RET at UC

Research Experience for Teachers (2016-2017)

Human Body Systems

Samantha Lafin's Poster
Author: Samantha Lafin
Unit Title: Human Body Systems
Grade Level: 10
Subject: Science - Biology
Estimated Duration: 10 class periods
Unit Activities:

Pre/Post Test:
Pre-Test  N/A
Post-Test  N/A
Keywords:
  • Transplant
  • Organ
  • Donor
  • Recipient
  • Eligibility
  • Organ Systems
  • Hierarchy
  • Organ Rejection

The Big Idea (including global relevance)

Human Body Systems – organ donation

Essential Questions

How do we effectively & efficiently get the donor organs to the people waiting for a transplant?


The Hook

Students will begin the unit with a silent brainstorm as to what they already know about the human body and the organ systems. Students will research careers connected to the human body and organ systems, hopefully touching on surgeons, doctors, transplant workers, bioengineers.
Once the organ systems and careers have been investigated, students will watch the following video which outlines the organ donation process:



List some well-known people that have participated in organ transplant surgeries, and have students add people to their lists that they know personally (family, friends).

Students will be asked to talk about the pros and cons of the current system, which leads into the challenge of optimizing the donation process. Students will be asked to share personal experiences and find well-known people who have had organ transplants to illustrate the importance of this process.


The Challenge

Students will be asked to create the most efficient and effective way of identifying matching donors and recipients from a list of 15 donors and 15 recipients. Students will only investigate living donors (those that can donate/receive kidneys, parts of lungs, bone marrow, etc)


Guiding Questions

  • What are organs that can be donated?
  • Which tissues can be donated?
  • How are organs donated?
  • Why do some people match and some don’t?
  • How is who gets an organ or not decided?
  • How long do you have to wait for an organ?
  • How are organs transplanted?
  • Does someone have to die in order to transplant an organ?
  • What does a donor need to have in order to qualify to be a donor?
  • What does a recipient need to have in order to qualify for a transplant?


ACS (Real world applications; career connections; societal impact)

Students will be working on a real problem that is currently being researched in the medical field. The challenge itself directly applies to real world research, as the activity itself is based on research currently being done in terms of kidney donations.

Students working on this problem statistically will be impacted by organ donation at some point in their life, whether they are a donor, recipient, or family member. Their understanding of this process and the difficulties in placing donors with recipients could help increase the organ donation practice and awareness, benefiting society as a whole. The challenge itself directly has societal impact, as if this system can be optimized, it can improve the quality of life for many in our society.

Guest speakers (either in person or on Skype) from organ donation centers, recipients, donors, Career research assignment

Misconceptions

  • Organs that can be transplanted
  • Living donors
  • Religion does not allow organ transplant (myth)
  • There are lots of organs to be donated because lots of people die all the time
  • Certain organs cannot be transplanted

Unit Lessons and Activities

  • Lesson 1:
    Students will look at the human body as a whole, generating information about the different organ systems, cell types, and tissue types in the body. Students will organize that information into a hierarchy, and then look beyond the body itself to careers and applications dealing with the human body. (4 Days)
    • Activity 1: Silent brainstorm/Human body jigsaw – 2 Days
    • Activity 2: Career research – 1 Day
    • Activity 3: Essential questions, develop challenge – 1 Day
  • Lesson 2:
    Students will focus on the challenge at hand, and investigate concepts specific to the current transplant system. Students will need to learn about how eligibility requirements are set and met by many parties before being able to determine a system of donating organs that is the most efficient. (6 Days)
    • Activity 4: Blood Type/HLA – 2 Days
    • Activity 5: Ask an Expert – 2 Days
    • Activity 6: Challenge – 2 Days
  • Evidence of CBL: Lesson 1, Activity 3; Lesson 2, Activities 5 and 6
  • Evidence of EDP: Lesson 2, Activity 6


Additional Resources