Overview

“Going with the Flow” is a module focusing on:

1.      The movement of materials into and out of cells, with a focus on membrane permeability and homeostasis, using computer modeling.

2.      The movement of materials in the environment, with a focus on the ecological implications and the analysis of data.

3.      The concepts of diffusion and osmosis will be addressed.  The primary questions to be answered are:

·        How are materials transported in and out of cells, and in and out of ecosystems?

·        How are the concepts of diffusion and osmosis involved in this movement?

·        How are functions used to analyze this data?

The overall design for this unit incorporates hands-on experiments and discussions to initiate understanding, as well as the use of technology through computer simulation and modeling. Specifically, Biology students will be taught to model the transportation of materials using Stella, and will use Excel to analyze ecological data.  Algebra students will evaluate functional relationships using Function Flyer, TI Interactive, Graphing calculators, and Excel.

Various aspects of the module are appropriate for students in Biology I, and Algebra I and II.   Pre-calculus classes may use certain aspects of this for review. 

The 2-week Biology unit may be split into one week sections, with week one during the study of cells, and the second week during the study of ecology. 

The 2-week Algebra unit contains a 2-day introduction to functions that may be taught separately from the application portion of the unit that includes logarithmic and linear functions.

PowerPoint presentations are provided in the lesson plans, which can be downloaded and printed for student use.