Student
Info:
Readiness Level: Biology, 9th
& 10th grade
Unit 2; Lesson 2
Learning Profiles: Strong Auditory and Kinesthetic
Profiles. Also visual.
Interests: varied, but include sports
(football, soccer, basketball), parkour, drama, socializing and video games.
Student
Connection:
Water is the most important compound on
earth. In fact, the discovery of water on Mars 3 billion years ago has excited
scientists to hypothesize that Mars once had a climate hospitable for life.
Covering ¾ of the Earth’s surface, water’s unique properties is one of the key
reasons life exists on Earth. Our bodies are composed of 95% water and have
some unique properties that allow our metabolic, chemical, and other reactions
important to support life to exist. For instance, water remains liquid at
relatively high temperatures (compared to other compounds) and freezes at
relatively low temperatures. Water is polar and also tends to stick to each
other (cohesion) as well as certain surfaces (adhesion).
Students will use their recent learning
of the scientific method and apply it to this lab, “The Properties of
Water”. Students indicated that they
enjoy labs and hands-on projects the best while in class. This lab should be
fun and engaging for the students.
Rationale:
Enduring Understanding:
Students understand that water is a
unique molecule. It is polar because there is an uneven distribution of
electrons between the oxygen and hydrogen atoms.
Essential Questions:
- What are some properties of water? How do they work?
- What is the difference between adhesion and cohesion? Give an example of each.
- What is the relationship among solutions, solvents, and solutes?
Instructional Strategies:
Provide content with a PowerPoint
presentation, process (quick write & share in response to questions
embedded in the presentation), and product (laboratory activity, “Drops on a
Penny”).
Student Activities:
Provide supports for varied readiness
levels (visual and auditory presentation, think-quick-write-share at end of
presentation), learning profiles and interests (visual and auditory
presentation; lab for hands-on learning (kinesthetic)).
Content
Standards:
Grades 9 & 10 Biology
1: “Cell Biology”
b. “Students
know that enzymes are proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions without
altering the reaction equilibrium and the activities of enzymes dependon the
temperature, ionicconditions, and the pH of the surroundings."
h. “Students
know most macromolecules (polysaccharides, nucleic acids proteins, lipids) in
cells and organisms are synthesized from a small collection of simple
precursors.” (State Board of Education, 2002).
ELD
Standards:
EL students are ELD III/IV
Part I: Interacting in Meaningful Ways
1.
Exchanging
information/ideas
2.
Interacting via
written English
5.
Listening actively
Part II: Learning About How English
Works
1.
Understanding
text structure
2.
Understanding
cohesion
Objective:
By the end of
this unit students will be able to:
a.
explain why water molecules are
polar
b.
list the properties of water
c.
differentiate between solutions and suspensions
Assessment
Plan:
Entry Level—Each student will take a
quiz (week 1) on the scientific method to determine their readiness level for
designing an experiment. The teacher will use that information to differentiate
the assignment to meet the students’ individual needs. In addition, students
will be introduced to Unit 2: The Chemistry of Biology, the day before. They
will have begun learning the vocabulary words associated with this unit and
learned about atoms, elements, and compounds. Their understanding was assessed
with a quick write, exit ticket, and worksheet about the content.
Warm-Up—Students will begin with a
summary of yesterday’s content: The Properties of an Atom. Teacher will check
for understanding by calling on 3 students randomly, who will each read their
answer from their notes.
Formative—The teacher will check for
understanding periodically by including questions on slides embedded in the
PowerPoint presentation. Students will do a quick-write in response to these
questions, followed by 3 randomly-chosen students to share with the class. In
addition, the exit ticket will include calling on students at random to answer
questions written in the margins of their Cornell-style notes.
- Explain the difference between mixtures, solutions and suspensions.
- What is a solvent and a solute?
- Explain the difference between adhesion and cohesion.
- Why is a water molecule considered “polar”?
Summative—In addition to the exit ticket
(see above), students will complete a lab on “The Properties of Water”. They
will compete to see which lab group can get the most drops onto the penny.
Students will use the scientific method to conduct their lab, and repeat trials
for increased accuracy to prevent error. This will reinforce objectives taught
last week as they learn about water. Students will explain their results in
terms of cohesion and adhesion. Answers will be shared with the class.
Differentiation Strategies:
Content
Check
to ensure students are taking Cornell notes during presentation.
Teacher
checks for learning of new vocab words and reminds students to finish their
flashcards for Friday’s quiz.
Think-quick
write-share during PowerPoint presentation.
Process
Teacher
will arrange students in groups for the lab.
Teacher will circulate during student activities to
answer questions, check for understanding, and guide students in the right
direction.
Product
Students
will follow handout guidelines for lab.
Students
will peer-teach each other within their lab groups.
Students who need extra time to finish certain
assignments or extra teacher assistance are invited to come after school (or make
an appointment during lunch or before school).
Future:
If time, enrichment article on the
discovery of water on Mars.
Resources:
·
Link to the page
on Unit 2 on my Biology
Teaching Blog.
·
“Properties of Water” ppt
·
Drops on a Penny
Lab
·
Resources—Teaching
the Biology of Water
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