NASA LIFTOFF

Instructional Case

How must life adapt to exist on other planets?

title of IC:

author: Elaine Skaggs

NASA LIFTOFF

Instructional Case

teacher: Elaine Skaggs

school: Upland High School

course/grade: Biology grades 9 - 12

district: Upland Unified School District

email: elaine_skaggs@upland.k12.ca.us

NASA LIFTOFF

Instructional Case

Could life exist on other planets or moons in our solar system, knowing the extreme abiotic factors to which they would have to adapt?

generative question:

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Instructional Case

Biology 1. The fundamental life processes of plants and animals depend on a

variety of chemical reactions that occur in specialized areas of the organism’s cells.

6. Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects. 7 .The frequency of an allele in a gene pool of a population depends on

many factors and may be stable or unstable over time.Investigation & Experimentation

1. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. AS a basis for understanding this concept, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations

learning objectives (key standards):

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Instructional Case

Formative assessmentsPod cast of Lab safety rulesT-chart - qualitative and quantitative observationsKWL chart -Characteristics of LifeVenn diagram – Prokaryotes vs EukaryotesCarousel reading of Extremophiles , write facts, share with rotating groups of students5-3-1 chart - How do abiotic factors affect life?

Summative assessmentsChapter generated test Prentice Hall Biology Authors Miller and Levine

assessment overview:

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Instructional Case

NASA LIFTOFF

Instructional Case

Students will choose a planet or moon in our solar system and create an organism that would survive the extreme abiotic factors on that celestial body. Research must include:Review of 3 peer-review scientific journalsReport must include:Pictures & written description of your planetpH, pressure, gravity, temperature, salinity, radiation, light, Could your planet or moon support a water-base or methane -base life form? What adaptations would be required for survival?What about food? Primary producers vs heterotropes?Build a model of your organism or ecosystem?

culminating project:

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Instructional Case

Thinking like a scientist - Scientific observations – D Gilbert’s chemical labCharacteristics of Life - Sand, Yeast, Fizzy Lab, Colormetric lab and Extremophile activity Chemistry of Life – Properties of Water – Carbon Compounds – polymer labChemical reactions and enzymes –Catalase Enzyme labHow do abiotic factors affect life – pH lab, pressure lab, temperature lab, light

and radiation 5-3-1 activityWhat is ecology? Energy flow activityRole of climate – greenhouse effect What shapes our ecosystems? – abiotic and biotic factors – mapping temperatures outside on campus , lawn, artificial turf, cleared soil, concreteStudent project

key lessons & activities:

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Instructional Case5E inquiry activities:

• ENGAGE• Samples of Living verses Non-Living• Plastic snail/live snail & more• Observe & record• EXPLORE• Participants make observations of 3

test tubes – hand lenses touch, smell, listen

• #1 Sand• #2 Yeast• #3 Crushed Alka-seltzer• Add sugar (food source) – record • Add warm water – record & discuss• Add more sugar – Add more water

• EXPLAIN• How can you tell if something is

living?• What are the characteristics of life?• Graphic organizer• EXTEND• What requirements are necessary for

basic survival and which add to the quality of life of the living thing?

• EVALUATE • Students write, draw, or sing(rap)

what living organisms need to survive?

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Instructional Case

ENGAGEPond water on LCD projector• What are the requirements that

many of these living organisms have in common?

• How are their needs different from ours?

• Think-Pair-shareEXPLORE• Are microbes alive?• Students observe mold growing on

potatoes, and then look at magnified images of several different microbes.

• What did you observe? Color shapes?

EXPLAIN• How could you get a closer look at

microbes? What tools do you need?• How can you tell if something is

living?• What are the characteristics of life?• Graphic organizerEXTEND• What requirements are necessary for

basic survival and which add to the quality of life of the living thing?

EVALUATE• Students write, draw, or sing(rap)

what living organisms need to survive?

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Instructional Case

integrated pedagogy:• Making labs more open-ended• Backwards mapping• Thinking maps• Academic vocabulary tier 1 – 3• Collaboration with mod-severe special

education class

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Instructional Case

• NASA resources:• http://www.microbe.org/microbes/mysteries.asp• http://www.microbeworld.org/htm/aboutmicro/

gallery/gallery_start.htm• http://www.cellsalive.com/cam2.htm• www.amnh.org/exhibitions/halltour/• http://teachspacescience.org/graphics/pdf/10000406.pdf• http://microscope.mbl.edu• http://resourcecommittee.house.gov/subcommittees/emr/

usgsweb/

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21st Century Skills• Effective communicator - oral reports• Information Literacy – Research• Collaboration – students will tutor severe to

moderate special education students• Initiative and Self-driven

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Instructional Case

• Miscellaneous (optional)• Website for Elaine Skaggswww.uplandhigh.schoolloop.com

Click on schoolloop