NASA LIFTOFF Instructional Case How must life adapt to exist on other planets? title of IC: author: Elaine Skaggs

NASA LIFTOFF Instructional Case teacher: Elaine Skaggs school: Upland High School course/grade: Biology grades district: Upland Unified School District

NASA LIFTOFF Instructional Case Could life exist on other planets or moons in our solar system, knowing the extreme abiotic factors to which they would have to adapt? generative question:

NASA LIFTOFF Instructional Case Biology 1. The fundamental life processes of plants and animals depend on a variety of chemical reactions that occur in specialized areas of the organism’s cells. 6. Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects. 7.The frequency of an allele in a gene pool of a population depends on many factors and may be stable or unstable over time. Investigation & Experimentation 1. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. AS a basis for understanding this concept, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations learning objectives (key standards):

NASA LIFTOFF Instructional Case Formative assessments Pod cast of Lab safety rules T-chart - qualitative and quantitative observations KWL chart -Characteristics of Life Venn diagram – Prokaryotes vs Eukaryotes Carousel reading of Extremophiles, write facts, share with rotating groups of students chart - How do abiotic factors affect life? Summative assessments Chapter generated test Prentice Hall Biology Authors Miller and Levine assessment overview:

NASA LIFTOFF Instructional Case

NASA LIFTOFF Instructional Case Students will choose a planet or moon in our solar system and create an organism that would survive the extreme abiotic factors on that celestial body. Research must include: Review of 3 peer-review scientific journals Report must include: Pictures & written description of your planet pH, pressure, gravity, temperature, salinity, radiation, light, Could your planet or moon support a water-base or methane -base life form? What adaptations would be required for survival? What about food? Primary producers vs heterotropes? Build a model of your organism or ecosystem? culminating project:

NASA LIFTOFF Instructional Case Thinking like a scientist - Scientific observations – D Gilbert’s chemical lab Characteristics of Life - Sand, Yeast, Fizzy Lab, Colormetric lab and Extremophile activity Chemistry of Life – Properties of Water – Carbon Compounds – polymer lab Chemical reactions and enzymes –Catalase Enzyme lab How do abiotic factors affect life – pH lab, pressure lab, temperature lab, light and radiation activity What is ecology? Energy flow activity Role of climate – greenhouse effect What shapes our ecosystems? – abiotic and biotic factors – mapping temperatures outside on campus, lawn, artificial turf, cleared soil, concrete Student project key lessons & activities:

NASA LIFTOFF Instructional Case 5E inquiry activities: ENGAGE Samples of Living verses Non-Living Plastic snail/live snail & more Observe & record EXPLORE Participants make observations of 3 test tubes – hand lenses touch, smell, listen #1 Sand #2 Yeast #3 Crushed Alka-seltzer Add sugar (food source) – record Add warm water – record & discuss Add more sugar – Add more water EXPLAIN How can you tell if something is living? What are the characteristics of life? Graphic organizer EXTEND What requirements are necessary for basic survival and which add to the quality of life of the living thing? EVALUATE Students write, draw, or sing(rap) what living organisms need to survive?

NASA LIFTOFF Instructional Case ENGAGE Pond water on LCD projector What are the requirements that many of these living organisms have in common? How are their needs different from ours? Think-Pair-share EXPLORE Are microbes alive? Students observe mold growing on potatoes, and then look at magnified images of several different microbes. What did you observe? Color shapes? EXPLAIN How could you get a closer look at microbes? What tools do you need? How can you tell if something is living? What are the characteristics of life? Graphic organizer EXTEND What requirements are necessary for basic survival and which add to the quality of life of the living thing? EVALUATE Students write, draw, or sing(rap) what living organisms need to survive?

NASA LIFTOFF Instructional Case integrated pedagogy: Making labs more open-ended Backwards mapping Thinking maps Academic vocabulary tier 1 – 3 Collaboration with mod-severe special education class

NASA LIFTOFF Instructional Case NASA resources: gallery/gallery_start.htm gsweb/ gsweb/

NASA LIFTOFF Instructional Case 21 st Century Skills Effective communicator - oral reports Information Literacy – Research Collaboration – students will tutor severe to moderate special education students Initiative and Self-driven

NASA LIFTOFF Instructional Case Miscellaneous (optional) Website for Elaine Skaggs Click on schoolloop