(re-usable)
Food Coloring
Food Safety Gloves
Peanut Butter
Spreadable Cheese
Club Crackers
30+ Plastic Knives
Paper Plates
Stopwatch
Day 2
Activity
(Describe the
independent
activity to
reinforce this
lesson)
Catch – “House, M.D.” Theme music plays and a picture of house is displayed on the
screen. House has rhabdomyolysis, a condition where crushed muscle tissue releases a
protein called myoglobin, which can shut down the human kidney. The key treatment is
fluids to dilute the myglobin concentration in the bloodstream so the protein is not
deposited in kidney tissues.
Pre-Assessment – Worksheet with three questions in response to a picture that is
closely linked the red-cell demo, but uses tea as its example.
Lysis Videos - Explain that the coffee filter simulates a red blood cell’s osmotic
membrane and briefly define permeability and osmosis. Ask the students write down the
definitions and answer the first question on the sheet. Show the hydrolisis of a red cell
video and compare it to the sponge. Discuss solutions as hypo-, hyper-, and isotonic. Ask
the students to answer the second question. Show the crenation video.
Red Sponge Cell Demo – Ask for a volunteer from each row. Have each row be a team
(at least two people in front of the class and two people in their seats
Have two students dunk their “cell” and empty it into the dry beaker and ensure the
volume absorbed by the sponge. Use the sponge to soak up about half of the excess
water again, then dunk it. Squeeze and record the total volume. Choose some other
amounts and maintain the same dunk-time. Have the students calculate and give candy
to the first row to get their own correct answer. Write on the board :
Hint: the way to measure the residual concentration of water in the sponge is to calculate
the following:
5 min.
4 min.
12 min.
20 min.
%Residual_Water =
1 water _ from_ the _ sec ond _ dunk total _ water _ capacity_ of _ the _ sponge
6 min.
Review with Essential Questions –
 There are many things beside salts in the red cell. Why is salt the main thing we
concentrate on? (salt is soluble in water, hemoglobin is not)
 Can a sugar solution be hypertonic?
 How is the coffee filter different from an osmotic cell membrane?
 If the red cells membrane were salt-permeable, would we have the same
problem?
Post-Assessment - as before
Coffee (2 tblsp)
Coffee Filters
Red Dish Sponge
Chunks
Plastic Wrap
2 beakers per
student, one with
water
50mL – 200mL
syringes (no
needle needed)
Candy (for ?s)
3 min.
STEPS to make
“Cells”
1. Cut red (or
pink) sponge
into chunks
2. wrap with a
large square
of plastic
wrap, twist the
excess so that
the chunks
form a ball,
then tie off the
twisted portion
3. Pierce the
plastic to
allow water to
enter quickly
4. soak each
sponge and
squeeze dry
before class
Day 3
Activity
(Describe the
independent
activity to
reinforce this
lesson)
Catch – Teacher noisily blows bubbles in his/her cup of water or other beverage with a
straw. “Did your mother ever tell you not to do this? Today we’re allowed…” Introduce the
days agenda and relate bubbling as a form of active transport.
Pre-Assessment – Hand out sheets and orally administer questions to the class
Flocculation of Water Lab - Students in groups of three or four at lab stations with three
200mL beakers full of turbid water and one 200mL beaker full of alum solution. Have the
students refer to the sheet (See 3rd Day Floc Experiment Sheet) and record their
observations as they complete the exercise. Poll the class about their discovery
My Membrane is Alive – Take two eggs and one ziploc bag. Ask if anyone can tell what
the biggest single cell man has observed in nature is (the egg). Crack one egg into the
ziploc bag and zip and unzip it, working toward the need for active transport to deal with
specific cellular needs. Describe and show visuals of cytosis. Classify phagocytosis as
pinocytosis as cell eating by active transport. Show the Slides.
Reversing Osmosis – Introduce knowledge of reverse osmosis from a video on
California’s desalination plant and show slides covering the membrane technology.
Clearly relate the engineering of these Thin Film Composite membranes to knowledge of
osmosis and permeability. Give Reverse Osmosis informational handouts and the writing
assignment. Walk around the room, answering questions and probing students. Let them
know they will finish it for homework. Reward good questions.
Essential Questions –
What are two main reasons the cell needs active transport mechanisms? (needs to
oppose diffusion, needed substance cannot permeate the membrane, rate of diffusion
not adequate)
Could pressure be used to speed up osmosis?
During endocytosis, what kinds of things would a cell take in? (liquids, solids, food, etc.)
During exocytosis, what kinds of things would a cell take in? (nothing, “exo”)
Post Assessment – Deliver the same questions orally again.
2 min.
4 min.
12 min.
6 min.
16 min.
6 min.
4 min.
(Lab Environment
Preferable)
Cocoa Powder
Alum
Beakers
Drinking Straws
2 eggs
1 ziploc bag
Day 4 Activity
(Describe the
independent
activity to reinforce
this lesson)
Catch – “Money on the Table” Hold up a dollar bill and crinkle it while walking
round the computer lab. Ask the students to face center and remember to turn
periodically to view them all.
Pre-Assessment – This day is not a formal instruction day, but a reflective and
reinforcement day, constituting in itself a summative assessment of student
understanding, so no pre-test will be administered.
Mini-Reflection – Pick a volunteer to describe the dollar bill and hand out
worksheets. Have the students take notes on the description, then briefly reflect
on the description. Guide them through it, prompting them with good questions to
focus them. Of course, the volunteer should get the dollar.
Video Montage of Biology in the Real World – Have the students take notes,
then reflect on the video, selecting some of their favorite answers and identifying
what they learned. Emphasize honesty rather than what sounds good. Have the
students come up with one question each that they would like to ask the
professionals that they saw. Spend a bit of time discussing these questions
Saline Simulation – Open up the diffusion simulation and encourage the students
to play around for a bit. Now let them know that it is a model of diffusion that can
be modified to include a membrane and an active transport mechanism called a
molecule pump. Tell them that there is a problem with it and they need to find it.
Ask them to play with it until they can tell what it is, then email you the answer.
Keep open to time and give everyone a hint when there are five or so minutes left
to keep people working if they cannot figure it out. The problem is that diffusion is
not linked to concentration in the model.
Student Feedback Forms – Students fill out an anonymous feedback tool
regarding the lesson
Post-Assessment – As Discussed, no post test will be administered.
2-3 min.
0 min.
5 min.
22 min.
20 min.
3 min.
0 min.
$1 bill
personal computers.
NetLogo on the
computers with the
diffusion simulation.
Evaluate
(Assessment)
(Steps to check for
student
understanding)
Day 1
Pre-Assessment
Two free-response questions following the Color Game Activity
Written observations, mid-course corrections and final outcomes of the factory
floor game
Oral Review
Post-Assessment
Day 2
Pre-Assessment
Written responses to word-picture problems
Oral Review
Post-Assessment
Day 3
Pre-Assessment
Bubble Experiment Responses (not for a formal grade)
Open Response to reverse osmosis (rubric included)
Post-Assessment
Day 4
Written Mini reflection (assesses reflective skills)
Written Video reflection (rubric included)
Question for professionals
Emailed Answer
Additional Notes
Need Video Camera,
DV Tapes or
equivalent and an
editing software if a
teacher wishes to
make their own
video.
Reflection & Suggestions:
Day 1



Day 2


Day 3


Day 4


The “Color Game” is a great activity for early in the year, getting to know students, or bringing less talkative students out of their shells
Reliable extra hands are imperative the first day
It may be necessary to streamline the “Factory Game” or reserve an additional day to get the full value from the activity
o The observation worksheet for the first day may not yield much unless it is worth something—it requires critical thinking
Students need proper scaffolding to solve the residual water problem
Explicit instruction on the hypo, hyper, isotonic terminology needed
References to reverse osmosis require more background in osmosis itself than anticipated
Modifications to the lab portion are encouraged—it’s main objective is to communicate the differences between active and passive
transport in a specific context
Day 4’s Saline Simulation had to be struck from this lesson because computers were not available to the students
Observing and facilitating class discussion of the $ Description Mini-Reflective activity makes it a really valuable assessment of
student understanding in a broader sense. It became clear that some were more capable of expressing themselves in this way,
although they struggle with some of the content in general