Respiratory System

MS-LS1-3 Construct an explanation supported by evidence for how the body is composed of interacting systems consisting of cells, tissues, and organs working together to maintain homeostasis.

My goal for this week is to make an engaging lesson to introduce my students to the respiratory system. I started by posing this question to my students: If you were an engineer creating a set of artificial lungs, what design considerations would be important to think about? When I initially made the slides for this lesson, my cooperating teacher said the students may not have much to contribute to this discussion, because they hadn't been introduced to the respiratory system before. I chose to begin the lesson this way anyways, in order to see how they were able to think about the lungs and their function without much background knowledge. I was impressed to see that they came up with very innovative and thoughtful modifications, and we had a strong discussion as a class. Next, we watched the following five minute YouTube video on the respiratory system:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTR1IsX55dc

We discussed the main function of the respiratory system, and in connection with our previous unit on homeostasis, we discussed how our bodies protect our respiratory systems from foreign bodies. Because I knew the students would eventually be responsible for diagramming the system, I projected the following images:

I wanted to remind students that there were many different ways to represent information in their notes, and that they should think of the way that made the most sense to them. Students were then given time to find a respiratory system diagram of their choosing and add it to their notes. While they were drawing, I played the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-vJc1olyec

My students love Arianna Grande, so I thought they would appreciate this fun cover of her song Breathin, with the lyrics changed to respiratory system facts. 

Reflection:

I think my students enjoyed this lesson as much as I did. They were given information in a variety of different ways, and were given agency in how they wanted to represent their diagrams. Any time I am able to let my students do a bit of research or make a decision for themselves, I like to make an effort to do so. They also have shown that they love when they are given the chance to show some creativity in science, which at times is not always possible. With the diagrams, students take great care in drawing and labeling the various parts. With simple requirements of what parts of the system need to be included, as well as requiring students to write brief descriptions on the function of each part, I can ensure that each student has the information they need, and they can enjoy the freedom of recording it however they would like.