Introduction
Every teenager should be able to tell you that they have a heart and two lungs and that these organs circulate blood and take in air, respectively. But how many can explain why and how these organs perform these functions, or what happens over time when we mistreat them? I continue to be shocked when I find how little my students know about their bodies, their health, and how nutrition and lifestyle choices affect them. Teenagers thrive on instant gratification and they typically fail to think of the long-term ramifications of their actions. The fact that the body tolerates a great deal of abuse, especially in youth, makes it difficult to realize the cumulative effects that small, short-term choices have the organs.
While we often take for granted the consistent and automatic patterns of the heart and lungs, we would die in a matter of minutes without either organ. This three-week unit explores the basic structures and functions of the organs and their associated tissues from both a cellular and whole-organism approach. The objective is to create learning that is relevant and communicable on the essential (yet fragile) nature of these organs. The unit will incorporate technology and hands-on learning and culminate in a student-centered project emphasizing the importance of spreading health awareness to peers, family, and the community.
This unit is designed for my senior-level International Baccalaureate biochemical biology class, but can be adapted for any course covering human health or physiology. I teach at a neighborhood (non-selective enrollment) high school on the southwest side of Chicago. According to Chicago Public School's High School Report Card, 94.4% of my students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and 95.9% are racial minorities (the large majority of whom are Hispanic) 1. Many of my students, including the advanced seniors this unit is tailored for, struggle with literacy, effective and appropriate communication, and traditional teaching and learning styles. Most of these students will pursue post-secondary education in some capacity, so I feel that it is critical to address these issues while still presenting them with challenging material and preparing them for college-style classes. This concept is reflected in this unit, which balances technical and detailed content with hands-on, technological, and inquiry-based components.
The content of the unit contains a narrative covering the necessary background information for lectures and formative assessments, a series of supplemental labs to be performed throughout the unit, an outline for a culminating portfolio project, and numerous web and print resources to be used in the classroom.
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