Wanted: Dead or Alive?

Learning Resource Type

Lesson Plan

Subject Area

Science

Grade(s)

7

Overview

Humans heavily rely on a wide variety of living and non-living things. This 7th grade life science education module is designed to provide a unique approach to learning what is actually considered dead or alive, and how we interact differently with living and non-living things.  This lesson plan is designed with the “student in mind”, and our goal is to reach all the various learning styles.  It will meet the students where they are and assist them in understanding a new scientific concept. Alexandria Bufford-Tuskegee University, helped with the experiment write-up and testing. Gerald Griffin-Hope College, and De'Shayla Chappell, Adrinece Beard, Angela Player-Tuskegee University produced the "bacteria vs viruses" powerpoint. 

Science (2015) Grade(s): 7

SC15.7.6

Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence regarding how resource availability impacts individual organisms as well as populations of organisms within an ecosystem.

UP:SC15.7.6

Vocabulary

  • Analyze
  • Interpret
  • Evidence
  • Resource(s)
  • Organism(s)
  • Ecosystem
  • Biotic
  • Abiotic
  • Populations (e.g., sizes, reproduction rates, growth information)
  • Competition

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Organisms, and populations of organisms, are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living (biotic) things and with nonliving (abiotic) things.
  • In any ecosystem, organisms and populations with similar requirements for food, water, oxygen, or other resources may compete with each other for limited resources, access to which consequently constrains their growth and reproduction.
  • Growth of organisms and population increases are limited by access to resources.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Organize the given data to allow for analysis and interpretation of relationships between resource availability and organisms in an ecosystem.
  • Analyze the organized data to determine the relationships between the size of a population, the growth and survival of individual organisms, and resource availability.
  • Determine whether the relationships provide evidence of a causal link between factors.
  • Interpret the organized data to make predictions based on evidence of causal relationships between resource availability, organisms, and organism populations.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems.
  • Causal links exist between resources and growth of individual organisms and the numbers of organisms in ecosystems during periods of abundant and scarce resources.

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect
Science (2015) Grade(s): 7

SC15.7.11

Analyze and interpret data to predict how environmental conditions (e.g., weather, availability of nutrients, location) and genetic factors (e.g., selective breeding of cattle or crops) influence the growth of organisms (e.g., drought decreasing plant growth, adequate supply of nutrients for maintaining normal plant growth, identical plant seeds growing at different rates in different weather conditions, fish growing larger in large ponds than in small ponds).

UP:SC15.7.11

Vocabulary

  • Analyze
  • Interpret
  • Data
  • Predict
  • Environmental
  • Conditions (e.g., weather, resource availability, etc.)
  • Genetics
  • Genetic Factors (e.g., selective breeding, etc.)
  • Organisms

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Environmental factors can influence growth.
  • Genetic factors can influence growth.
  • Changes in the growth of organisms can occur as specific environmental and genetic factors change.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Organize given data on how both environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms to allow for analysis and interpretation.
  • Analyze the data to identify possible causal relationships between environmental and genetic factors and the growth of organisms.
  • Interpret patterns observed from the data to provide causal accounts for events and make predictions for events by constructing explanations.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Genetic factors as well as local conditions affect the growth of organisms.
  • Because both environmental and genetic factors can influence organisms simultaneously, organism growth is the result of environmental and genetic factors working together.
  • Because organism growth can have several genetic and environmental causes, the contributions of specific causes or factors to organism growth can be described only using probability.

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

Primary Learning Objectives

  • This lesson plan addresses topics that ask what is considered living and non-living, and how our needs are met with these diverse forms of necessities. 
  • Students should be able to recognize that in order for something to be classified as living, it must grow, develop, reproduce, be made up of cells, and use energy. 
  • Students should understand that living and non-living things interact all the time.
  • Students must also recognize non-living things can also have living characteristics (i.e. Viruses) 

Procedures/Activities

Step 1.

Wanted: Dead or Alive? Engagement 

Procedure: A variety of familiar photos of living and non-living things will be displayed on a PowerPoint presentation. 

  1. Ask students to think about which are considered living or dead. Don’t elicit responses or reasons at this time. 
  2. After presenting the PowerPoint, divide the students into groups and have them reflect on what they just viewed. 
  3. Advise them to pick one group leader, who will share the group’s answers aloud for each slide.
  4. Allow the PowerPoint presentation to play multiple times, if students need clarity or a repetition. 
  5. After every group shares their answers aloud, have the different groups’ debate if different answers are provided.

Refrain from focusing on if an answer is “correct”, as this activity is intended solely to get the students thinking about unit concepts. 

Step 2   

Wanted: Dead or Alive: Explanation 

Wanted: Dead or Alive PowerPoint presentation 

Pt 2. : Bacteria vs. Viruses Annotation: 

The teacher will ask discussion questions during the PowerPoint, to assist students with understanding the overall focus points. 

 

Title: Bacteria vs. Viruses PowerPoint 

 

Annotation: 

There are no specific materials needed for this portion of the module, except students must have access to laptop computers or iPad to complete the experiment properly. 

 

Questions to Ask:

1.Can viruses grow/develop?

2.How do viruses adapt/change?

3.Give a name of a virus you have heard about.

Materials:

•Provided PowerPoint presentation

Step 3   

Wanted: Dead or Alive Experiment.

Students make predictions about the requirements of a bean seed to sprout and grow.  Following the experiment, students compare their results to their predictions.Allow students to record data on the rate of germination and amount of growth of sprouting pinto beans.  Students are prompted to make a prediction (hypothesis) about which conditions are most ideal for the sprouting of beans.  At the end of the experiment, students are prompted to compare the data to the initial prediction.The instructions and materials list for the experiment are allowing for a class of 24 students in groups of 4.


Step 1.

Wanted: Dead or Alive? Engagement 

Procedure: A variety of familiar photos of living and non-living things will be displayed on a PowerPoint presentation. 

  1. Ask students to think about which are considered living or dead. Don’t elicit responses or reasons at this time. 
  2. After presenting the PowerPoint, divide the students into groups and have them reflect on what they just viewed. 
  3. Advise them to pick one group leader, who will share the group’s answers aloud for each slide.
  4. Allow the PowerPoint presentation to play multiple times, if students need clarity or a repetition. 
  5. After every group shares their answers aloud, have the different groups’ debate if different answers are provided.

Refrain from focusing on if an answer is “correct”, as this activity is intended solely to get the students thinking about unit concepts. 

Step 2   

Wanted: Dead or Alive: Explanation 

Wanted: Dead or Alive PowerPoint presentation 

Pt 2. : Bacteria vs. Viruses Annotation: 

The teacher will ask discussion questions during the PowerPoint, to assist students with understanding the overall focus points. 

 

Title: Bacteria vs. Viruses PowerPoint 

 

Annotation: 

There are no specific materials needed for this portion of the module, except students must have access to laptop computers or iPad to complete the experiment properly. 

 

Questions to Ask:

1.Can viruses grow/develop?

2.How do viruses adapt/change?

3.Give a name of a virus you have heard about.

Materials:

•Provided PowerPoint presentation

Step 3   

Wanted: Dead or Alive Experiment.

Students make predictions about the requirements of a bean seed to sprout and grow.  Following the experiment, students compare their results to their predictions.Allow students to record data on the rate of germination and amount of growth of sprouting pinto beans.  Students are prompted to make a prediction (hypothesis) about which conditions are most ideal for the sprouting of beans.  At the end of the experiment, students are prompted to compare the data to the initial prediction.The instructions and materials list for the experiment are allowing for a class of 24 students in groups of 4.


Step 1.

Wanted: Dead or Alive? Engagement 

Procedure: A variety of familiar photos of living and non-living things will be displayed on a PowerPoint presentation. 

  1. Ask students to think about which are considered living or dead. Don’t elicit responses or reasons at this time. 
  2. After presenting the PowerPoint, divide the students into groups and have them reflect on what they just viewed. 
  3. Advise them to pick one group leader, who will share the group’s answers aloud for each slide.
  4. Allow the PowerPoint presentation to play multiple times, if students need clarity or a repetition. 
  5. After every group shares their answers aloud, have the different groups’ debate if different answers are provided.

Refrain from focusing on if an answer is “correct”, as this activity is intended solely to get the students thinking about unit concepts. 

Step 2   

Wanted: Dead or Alive: Explanation 

Wanted: Dead or Alive PowerPoint presentation 

Pt 2. : Bacteria vs. Viruses Annotation: 

The teacher will ask discussion questions during the PowerPoint, to assist students with understanding the overall focus points. 

 

Title: Bacteria vs. Viruses PowerPoint 

 

Annotation: 

There are no specific materials needed for this portion of the module, except students must have access to laptop computers or iPad to complete the experiment properly. 

 

Questions to Ask:

1.Can viruses grow/develop?

2.How do viruses adapt/change?

3.Give a name of a virus you have heard about.

Materials:

•Provided PowerPoint presentation

Step 3   

Wanted: Dead or Alive Experiment.

Students make predictions about the requirements of a bean seed to sprout and grow.  Following the experiment, students compare their results to their predictions.Allow students to record data on the rate of germination and amount of growth of sprouting pinto beans.  Students are prompted to make a prediction (hypothesis) about which conditions are most ideal for the sprouting of beans.  At the end of the experiment, students are prompted to compare the data to the initial prediction.The instructions and materials list for the experiment are allowing for a class of 24 students in groups of 4.


Step 1.

Wanted: Dead or Alive? Engagement 

Procedure: A variety of familiar photos of living and non-living things will be displayed on a PowerPoint presentation. 

  1. Ask students to think about which are considered living or dead. Don’t elicit responses or reasons at this time. 
  2. After presenting the PowerPoint, divide the students into groups and have them reflect on what they just viewed. 
  3. Advise them to pick one group leader, who will share the group’s answers aloud for each slide.
  4. Allow the PowerPoint presentation to play multiple times, if students need clarity or a repetition. 
  5. After every group shares their answers aloud, have the different groups’ debate if different answers are provided.

Refrain from focusing on if an answer is “correct”, as this activity is intended solely to get the students thinking about unit concepts. 

Step 2   

Wanted: Dead or Alive: Explanation 

Wanted: Dead or Alive PowerPoint presentation 

Pt 2. : Bacteria vs. Viruses Annotation: 

The teacher will ask discussion questions during the PowerPoint, to assist students with understanding the overall focus points. 

 

Title: Bacteria vs. Viruses PowerPoint 

 

Annotation: 

There are no specific materials needed for this portion of the module, except students must have access to laptop computers or iPad to complete the experiment properly. 

 

Questions to Ask:

1.Can viruses grow/develop?

2.How do viruses adapt/change?

3.Give a name of a virus you have heard about.

Materials:

•Provided PowerPoint presentation

Step 3   

Wanted: Dead or Alive Experiment.

Students make predictions about the requirements of a bean seed to sprout and grow.  Following the experiment, students compare their results to their predictions.Allow students to record data on the rate of germination and amount of growth of sprouting pinto beans.  Students are prompted to make a prediction (hypothesis) about which conditions are most ideal for the sprouting of beans.  At the end of the experiment, students are prompted to compare the data to the initial prediction.The instructions and materials list for the experiment are allowing for a class of 24 students in groups of 4.

Assessment Strategies

 Name: _______________________________________

 

Wanted: Dead or Alive?

Pre/Post Assessment 

 1.List 3 characteristics of life:

a)

b)

c)

2.What is the correct definition of homeostasis:

a) Equilibrium within a social group 

b) Balancing on a seesaw 

c) Maintaining a balanced internal environment 

d) Interaction between cells

3. List at least 2 similarities between viruses and bacteria.

a)

b)

4. Viruses can change their genetic makeup. 

a) True 

b) False

 

5. Give an example of an organism adapting to its environment.

Acceleration

URL: http://prezi.com/rgxlqn1-6-mp/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

This is an (optional) presentation that teachers may use in their classrooms to direct students to form hypotheses, set up the experiment, collect data, and draw conclusions.

Students, who have prior knowledge and/or can complete the pinto bean experiment early, can create their own book with illustrations and context about each stage of growth. This illustrative book can account for the students’ re-evaluation for their examination.

Intervention

Special education students will receive accommodations by working in small groups during the course of the experimental activity. This will allow these students to participate in the experiment, yet work at their own pace. The special education students will also be given additional time with completing their experiments, either an addition timeline or option to respond and finish their own squares at home. 

Total Duration

N/A

Background/Preparation

To best prepare for the Wanted: Dead or Alive? Module, teachers should ask the students to prepare a list of different things that they would classify as living, and a list that they would classify as non-living.  

The teacher will then list the students’ answers on large poster sheets/boards, and discuss these with the entire class. 

Questions to ask before the presentation/discuss  begins:

1. How did you decide what was classified as living and non-living?

2. Was it difficult to decide where to place certain items on the list?

3. Which items were difficult?

 

Materials and Resources

Poster to list characteristics , “Western themed” notebook pads.

Bean or Pea Plant Experiment

Materials:  Peas
, Resealable plastic bags (quart size suggested)
, Water, Paper towels, Pen to write on baggies. Determine each experimental variable in a class discussion (prompt students to record answers in notebook)
. Prompt all students or student groups to hypothesize which nutrient the beans can live without the best (or if they need all the nutrients). Have them RECORD their hypothesis. 


 

Technology Resources Needed

Laptops and/or ipads, projector, screen.

Access to Microsoft Office PowerPoint program

Approved Date

2016-01-21

Owner2

ljackson93

Owner3

cbradford123

Owner4

mreeves34
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