Rationale
The purpose of this unit is to teach students about the cellular processes of osmosis and diffusion. The concept of osmosis and diffusion is vital to understanding the nature of organisms and how they function, yet these have also proven to be among the most difficult concepts to get students to understand. In my experience, osmosis and diffusion are taught in isolation, generally using one cell and the surrounding environment as the ultimate reference point. It is hard for a student to understand the importance of equilibrium, when the process of diffusion is not linked to an idea bigger than a small two-dimensional drawing of a circle on paper to represent a cell. This is usually shown with an arrow pointing in the direction that water will flow in relation to the cell membrane.
The purpose behind this unit is to show how osmosis and diffusion are vital to the health of entire systems and organisms; it is not a rare occurrence that just happens in cells that have been isolated. In teaching kidney function, students will get to connect what is happening on the cellular level to what is happening within the entire organ system and then the entire human body. This will allow students to truly understand homeostasis and equilibrium as it relates to their own health and the state of their own bodies. In doing so, students will be able to see the importance of healthy living choices, especially as disease such as diabetes are on the rise.
The proposed unit will be designed for a middle school classroom, but can easily be adapted for high school. I am an 8 th grade science teacher in a high poverty, urban area. My students tend to test below grade level in reading, which can sometimes interfere with their success in science, so there will be a large emphasis on hands-on, inquiry-based learning to help engage students.
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