SEEd - Grade 7
Lesson Plans

Strand 7.3: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF LIFE

Living things are made of smaller structures, which function to meet the needs of survival. The basic structural unit of all living things is the cell. Parts of a cell work together to function as a system. Cells work together and form tissues, organs, and organ systems. Organ systems interact to meet the needs of the organism.

Standard 7.3.3

Construct an explanation using evidence to explain how body systems have various levels of organization. Emphasize understanding that cells form tissues, tissues form organs, and organs form systems specialized for particular body functions. Examples could include relationships between the circulatory, excretory, digestive, respiratory, muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems. Specific organ functions will be taught at the high school level. (LS1.A)

• Characteristics of Life, Revisited
  This activity ties the cell organelles and organs/organ systems to the functions that they support.
• Cube Wars
  Students fill out squares with information about the levels of organization. Students then challenge each other in a timed event to put the cubes into the correct order.
• From Cell to Body
  Students will create a "foldable" to illustrate the organization of an organism from a specific kind of cell to it's tissue, organ, system and the body it is from.
• List-Group-Label
  Students will generate a list of items found in a body and then group them by similarities. The teacher will guide the discussion to eventually label all traits as a system, organ or cell.
• Organ Systems Lab
  In this lesson, students will learn the cells, tissues and organs that make up each organ system. Students will also learn the function of the organ systems. Students will measure and record the function of both their circulatory system and respiratory systems at rest, intermediate, and high levels.
• Real Frog Dissection
  Students will observe the dissection of a frog and answer questions during the observation.
• Reverse Dissection
  Students use paper frog organs to reassemble frog organ systems.
• What Do Cells Need? RAFT Writing
  Students will write a creative document about the needs of cells are met by tissues and organs of the body

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