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Biology
Taught by Gabe Jenkins
9th/10th Grade at Dolores Huerta High
Biology,
with a strong parallel focus on increasing literacy
In
my 10th grade Biology class, students will primarily focus on understanding
the human nervous system—its function and structures, as well as ways that
it can perform sub-optimally, either due to injury or disease. I expect
to start the thematic unit with several engaging activities designed to
create a thorough understanding of the component parts of the nervous
system, as well as their functions, and how they cooperate to control
sensation and motor control (days 1-9). Next, I will lead students through
a series of lessons designed to highlight the intricacies of this system,
as well as the fragility and malleability of the system throughout an
individual's life (days 10-12). Students will then take a subject matter
quiz designed to authentically assess mastery of the material over the
prior two weeks. During days 14-20, our biology class will be devoted
to giving students the opportunity to develop a well-reasoned, well-defended,
well-argued position regarding the topic of stem cell research. Students
will research the moral, funding, and scientific efficacy issues surrounding
stem cell research, and ultimately arrive their own conclusions regarding
whether or not California should be funding it. They will work in groups
to prepare PowerPoint presentations to present their opinions to their
classmates and community. This project was designed specifically to allow
students to have a chance to voice their opinions about a highly-charged
political/moral/scientific issue of our time, and do so in a technologically-savvy,
highly polished way, which is expected to raise students' confidence levels
about expressing their opinions on other important issues.
During
the thematic unit, the content of the curriculum will focus on the science
itself, rather than on the concepts of "student voice" and WWI.
However, there are three very important things to note. First, during
WWI, chemical warfare reached its zenith as a military strategy, and many
of these weapons focused on debilitating the nervous system's functioning.
As such, my science curriculum during this thematic unit will incorporate
a discussion of nerve gas (sarin) and other chemical weapons, both to
supplement students' understanding of the horrors of WWI, and to augment
their understanding of nervous system functioning. Second, although this
is a science class, literacy strategies will be stressed both implicitly
and explicitly throughout the month of instruction in a variety of contexts
(written/reading literacy, oral literacy, numeracy, scientific literacy,
kinesthetic literacy, and technological literacy). Finally, I have attempted
to weave a thread encouraging student expression throughout the thematic
unit, and have devoted the final 7 days of instruction to this topic.
Consequently, I am expecting students' experiences in my course to directly
complement other instructors' efforts to help students find their voice.
biology
overview calendar - week one
| MONDAY |
TUESDAY |
WEDNESDAY |
THURSDAY |
FRIDAY |
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TOPIC:
Feelin'
It: The Impulse Introduction
OBJECTIVE:
See lesson plan.
LITERACY:
See attached lesson plan.
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TOPIC:
Central Nervous System vs. Peripheral Nervous System
OBJECTIVE:
SWBAT explain the different components and functions of the central
and peripheral nervous systems.
LITERACY:
Basic scientific reading and writing literacy skills will be developed
in part through reading textbook materials on the CNS vs. PNS, and
note-taking skills will be practiced with guided supervision, as
part of an apprenticeship approach.
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TOPIC:
The Neuron: structure, function and variation (sensory, motor, and
interneurons)
OBJECTIVE:
SWBAT draw and label the parts and functions of different types
of neurons (sensory, motor and inter-).
LITERACY:
While scientific reading and writing literacy skills will be
addressed via reading apprenticeship program, students will also
develop artistic literacy skills as they compare and contrast different
types of neurons' structures and functions via a visual end-of-class
assessment (posters).
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TOPIC:
Synapses: Making Connections
OBJECTIVE:
SWBAT write a short paragraph explaining how chemical communication
occurs across synapses.
LITERACY:
As students learn about how synapses work, oral/auditory and kinesthetic
literacy skills will be stressed as students build small-scale models
of neuronal synapses, and explain them to the class.
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TOPIC:
Neuronal Connections: Check Your Head
OBJECTIVE:
SWBAT create a poster diagramming a web of neural connections,
along with descriptions about what factors foster/damage neural
connections.
LITERACY:
- Scientific reading and writing literacy skills will be strengthened
via a portion of class time devoted to reading apprenticeship/note-taking.
- students will develop their artistic literacy skills by creating
posters describing how neuronal connections are formed & destroyed.
- Finally, this class will include what I¹m referring to as ³scientific
method literacy²‹i.e., fluency in the specific discourse community
that comprises the communication and methodology of scientists.
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Music
week
1
week
2
week 3
week 4
lesson plans
assessment
French
week 1
week
2
week 3
week 4
lesson plans
assessment
Art
week 1
week
2
week 3
week 4
lesson plans
assessment
Social Science
week 1
week
2
week 3
week 4
lesson plans
assessment
Science
week 1
week
2
week 3
week 4
lesson plans
assessment
Culminating
Activity:
Armistice Fair
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