We packed a lot into our short Friday class period today, starting off with a return to the potato catalase lab packet.  We worked through pages 4-6 and students were directed to find the results from all of the classes on yesterday’s lesson post.  Students also received a copy of the Potato Catalase Lab Report Checklist and learned that they may work with a partner to complete the report and the due date is December 1.  Students were told that they can turn the report early to receive feedback which can be used to revise and improve their report by the due date.

For the last part of class, we reviewed Unit 2 content, with students encouraged to review the process of a slice of pizza or a cheeseburger being digested.  Students should practice writing an explanation which breaks down the parts of the food into biomolecules, explaining how those molecules are digested (anatomy of the digestion system and enzymes involved), and then explaining how the biomolecules are absorbed into the body and reassembled (biosynthesis) to form new biomolecules the body needs to live.

For the lab today, students were instructed to record the steps of the procedure in their lab notebooks.  Steps were provided orally to emphasize the absolute importance of active listening (and not talking) while instruction is being delivered.  Students conducted the lab working in groups and recorded data in a class data table on the white board.  Results from all three classes are provided below:

Class began with a brief review of the Amoeba Sisters enzyme worksheet from yesterday and then we transitioned to preparing for the potato catalase lab.  After turning in the enzyme worksheet, students picked up a catalase lab packet.  We discussed the function of catalase and then students had the remainder of class to complete the first three pages of the packet.  Students were told multiple times that the first three pages of the packet must be completed before they can participate in the lab tomorrow.  Students who did not finish the first three pages of the packet in class were instructed to complete the work as homework.  The following notes were shared to help students better understand how the lab would be conducted:

We began class with a vocabulary review from yesterday.  Students completed Activity D problem #3 where they matched 11 digestion related vocabulary words with the correct definitions.  Next, we reviewed the enzymes from yesterday’s lesson to reinforce vocabulary and to review where in the body the enzymes work and which biomolecules they act on.  Notes from the white board are shown below:

For today’s lesson, we furthered our study of enzymes by watching the Amoeba Sisters video below:

After the video, students had time to work on the video worksheet in class and were instructed to finish it as homework.

We continued our study of enzymes and digestion by focusing specifically on the process of digestion today.  Students all received a handout with an image of the digestive system, and then we labeled the parts and took notes on the process of digestion while watching the video below:

Additional notes from the whiteboard are shown below:

Class began with the following entry task:

Use the Item Bank (H20, CO2, ATP, O2, C6H12O6):

1. Which are inputs of cellular respiration?
2. Which are outputs?
3. Write the equation for cellular respiration

The entry task launched our brief review of cellular respiration, photosynthesis, and chemical potential energy stored in glucose and transferred to ATP.

After taking notes, the discussion transitioned to a recognition that while humans can eat glucose directly by consuming plants, humans can also obtain energy by eating other animals that eat plants.  For example, when we eat beef, we are ingesting protein and fat (lipids) produced by a cow that ate grass.  That led us to the Biological Molecules Crash Course video (below) and the associated worksheet.  Each student was assigned one question from the handout to answer, and then students combined answers in a class share-out at the end of class.  A completed copy of the worksheet is also provided below.

November 8 – Updated

Our study of biomolecules continued with students working in groups of three to read about carbohydrates, lipids, and fats.  Each student read one section, and then all three shared what they learned with the other students in the group so that each student was able to complete one worksheet.  At the end of class, we re-grouped and created the summary table shown below:

At this point in our study of enzymes and digestion, students have learned how plants capture the energy in sunlight and store it as chemical potential energy in glucose molecules.  Animals (and plants!) metabolize glucose using cellular respiration, transferring the chemical potential energy from glucose to ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy currency of cells.  Photosynthesis takes place in chloroplasts, while cellular respiration occurs in mitochondria.

In The Breath of Life reading, students learned how the respiratory system of humans enables gas exchange, with the lungs inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide.  The gas exchange occurs within the alveoli, thin-walled sacs inside the lungs.  The reading introduced the concept of feedback systems, focusing on the special nerve cells in the cardiovascular and nervous systems that can sense changes in pH.  As carbon dioxide builds up, the blood becomes more acidic, and the lungs are forced to exhale to rid the body of carbon dioxide which then brings the pH back to normal levels.

For today’s lesson, we once again turned to our textbook and students were instructed to read pages 328-332 and complete the associated worksheet.  The assigned reading was titled Food: Our Body’s Source of Energy and Structural Materials.  Now that students understand the link between photosynthesis (chemical potential energy stored in glucose), cellular respiration (glucose metabolized to transfer the energy in glucose to ATP), and the larger connection with the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, it is time to learn more about how the digestive system makes use of the variety of foods available to us.  It is time to think beyond glucose.