5th Grade Body Systems—Helpful Teacher Tips

Circulatory, Respiratory, and Digestive Systems

Helpful Teacher Tips

General Unit Note:

• Many charts are generated throughout this unit. Keep more pieces of chart paper on hand than are specified in the Teacher Guide to allow for extended discussions. Use the colored paper on rolls located in the teachers' workroom.
• Charts generated in lessons are sometimes referred to in subsequent lessons, so keep them throughout the unit.

Learning Experience 1: What Does Your Body Do?

Advance Preparation

• Prepare a chart titled "How Does My Body Work?"  
• Prepare index cards with "tasks" as outlined on page 14.
• See Science Background section page 287 for additional information on voluntary and involuntary actions.
• **You will not be setting up the onion, for lesson 3, as described on page 15. Lesson 3 has been revised.

Getting Started

Supplemental Resource: Why I Sneeze, Shiver, Hiccup, and Yawn by Melvin Berger is in the library. The book is referenced on page 22 in the Teacher's Guide. It is an optional book to read.

Learning Experience 2: What Do I Already Know? The Me I Can See... The Me I Can't See

Advance Preparation

• Do not make stethoscopes. A class set of stethoscopes has been added to your kit. Have students use wipes, which have been added to the kit, to clean the earpieces. Please limit one wipe per student. Instruct the students to make sure the earpieces are dry prior to using the stethoscope.
• In order to make the 6 ft. x 3 ft. body outline, copy the outline from the Science Notebook Page on page 39 in your Teacher Guide onto an overhead transparency. Project the transparency onto a 6.5 ft. long sheet of paper. Use the colored paper on rolls located in the teachers' workroom.

Processing For Meaning

Omit Session Two entirely. However, the research project, or some variation of it, would be useful as an extension for students who have strong background knowledge on the respiratory, circulatory, and/or digestive systems. It could be used as an independent project in place of some of the lessons within this unit.

Learning Experience 3: What Are Cells?

Advance Preparation

• Do not use Pro Scopes for this lesson because they do not have high enough magnification.
• Use the teacher-created cell slide show in place of making cell slides. The slide show emphasizes the differences in cells found throughout the body.
• See Science Background section on page 288 for additional information on cells.

Exploring and Discovering

As you show the slides to the class, encourage the students to compare the different cells. How are they similar? How are they different? Why are the cells found in a human so different from each other? This will help the students come to the conclusion that the cells are different in structure because they have different functions.

Processing for Meaning

Have students respond to the four questions on page 62 in the Teacher's Guide.

Learning Experience 4: Blood and the Heart

Advance Preparation

• Change the teaching sequence of this lesson to include just the heart investigation on the first day and the four station investigations on the second day. Arrangements can be made for the Science Coordinator to assist with the heart investigation on the first day.
• If you made a 6 foot body outline, the originally-sized organ cutouts should fit properly.
• See Science Background section on pages 288-290 for additional information on the blood and heart.
• See the electronic blueprint for additional teacher notes to support the sheep's heart observation.

Getting Started

The first bullet on page 78 is tied directly to the revised Learning Experience 3. This portion of the learning experience might need to be slightly modified, depending on the discussion that occurred in Learning Experience 3.

Exploring and Discovering

The class will examine a sheep's heart cut only along the length. The heart will be pre-cut and available on the cart in the workroom. When discussing and reviewing Science Notebook Page A: Blood and the Heart (page 85 in the Teacher's Guide), refrain from having students trace the path of blood in blue and red crayons/colored pencils. Using a blue crayon appears to reinforce a persistent misconception that deoxygenated blood is blue. Have students trace the entire path of blood using only a red crayon or colored pencil.

Supplemental Resources

http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/102441059502447 What Is the Heart.pdf

• The pdf is a simple overview of the path of blood through the circulatory system. It addresses arteries, capillaries, and veins. It may be a beneficial handout for students who are struggling with the overall pathway of the blood.

http://www.zerobio.com/videos/sheep_heart_anatomy.html

• The site provides a slideshow of the parts of a sheep heart with oral commentary. It is an outstanding tutorial for teachers preparing for the dissection. It would also be beneficial for students to view after they have the opportunity to view the sheep hearts. The first minute is about basic prep. To bypass that information, slide the progress bar about half an inch until the third picture is displayed, which shows the tip of the heart being cut.

The Heart: Our Circulatory System by Seymour Simon is one of many books on the circulatory system available through the library. Books on cells, which have pictures of red blood cells, are also available through the library . Hear Your Heart by Paul Showers is a light-hearted read-aloud that addresses the heart, path of blood through the heart, and flow of blood throughout the body. The book is on loan from HP.

http://www.cellsalive.com/myocyte.htm

• The site contains two small pictures/videos of heart cells beating. The site is referenced on page 80 in the Teacher's Guide. The illustration helps students recognize that the heart is made up of individual cells that beat synchronously.

Learning Experience 5: The Transportation System

Advance Preparation

• See Science Background section on pages 290-291 in the Teacher's Guide, not the Resources section as stated in the Teacher Guide, for additional information about the vascular system.
• The tubing for Question 3 doesn't fit the pump bottle. A better option is to use a large syringe in place of the bottle. Wrap a piece of masking/duct tape around the tip of the syringe so that it fits snugly into the tubing. Hold the end of the tubing on the syringe spout tightly with one hand while pushing the plunger with the other. When the students clamp the tubing, they need to make sure it is tight enough to restrict the flow of water. This will help to control water spillage.
• Question 3 on Science Notebook Page 4 involves water. Be sure that you have plenty of paper towels available.
• Question 4 on Science Notebook Page 5 involves the use of BBs. The BBs should be in your kit in plastic cups with lids. This is a safe way to store the BBs so that they do not spill all over the tub. Be sure that you have shared with the students that you've given them a certain number of BBs in the container and that you expect that many to be returned. Pie tins have been added to your kit. They will help to catch any stray BBs.
• The models of the veins, as described on page 104 in the Teacher's Guide, have been prepared and placed in your kit. The valves should be checked. They are small and may have fallen out.
• The four "investigations" or questions work well as stations.
• The glue stick does not hold the red and blue yarn in place on the chart paper. Try other adhesives or use markers instead of yarn.

Note: The use of BBs to model blood flow could create the misconception that blood flows through veins one cell at a time. This would be a good time to, again, address the idea that models are not exactly like the real thing and that they are tools used to help us learn about things we can't easily see.

The Heart: Our Circulatory System by Seymour Simon is one of many books on the circulatory system available through the library.

Learning Experience 6:   Food and Fuel: The Digestive System

Advance Preparation

• See Science Background section on pages 291-292 in the Teacher's Guide, not the Resources section as stated in the Teacher's Guide, for additional information about the digestive system.
• Be sure to complete a food allergy form (soda crackers) for your class. This will need to be submitted to the school nurse prior to this lesson.

Exploring and Discovering

Do not have the students stand on their heads and eat a soda cracker as described on page 132. It is just as effective to have students bend over slightly to eat the cracker.

Learning Experience 7: What Happens in the Digestive System? Breaking Down the Food

Advance Preparation

• See school nurse for food allergy concerns.
• A class set of stethoscopes has been added to your kit. Have students use wipes, which have been added to the kit, to clean the earpieces. Please limit one wipe per student. Instruct the students to make sure the earpieces are dry prior to using the stethoscope.
• Use the lidded containers for the starch solution. A tray of containers and solution, along with a bottle of iodine, is available on the cart in the workroom. When finished with the solution, please fully rinse the containers and return iodine an containers to the cart in the workroom.

Exploring and Discovering

• For safety reasons, a teacher must first administer the iodine-iodide solution to the starch solution and then the diastase to the solution. Lids must be kept on containers.
• Observe/record the solutions every three minutes instead of the recommended five on Science Notebook Page B .

Learning Experience 8: How Does the Food Get Out? Membranes and Diffusion

Important Note

While the Teacher's Guide does not introduce villi until Lesson 11, it should be introduced in this lesson. Since students are building an understanding of how food exits the small intestines and moves into the bloodstream, they should learn about villi as the structure where this all occurs. This is also covered on the assessment rubric. The surface area of the villi will still be addressed in Lesson 11.

Advance Preparation

For additional information about diffusion, see Science Background section on pages 293-294 in the Teacher's Guide, not the Resources section as stated on page 183 in the Teacher's Guide.

Exploring and Discovering

You will need very small items for the demonstration outlined on page 181.

Supplementary Resources : A number of books on the digestive and circulatory systems are available through the library. The following site has a good diagram of villi and blood vessels.

         http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/bodydigestive/730

Learning Experience 9: Breathing: Getting Air into the Body

Advance Preparation

• See Science Background section on pages 294-296 in Teacher's Guide for additional information on the respiratory system.
• A class set of stethoscopes has been added to your kit. Have students use wipes, which have been added to the kit, to clean the earpieces. Please limit one wipe per student. Instruct the students to make sure the earpieces are dry prior to using the stethoscope.

Processing for Meaning

If you would like to do the demonstration described in the margin on page 198, you will need a very large pan to collect the water.

Supplementary Resources: A number of books on the respiratory and circulatory systems are available through the library.

Learning Experience 10: Getting the Most Out of Your Air and Food Surface Area

Advance Preparation

• See Science Background section p. 296 for additional information on the role of surface area in the digestive system.
• Three bottles are not used for this lesson despite being listed under "Materials" on page 222 of the Teacher Guide.

Learning Experience 11: What Goes in Must Come Out: Tying It All Together

Advance Preparation

• See Science Background section on pages 296-297 for additional information on how the body systems work together.
• If you choose to have the students create the schematic of the systems in their groups, have the following materials available: Post-Its, chart paper, and markers.
• An optional direction sheet and review sheet are available on the electronic blueprint.

Be sure to check on books available in the school library. Books on the circulatory, respiratory, and digestive systems have been placed in boxes in the library. Enough boxes have been made to supply one per classroom. The boxes contain a variety of books at different levels and all support the concepts being reinforced in this lesson. The books should help students answer questions and clarify ideas.

Exploring and Discovering

You will not be teaching the students about the kidneys as described on page 237. This lesson is meant to synthesize information previously taught. It is not appropriate to teach new concepts at this time.

Processing for Meaning

**You will not have the students write their own children's books as outlined on page 239. However, this is an activity that could be considered for Language Arts.

End-of-Unit Assessment

The rubric for the End-of-Unit Assessment is in a slightly different format. Since it is a summative assessment, we want to gain a "big picture" of students' knowledge of the learning goals/benchmarks. Thus, categories of "meets," "working towards," and "does not meet" are used in place of the 4-point rubric. Spaces have been placed in between each column on the rubric. If a student's response indicates a level of performance in between the two descriptors, the space should be marked.