Description
Maintaining homeostasis is one of the most important functions that animals perform for their own survival. While animals maintain some processes through behavioral changes, many are handled through physiological changes such as changing heart rate, sweating, or muscle contractions. This 4-part lesson tackles homeostasis in animals. Students first examine their own heart rate, and then design an experiment to test external stimuli on Daphnia’s cardiovascular system.
Time Requirement
Teacher prep, 30 minutes. Pre-lab, investigations, and assessment, approximately 4 class periods.
Digital Resources
Includes 1-year access to digital resources that support 3-dimensional instruction for NGSS. Digital resources may include a teacher manual and student guide, pre-lab activities and setup videos, phenomenon videos, simulations, and post-lab analysis and assessments.
Crosscutting Concepts
Stability and Change
Disciplinary Core Ideas
LS1.A: Structure and Function
Science and Engineering Practices
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
Learning Objectives
- Understand that negative feedback is a homeostatic control mechanism that stabilizes the body’s internal environment.
- Plan and conduct an investigation providing evidence that feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis in animals.
- Describe the relevant data to be collected and evidence to be derived from the data to measure a homeostatic response in a living system.
- Assess the accuracy and precision of their data, as well as whether the data provide the evidence required to accept a hypothesis.
Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills
Students should feel comfortable with microscope usage, including adjusting the mechanical stage and manipulating the iris diaphragm to control specimen illumination. They should also have a basic understanding of experimental design.