Middle School Curriculum
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SEPUP Texas Edition, Science Grade 7, Body Systems
30-40
What choices do you make about your health every day? Which of these decisions may affect your health in the future? What types of information could help you make better decisions about your body? Answering such questions thoughtfully requires knowing and understanding scientific information about the human body. In this unit, students will learn more about their own body systems and how they work.
Content in SEPUP Texas Edition, Science Grade 7, Body Systems is organized into 21 activities, as follows:
| Activity Title | Activity Type | Activity Overview | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Health Scares | Role Play | Through a role-playing exercise, students learn about four health problems and their effects on the systems of the human body. They learn about the symptoms of each condition as well as the short- and long-term effects. The role play explores treatments and lifestyle changes that enable people to live with or improve each condition. Students are encouraged to reflect on lifestyle changes they might make to be healthier. |
| 2. | What’s Happening Inside | Laboratory | Students learn about major organs and systems in the human body. First, they complete an activity that exposes their current knowledge and ideas about the sizes and locations of specific organs. Then, they group Organ and Structure Cards and explore the functions of several human body systems. Next, students create a three-dimensional model of selected body systems. Finally, they color the organ systems on a diagram and test their knowledge of systems and organs as they revisit their earlier ideas. |
| 3. | Cool Off! | Laboratory | Students model the evaporative cooling effects of perspiration as an example of the function of the integumentary system in maintaining temperature balance. Through this activity, students are introduced to aspects of experimental design and create tables and graphs to organize and analyze data. They further investigate the structure and function of the skin through a reading. |
| 4. | Investigating a Natural Support System | Laboratory | Students model the evaporative cooling effects of perspiration as an example of the function of the integumentary system in maintaining temperature balance. Through this activity, students are introduced to aspects of experimental design and create tables and graphs to organize and analyze data. They further investigate the structure and function of the skin through a reading. |
| 5. | The Skeletal and Muscular Systems | Reading | Students model the evaporative cooling effects of perspiration as an example of the function of the integumentary system in maintaining temperature balance. Through this activity, students are introduced to aspects of experimental design and create tables and graphs to organize and analyze data. They further investigate the structure and function of the skin through a reading. |
| 6. | Breakdown | Laboratory | Students model the evaporative cooling effects of perspiration as an example of the function of the integumentary system in maintaining temperature balance. Through this activity, students are introduced to aspects of experimental design and create tables and graphs to organize and analyze data. They further investigate the structure and function of the skin through a reading. |
| 7. | Digesting Carbohydrates | Laboratory | In Part A, students investigate how Lugol’s solution (iodine) and Benedict’s solution indicate the presence of complex carbohydrates and sugars. In Part B, students design and conduct an investigation to test the effect of the enzyme amylase in breaking down large carbohydrate molecules into simple sugars. |
| 8. | Digestion: An Absorbing Tale | Reading | This reading introduces the functions of the digestive system and the organs that accomplish these functions. It provides a context for understanding the role of the digestivesystem in mechanical breakdown, chemical breakdown, and food absorption. |
| 9. | Gas Exchange | Laboratory | This activity explores the role of the respiratory system in the regulation of gases in the blood. Students investigate how to quantitatively measure the amount of carbon dioxide in their exhaled breath by using an indicator to perform a titration. |
| 10. | Gas Exchange in Other Organisms | Reading | This activity explores the role of the respiratory system in the regulation of gases in the blood. Students investigate how to quantitatively measure the amount of carbon dioxide in their exhaled breath by using an indicator to perform a titration. |
| 11. | The Heart: A Muscle | Laboratory | Students evaluate the strength of the heart muscle by attempting to pump water at the same rate as their resting pulse (in beats per minute). They then compare the volume of water they pumped to the volume of blood the heart pumped in the same amount of time. |
| 12. | Heart Parts | Reading | Students investigate the functions of the blood vessels and the major structures of the heart. This activity offers an excellent opportunity for students to compare models and diagrams to real structures. After developing an understanding of the structures and function of the circulatory system, students can explore the structure of an actual heart in an optional dissection. |
| 13. | Round and Round | Modeling | Students use their understanding of the circulatory system to model how the heart pumps blood to the lungs and the rest of the body. They use pressure bulbs to model the double-pump circulatory system of mammals. |
| 14. | Circulatory System Problems | Reading | Students read about high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attacks, and the history of heart surgery. They explore the challenges of developing new treatments. “Stopping to Think” questions encourage them to think about and apply the information they are reading. |
| 15. | Excreting Wastes | Modeling | Students use filter paper and dye to model the filtering function of a kidney. The remainder of the activity explores the structure and function of the excretory system. |
| 16. | The Circulation Game | Modeling | As a class, students model the path of blood as it travels through the human cardiovascular system. The activity emphasizes the transport function of blood, particularly the transport of gases, nutrients, and wastes. |
| 17. | Can You Feel the Difference? | Laboratory | In Part A, students practice identifying variables as they explore their individual sensitivity to touch as an introduction to the nervous system. They test their ability to feel the difference between one and two points on different parts of their hands and arms. In Part B, students further investigate human sensitivity to touch by determining the smallest distance at which they can still feel two points. This experience reinforces theconcept of sensory limitations and explores the phenomenon of variation among individuals. The elements of well designed experiments are emphasized and the importance of reproducibility is reinforced. |
| 18. | Finding the Nerve | Reading | Students read about the structure and functions of the nervous system. The roles of touch receptors, sensory receptors, and the brain in humans are introduced. |
| 19. | The Endocrine System | Computer Simulation | Students use a computer simulation to investigate the effects of hormones produced by the glands of the endocrine system on target tissues and organs in the human body. They explore the “fight or flight” response as an example of how a feedback loop maintains homeostasis. |
| 20. | Human Reproduction | Reading | This reading introduces the functions of the human male and female reproductive systems and structures that accomplish these functions. It provides a context for understanding the role of the male and female reproductive systems and the processes of fertilization and prenatal development. |
| 21. | Developing Health Plans | Talking it over | Students assume the role of a specialist in preventive medicine and evaluate notes from four student case studies. They are primarily concerned with the short- and long-term term health effects of the student’s current lifestyle. As specialists, students create health plans for the students. As an extension to the activity, they may create a health plan for themselves. |
A full suite of course tools is available for teachers, as follows:
Student Edition
The Student Edition guides investigations and provides related readings. It uses a variety of approaches to make science accessible for all students. SEPUP’s integrated literacy strategies help students process new science content, develop their analytical skills, make connections between related concepts, and express their knowledge orally and in writing.
eStudent Edition
Availible in both download and online access platforms.
Teacher Edition
The SEPUP Core Curriculum Teacher’s Edition takes you through each activity in the Student Edition and helps you see the development of concepts within the big picture of the units and the course you are teaching. It helps you set up the equipment from the kit, organize the classroom, conduct activities, and manage practical details, all of which enhance students’ learning environment. The Teacher’s Edition is packaged as a series of loose-leaf binders that you can personalize with annotations, rearrangements, and insertions. The Teacher’s Edition provides full support for teaching the program. Additional support resources can also found in the Teacher’s Edition.
Complete Material Edition
All SEPUP materials packages are designed with teachers, students and environmental considerations in mind. Traditional laboratory style classrooms are not necessary to teach SEPUP. Materials packages include most of the items needed for the activities. They support multiple classes – typically up to five classes of 32 students (160 total students) – before consumables need to be replaced. It’s important to note that materials are consumed at various rates; therefore, it will not be necessary to replace all consumable items every year. Exclusive to SEPUP programs are the molded tray liners that keep everything in place and easy to locate – even in a hurry.
Online and Technology Tools
These include the Exam View suite of assessment tools and more than 100 web links for each of the three SEPUP 6-8 courses, to be used for basic instruction and enrichment.
| SEPUP Texas Edition, Science Grade 7, Body Systems | Item # | Price | Quantity |
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