This Web Quest allows students to research the human body in a way that gives the student an opportunity to explore and obtain a broader knowledge of the human body, systems, and organs.
Students will research 10 organ systems and create a presentation to better understand how the systems of the body are integrated together.
This WebQuest meets the following NGSS standards:
MS-LS1-3 Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.
Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the conceptual understanding that cells form tissues and tissues form organs specialized for particular body functions. Examples could include the interaction of subsystems within a system and the normal functioning of those systems.
MS-LS1-3
1.Supported Claims
a. Students make a claim to be supported, related to a given explanation or model of a phenomenon. In the claim, students include the idea that the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.
2. Identifying scientific evidence
a. Students identify and describe the given evidence that supports the claim (e.g., evidence from data and scientific literature), including evidence that:
i. Specialized groups of cells work together to form tissues (e.g., evidence from data about the kinds of cells found in different tissues, such as nervous, muscular, and epithelial, and their functions).
ii. Specialized tissues comprise each organ, enabling the specific organ functions to be carried out (e.g., the heart contains muscle, connective, and epithelial tissues that allow the heart to receive and pump blood).
iii. Different organs can work together as subsystems to form organ systems that carry out complex functions (e.g., the heart and blood vessels work together as the circulatory system to transport blood and materials throughout the body).
iv. The body contains organs and organ systems that interact with each other to carry out all necessary functions for survival and growth of the organism (e.g., the digestive, respiratory, and circulatory systems are involved in the breakdown and transport of food and the transport of oxygen throughout the body to cells, where the molecules can be used for energy, growth, and repair).
3. Evaluating and critiquing the evidence
a. Students evaluate the evidence and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence, including:
i. Types of sources.
ii. Sufficiency, including validity and reliability, of the evidence to make and defend the claim.
iii. Any alternative interpretations of the evidence and why the evidence supports the student’s claim, as opposed to any other claims.
4. Reasoning and synthesis
a. Students use reasoning to connect the appropriate evidence to the claim. Students describe the following chain of reasoning in their argumentation:
Every scale (e.g., cells, tissues, organs, organ systems) of body function is composed of systems of interacting components.
Organs are composed of interacting tissues. Each tissue is made up of specialized cells. These interactions at the cellular and tissue levels enable the organs to carry out specific functions.
A body is a system of specialized organs that interact with each other and their subsystems to carry out the functions necessary for life.
b. Students use oral and written arguments to support or refute an explanation or model of a phenomenon.