Monday, January 12, 2026
Inspirational Quote of the Day: “My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors.”– Maya Angelou
Objective:What is going on inside M'Kenna's body that is making her feel the way she does?
In this lesson we meet M’Kenna, a 13-year-old girl who started feeling sick all the time. We analyze M’Kenna’s Doctor’s Note and develop initial models to explain what is going on inside M’Kenna’s body and why her symptoms are affecting so many different body systems. After generating a list of related phenomena, we develop a Driving Question Board to guide future investigations. We are particularly interested in figuring out what is different about M’Kenna’s digestive system compared to that of someone who is healthy.
Standards:
Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
Warm-Up:
To Do List:
INTRODUCE AN INTERESTING PHENOMENON 5min Video Link
Introduce students to M’Kenna’s primary symptoms. Have students brainstorm other symptoms they might expect M’Kenna to have.
MAKE OBSERVATIONS OF THE DOCTOR’S NOTE 7 min
Engage students in a Notice-Think-Wonder routine around M’Kenna’s Doctor’s Note.
INITIAL IDEAS DISCUSSION ABOUT DOCTOR’S NOTE 8 min
Have students share their initial ideas about M’Kenna’s symptoms in a whole-group discussion.- Doctor's Note
DEVELOP INITIAL MODELS 10 min
Have students develop an initial model to explain what is going on with M’Kenna.
Map M'Kenna's Symptoms to Her Body Systems
SHARE INITIAL MODELS 15 min
Students share models with a partner then do a gallery walk to compare models.
Check for Understanding:
Homework:
None - End of the marking period is coming. Please check HAC, make up missing assignments, and finish the marking period strong.