Unit 3: 

Focus:
This unit helps students to make the connection between structure and function at all levels of biological organization. Cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems are investigated through the lens of structure and function—things look like they do as a reflection of their functions. The cells of a leaf, the tissues of the skin, and the respiratory system of a giant ape—they all can be understood when students know that structure and function are related.

• Students will construct an argument to show that in plants and animals, any structural level supports survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

• Through reading and classroom activities, students will explore human hearing and visual systems.

• Students will develop a model to describe how an organism’s senses help it to survive and they will explore examples of stimulus and response in animals and plants.

Students also learn that engineers use their knowledge of structure and function as they develop solutions to problems associated with human hearing and sight.