Summer SAVY, Session 2 Day 2, Biology of the Body (5th – 6th)
Hi Parents! What a terrific Tuesday! We started our morning reviewing the levels of organization of organisms. I hope they showed this to you last night! As the morning continued, we took notes, had a class discussion, and researched the respiratory and circulatory systems. We identified the major organs in these two systems and learned the exchange of gases that take place during breathing. We also applied our knowledge of symbiotic relationships that we have with plants in the carbon-oxygen cycle.
There were amazing investigations, problem-solving, and critical thinking that took place during our “Dr. Hour,” where students were asked to look at a list of respiratory illnesses and try to diagnose the patient. We looked at a variety of symptoms and were able to figure out the illness based on some very clever investigative techniques! We ended the “Dr. Hour” with a class discussion on how each group collaborated and decided on a diagnosis. There were so many great comments during this time!
After lunch, we picked out a respiratory illness and completed research on the affected organs, symptoms, and treatment!
Key takeaways from today:
- Exploring complex and simple systems in our everyday lives and comparing/contrasting them to our bodies
- Using problem-solving and critical thinking skills to investigate symptoms of the body that lead to a particular diagnosis
- research skills on different illnesses/ diseases of the respiratory/circulatory systems
- Collaborating in our small groups
Some dinner table questions:
- How can we observe simple/complex systems outside and compare/contrast them to the human body?
- Why is it important to understand our bodies?
- What difficulties did you have when you were trying to diagnose your patient, and how did you overcome them?
Hope you have a wonderful evening!! We are looking forward to continuing to learn on Thursday!
Warmly,
Shelley Jenkins