STORYLINE: 2.2.4 Structures Meet Needs

Strand 2.2: LIVING THINGS AND THEIR HABITATS

Living things (plants and animals, including humans) need water, air, and resources from the land to survive and live in habitats that provide these necessities. The physical characteristics of plants and animals reflect the habitat in which they live. Animals also have modified behaviors that help them survive, grow, and meet their needs. Humans sometimes mimic plant and animal adaptations to survive in their environment.

Standard(s) 2.2.4: Design a solution to a human problem by mimicking the structure and function of plants and/or animals and how they use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs. Define the problem by asking questions and gathering information, convey designs through sketches, drawings, or physical models, and compare and test designs. Examples could include a human wearing a jacket to mimic the fur of an animal or a webbed foot to design a better swimming fin. (LS1.A, LS1.D, ETS1.A, ETS1.B, ETS1.C)

Phenomena Statement: Students will solve a human problem by mimicking the structure and function of plants and animals.

Expected Student Explanation: Students should be able to explain how humans can solve the problem of getting wet in the rain or being cold in cold climates, by mimicking the structures and functions of plants and/or animals.

Science & Engineering Practices (SEP)

Crosscutting Concepts (CCC)

Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI)

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to the use of evidence and ideas in constructing evidence-based accounts of natural phenomena and designing solutions.

• Use tools and materials provided to design and build a device that solves a specific problem or a solution to a specific problem.

Structure and Function: The shape and stability of structures of natural and designed objects are related to their function(s).

LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans

There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.

Storyline Narrative

Documents for Storyline

This second grade storyline begins with students observing a phenomenon, what is the structure of leaves? The students engage in investigating leaves to find patterns in the structures of the leaves. The students discuss as a class the patterns they see in the leaves, how the structure holds the leaves up and how their structure allows water to drain off their surfaces.

The students explore by defining a human problem that they can solve by mimicking a leaf’s structure. Students will refer back to the discussions they had about leaves and how their structures help to keep the rain from pooling on the plants as well as holding themselves up. The students can work in small groups or in pairs to design a solution to the problem. They draw models of their designs and explain their designs to the class. Students then actually create their design structure.

To elaborate, the students will design a test to determine if their structure solves the human problem they defined. To evaluate, students will develop an argument using evidence from their test to determine if they were successful in designing a solution and if not, what changes they would make.

Review and/or print out the following documents for this storyline. To edit the following documents you must open, then make your own copy.

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Links:

• Storyboard Slides - episode instructions are in the slide notes
• Student Journal - or use composition notebook
• Supply List
• Teacher prep to begin two weeks prior to starting storyline

STORYLINE: Episodes Matrix

Episode

Phenomenon/Next Questions

Episode Descriptions & Student Performance Prompts

Note: This is where you add a short description of what occurs during the episode, includes the CCCs and SEPs.

Conceptual Understandings

What We Figured Out: what will the students discover

Next Questions or Steps: what they will investigate next

Engage

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Episode 1

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Time: 20-30 mins

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Adapted from:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jnXyH6DqvLzmHu0_eGJ346uqukooghyPVRUHZCTWTHo/edit

Leaves are very thin and flat but they are able to hold themselves up and keep water from staying on the plant too long.

Gather-

Students investigate leaves to find patterns in the structures of the leaves.

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Teaching Suggestions: Teacher may bring in a variety of leaves for students to explore for patterns or teachers may allow students to collect leaves to explore. Have students in groups of 2-3. After students have observed the structures of the leaves and have written information in their T-chart. Have students place paper towels under the leaves. Give students pipettes and a small cup of water. Have students hold the leaf as if it were in a tree, bush, etc. and add water. Have students observe as the water is added to the leaves.

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Reason-

Students evaluate their observations and the patterns they found in the structures of leaves.

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Questions to initiate Discussion:

Q: What patterns do you see?

Q: What is causing the leaf to hold itself up?

Q. How does the water move on the leaves?

Q: How does the leaf stay open?

Q: Can you think of examples of things we use that are similar to the structure of leaves?

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Teacher Suggestions: Have students start formulating sentences about the structure of leaves that they can use in their communication piece below.

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Communicate-

Students communicate information about the structure of leaves and how they interact with water.

Leaves have different patterns of structures that help the leaves hold itself up and allow water to drain off their surfaces.

What human problem can be solved using the structures of leaves?

Explore/

Explain

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Episode 2

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Time:

60 min

Can be broken up into smaller chunks

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Gather-

Students obtain information about how others have solved human problems by mimicking structures in nature.

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Teacher suggestion: Share with students examples of human problems that have been solved looking at nature before identifying problems that might be solved using a similar structure as leaves. . 1.Architects have designed high-rise buildings that stay cool naturally, by looking at termite mounds. 2. Bullet train inspired by the aerodynamic shape of Kingfisher bird. 3. Prosthetic arm inspired by tentacles.

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Students define a human problem that can be solved using solutions that come from the structures of leaves.

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Teaching Suggestions: When defining the problem, defining the criteria is important. For this the criteria is it has to solve a human problem that they have defined, it must mimic the structure of a leaf, and it must be made out of the materials that you will provide. Materials could include computer paper, coffee straws, pipe cleaners, tissue paper, paper towels, chopsticks, popsicle sticks, tape. Groups may all have different problems, so it will be important to have a class discussion about the nature of problems that can be solved by using the structure of leaves. Class discussion should focus on specific aspects to help students define the “human problem”. Examples of the solutions may include -umbrella, tents, kites, hats, etc.

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Reason-

Students design a solution and to the human problem they defined using the structure similar to leaves.

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Teaching Suggestions: Have students first draw their ideas. Then have them share what they think is their best solution to the problem they are trying to solve with the class to get feedback.

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After getting feedback, have them build the actual structure. Provide the following materials - computer paper, coffee straws, pipe cleaners, tissue paper, paper towels, chopsticks, popsicle sticks, tape, glue

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Communicate-

Students communicate how their design mimics a leaf’s structure and solves a human problem.

Students design solutions to a human problem using structures of leaves.

Students will develop models of their design.

Elaborate/

Evaluate

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Episode 3

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Time:

60 min

Can be broken up into smaller chunks

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Gather-

Students test the design of their solution to see how the structure functions to solve the problem.

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Teacher suggestions: Because groups will have different problems they are trying to solve groups will also need to design how they will test their design. Help groups identify how they will test and how they will measure their solution.

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Reason-

Students develop an argument for how the evidence they gathered supports or refutes the explanations that their designed structure solves the human problem.

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Teacher suggestions- Using their evidence from their test, students should determine if their design does solve the problem. Have a class discussion about different designs to discuss evidence for the solution. This will help students frame their thinking and develop their own argument for their design.

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Questions for discussion

Q. What was your problem?

Q. How did you use the structure of the leaf?

Q. How did you test your design?

Q. What did you find out?

Q. What evidence do you have that you solved the problem? Or what evidence do you have that you might need to make changes to your design.

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Communicate Reasoning-

Students communicate their argument from evidence that supports or refutes the explanations that their designed structure solves the human problem and anything they would change about their structure.

Student know how to test and design their solution and how to use evidence to determine if their design solves the problem.

Summative Assessment

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Students should be able to use evidence to determine if they were able to design a structure that mimics a leaf and solves a problem. If they weren’t able to solve the problem, they should be able to make logical suggestions for change to their design.

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Observación de las Estructuras

Patrones

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