Students learn about human reflexes, how our bodies react to stimuli and …
Students learn about human reflexes, how our bodies react to stimuli and how some body reactions and movements are controlled automatically, without thinking consciously about the movement or responses. In the associated activity, students explore how reflexes work in the human body by observing an involuntary human reflex and testing their own reaction times using dominant and non-dominant hands. Once students understand the stimulus-to-response framework components as a way to describe human reflexes and reactions in certain situations, they connect this knowledge to how robots can be programmed to conduct similar reactions.
The starters typically take 5 minutes or less to complete and provide …
The starters typically take 5 minutes or less to complete and provide students with a focused activity to start class. Feel free to use the starters as they are provided or adapt them to fit your units of study.
I provide students with a Science Starters answer sheet (quarter format) that has room for nine weeks worth of answers. The answer sheets are collected every Friday to be graded and then I return them on Monday for the new week. I also have an answer sheet with room for four weeks worth of answers or a weekly Science Starters bookmark (weekly format) available as an alternative to the standard answer sheet.
Innovation in expression -- as realized in media, tangible objects, and performance, …
Innovation in expression -- as realized in media, tangible objects, and performance, and more -- generates new questions and new potentials for human engagement. When and how does expression engage us deeply? While "deep engagement" seems fundamental to the human psyche, it is hard to define, difficult to reliably design for, and hard to critically measure or assess. Are there principles we can articulate? Are there evaluation metrics we can use to insure quality of experience? Many personal stories confirm the hypothesis that once we experience deep engagement, it is a state we long for, remember, and want to repeat. We need to better understand these principles and innovate methods that can insure higher-quality products (artifacts, experiences, environments, performances, etc.) that appeal to a broad audience and that have lasting value over the long term.
Students review what they know about the 20 major bones in the …
Students review what they know about the 20 major bones in the human body (names, shapes, functions, locations, as learned in the associated lesson) and the concept of density (mass per unit of volume). Then student pairs calculate the densities for different bones from a disarticulated human skeleton model of fabricated bones, making measurements via triple-beam balance (for mass) and water displacement (for volume). All groups share their results with the class in order to collectively determine the densities for every major bone in the body. This activity prepares students for the next activity, "Can It Support You? No Bones about It," during which they act as biomedical engineers and design artificial bones, which requires them to find materials of suitable density to perform as human body implants.
Inquiry-Based Bioengineering Research and Design Experiences for Middle-School Teachers RET Program, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute,
Michelle Gallagher, Terri Camesano, Jeanne Hubelbank, Kristen Billiar
Why do humans have two ears? How do the properties of sound …
Why do humans have two ears? How do the properties of sound help with directional hearing? Students learn about directional hearing and how our brains determine the direction of sounds by the difference in time between arrival of sound waves at our right and left ears. Student pairs use experimental set-ups that include the headset portions of stethoscopes to investigate directional hearing by testing each other's ability to identify the direction from which sounds originate.
In this lesson the students will learn how the heart functions. Students …
In this lesson the students will learn how the heart functions. Students will be introduced to the concept of action potential generation. The lesson will explain how action potential generation causes the electrical current that causes muscle contraction in the heart. Students will be introduced to the basic electrical signal generated by the heart; P, QRS, and T waves. The lesson will approach the heart from an engineering standpoint and encourage students to design ways to improve heart function. Students will also learn the basic steps of the engineering design process.
Extensive reading of works by a few major poets. Emphasizes the evolution …
Extensive reading of works by a few major poets. Emphasizes the evolution of each poet's work and the questions of poetic influence and literary tradition. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Topic for Fall: Does Poetry Matter? Topic for Spring: Gender and Lyric Poetry.
The goals of this instructional course are to get you started in …
The goals of this instructional course are to get you started in this wonderful sport and to give you a working knowledge of tennis. It should help you to understand the basics of a sport and how to perform these basics. Most of the course will focus on the basic stroke techniques. Variation to those techniques will be presented, as well as drills and games, so that you can take it to the court. Singles and doubles tactics will be covered as well.
Students learn how the endocrine system works and compare it to the …
Students learn how the endocrine system works and compare it to the mail delivery system. Students discuss the importance of communication in human body systems and relate that to engineering and astronauts.
In this activity, students participate in a series of timed relay races …
In this activity, students participate in a series of timed relay races using their skeletal muscles. The compare the movement of skeletal muscle and relate how engineers help astronauts exercise skeletal muscles in space.
This website has a picture book about a chameleon who has asthma. …
This website has a picture book about a chameleon who has asthma. Through this story, students will learn all about air quality, asthma, and how to stay healthy when the air quality is bad such as reading an air quality chart.
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