This lesson will begin the study of each of the 11 systems of the human body as a class. It will strengthen each students' understanding of a system that they are assigned, and through peer participation, they will be exposed to and learn about other body systems. The project itself is 3 parts: research, transformation and creation/presentation. In research (covered in this lesson) students will research one particular system of the body, in transformation they will take pertinent information and transform it into a "tour" of their system, and in creation/presentation they will turn their "tour" into a travel brochure and present it to the class. Prior to this lesson, it is imperative that students have a basic understanding of the cell and cell diversity, tissues and their functions and at least an overview of the systems themselves. Following this unit, I find it important to review each system in more detail as the lesson supports learning of the basics of each system and some detail, but student understanding of each system is usually not deep enough. Typically, I "fill in the gaps" to complete the necessary information. Students will acheive a greater learning and appreciation of the systems through their research and transformation of the information into a fun and creative format. They will see the complexity of the system and just how important each system is, and that they are linked to form a smooth operating organism.

Scientists usually inquire about how physical, living, or designed systems function. Conceptual principles and knowledge guide scientific inquiries. Historical and current scientific knowledge influence the design and interpretation of investigations and the evaluation of proposed explanations made by other scientists.

For lesson one, students will need basic research skills using textbooks (minimum) but more advanced research skills using the internet and multimedia CD's are desired. These skills are acquired earlier in the year in my class. In addition, limited typing and internet skills are needed, as well as printing and or saving (basic computer skills).

This lesson and unit are not for the faint at heart. Your students will find themselves taxed to really think about what they are doing, and you will find yourself answering about 10,000 questions, so be prepared. The lesson itself can be scaled in difficulty for more or less mature classes, but there is a limit. If it is too simplistic, the essential learning about the system may not occur. I highly recommend group work for this activity. I have found that if you are lucky, each group will have a strong researcher or two and at least one who is better than average at art. This is a desired mix, as both are necessary components. You may want to survey your class before forming the groups to find out who likes what as far as the systems go, but DO NOT LET THEM CHOOSE! If you allow them to choose, systems like the lymphatic will never get chosen. After the systems are assigned, I typically assign the chapter from the text on their system as an SQR3 assignment to ground the foundation in their particular system as homework. This can be completed in between the 2 in-class research days and turned in for credit. In order to be fair, I do give participation points within the groups to ensure that those students who are in class every day of the project are being rewarded for their dedication.

Assessment for this first part of the unit is fairly simple. I create a question handout to make sure that each group is answering the same questions about their system. Then I collect the handouts at the end of the research period (usually 2 days) and read them over the weekend, and hand them back on Monday with suggestions. Participation points are also accrued during these days. It is important to note that when students are researching and organizing their systems, sometimes it is not possible to include each part (for example the skeletal system has 206 bones, but the student could list the major bones of the axial and appendicular skeleton). It will be important for you as the instructor to intervene and/or guide the research.

The following are the research questions given to my students: 1. What is the name of the system you are studying? 2. Where in the body is your system located? 3. What are the major organs that make up your system? Are they connected in some sort of order? BE COMPLETE! 4. Make a table with 3 columns on your page. In one column, list the organs associated with your system in order from the most superior organ all the way to the most inferior. In column 2 list the location in the body (use correct terminology - eg. the small intestine is inferior to the stomach). Finally, in column 3 list the complete function(s) of each organ. 5.What is the function of your system as a whole? What would result if your system was missing/dammaged ? 6. Does your system work closely with any other system in particular?

Computers with Internet Access Multimedia CD Rom (ADAM is strongly recommended, not only for this exercise, but as a tool in any physiology class)