Homeostasis
MS-LS1-1 Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different types and numbers of cells.
MS-LS1-3 Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.
When teaching science, I have found that using analogies is a great way to help students visualize something that is too small or abstract to see. One analogy I felt was particularly effective was that our bodies act like fish tanks. I used this analogy during the introduction of our homeostasis unit, after the definition of homeostasis was given: the ability of the body to keep itself stable, even when the internal or external environment changes. My students understood changes in the external environment very quickly. When it's very cold outside, your body shivers to keep you warm. When it's very hot, your body sweats to keep you cool.
They were not as sure what internal environmental changes might mean. I used the fish tank analogy, telling students our bodies function like fish tanks, where cells in our bodies are like fish, and the tank, or the body, must keep them alive. There are many different apparatuses in the tank that help keep the fish alive. The heater keeps the water at an optimal temperature, the filter removes waste and toxins, and the plants provide oxygen. We then discussed how different parts of our bodies do the same thing for our cells that the apparatuses in the tank do for the fish.
MS-LS1-3 Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.
When teaching science, I have found that using analogies is a great way to help students visualize something that is too small or abstract to see. One analogy I felt was particularly effective was that our bodies act like fish tanks. I used this analogy during the introduction of our homeostasis unit, after the definition of homeostasis was given: the ability of the body to keep itself stable, even when the internal or external environment changes. My students understood changes in the external environment very quickly. When it's very cold outside, your body shivers to keep you warm. When it's very hot, your body sweats to keep you cool.
They were not as sure what internal environmental changes might mean. I used the fish tank analogy, telling students our bodies function like fish tanks, where cells in our bodies are like fish, and the tank, or the body, must keep them alive. There are many different apparatuses in the tank that help keep the fish alive. The heater keeps the water at an optimal temperature, the filter removes waste and toxins, and the plants provide oxygen. We then discussed how different parts of our bodies do the same thing for our cells that the apparatuses in the tank do for the fish.
In the future, I think I would like to incorporate a worksheet like this one:
This would not only help students flesh out the analogy on their own, but would give them a physical copy of it to use as a study tool. I think I would also like to try an activity where students create their own analogies. There are so many lessons in science where we are discussing something that is too small to see. If students practice and become comfortable at creating their own analogies to understand what is going on at a molecular level, they will be more likely to remember their analogies as they study.
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