Activity 4.2: Explaining How Fungi Move and Function: Cellular Respiration (40 min)

Show slide 3 of the 4.2 Explaining How Fungi Move and Function: Cellular Respiration PPT.

• Tell students that this activity’s purpose is to develop explanations for how fungi use food to move and function.
• Return each student’s copy of 3.3 Evidence-Based Arguments Tool for Bread Molding and have them review their arguments before they completed the molecular modeling activity. Their arguments and unanswered questions should also apply to fungi.
• Ask them to think about what they know now that they didn’t know then.

Show slide 4 of the 4.2 Explaining How Fungi Move and Function: Cellular Respiration PPT. Give each student one copy of 4.2 Explanations Tool for Fungi Cellular Respiration .

• Tell students that in this part of the investigation, they will combine everything they learned about how fungi use food to move and function into an explanation.
• Remind them to consider both their evidence from the investigation as well as what they learned in the molecular modeling activity to construct their explanations.
• Give students about 10 minutes to complete the Explanations Process Tool.

Show slide 5 of the 4.2 Explaining How Fungi Move and Function: Cellular Respiration PPT. Divide students into pairs and have them compare explanations for the Three Questions and the final explanation on the process tool.

Have students use the Three Questions 11x17 Poster (or Three Questions Handout) as a reference. Have students check their explanations with the middle and right-hand columns of the poster to make sure they are following the “rules.”

Use slides 6-12 in the PPT to have the students discuss what is happening to matter during cellular respiration and to have them check their answers to the Matter Movement Question on their 4.2 Explanations Tool for Fungi Cellular Respiration .

• Show students slide 6 to have them think about where atoms are moving from and moving to during cellular respiration.
• Show slide 7 to explain that atoms and molecules are moving so that fungi can get energy through cellular respiration: Decomposers need glucose and oxygen as reactants, and they must get rid of carbon dioxide and water as waste.
• Show slide 8 to explain a simplified version of movement of all these materials through the fungus.
• Display slides 9-12 to have students compare their answers to the Matter Movement Question with the answers on the slide. Students only need to have arrows showing the movement of molecules into and out of the cell. Have students use a different colored writing utensil to make any needed changes to their answers. Allow students to ask questions if they do not understand why their ideas are incorrect.
• If students have model explanations to share, display student work and discuss. If students have common areas of weakness in their explanations, ask for a volunteer to share, display student work, and discuss ways of strengthening the response.

Show slide 13 to zoom into a cell in the fungus to illustrate cellular respiration at the cellular scale. Glucose and oxygen enter the cell; carbon dioxide and water leave—and cell gets energy to function!

• Display slides 14-15 to have students compare their answers to the Matter Change Question on the 4.2 Explanations Tool for Fungi Cellular Respiration with the answers on the slide. Have students use a different colored writing utensil to make any needed changes to their answers. Allow students to ask questions if they do not understand why their ideas are incorrect.
• If students have model explanations to share, display student work and discuss. If students have common areas of weakness in their explanations, ask for a volunteer to share, display student work, and discuss ways of strengthening the response.

Show slide 16 to remind students of the Energy Change questions at multiple scales.

• Display slide 17 to have students compare their answers to the Energy Change Question on the 4.2 Explanations Tool for Fungi Cellular Respiration with the answers on the slide. Have students use a different colored writing utensil to make any needed changes to their answers. Allow students to ask questions if they do not understand why their ideas are incorrect.
• If students have model explanations to share, display student work and discuss. If students have common areas of weakness in their explanations, ask for a volunteer to share, display student work, and discuss ways of strengthening the response.
• Have students consider how these answers address Energy Change at macroscopic, atomic-molecular, and cellular scales.

Display Slide 18 of the PPT. Have students look at two handouts: (a) the Three Questions Handout, and (b) the Example Decomposers Explanations Handout.

• Ask students to evaluate the two example explanations of cellular respiration on the Example Decomposers Explanations Handout: Which explanation is better? Why?
• Have students use the Three Questions Explanation Checklist on the back of the Three Questions Handout to justify their critiques of the explanations.

Display slide 18 of the PPT for the full explanation. Have students use the Three Questions Explanation Checklist on the back of the Three Questions Handout to check that their story includes each of the parts (matter movement, matter change, energy change, and matter movement) and answers the prompt in a cohesive way.

• If students don’t have all four parts in their explanation, instruct them to add to their explanation using a different colored writing utensil.

If students have model explanations to share, display student work and discuss. If students have common areas of weakness in their explanations, ask for a volunteer to share, display student work, and discuss ways of strengthening the response.

Pass out 4.2 How do Decomposers Get the Energy They Need to Move and Function? Reading. The reading provides a summary explanation of cellular respiration and additional information about fungal structure. Have students read using the Questions, Connections, Questions Student Reading Strategy. See the Questions, Connections, Questions Reading Strategy Educator Resource document for information about how to engage students with this strategy.

• After pairs are finished reading, have students share with the class what they found interesting and any questions they have.
• After sharing, students can complete the cellular respiration (energy to move and function) section of the Decomposers Matter Tracing Tool. They will complete the rest of the matter tracing tool in Activities 5.3 and 5.4.

Show slide 19. Have students look at the Decomposer 11 x 17 Poster and discuss with a partner the parts of a fungus involved in cellular respiration on a macroscopic scale.

• Tell students that all parts (all cells) of a decomposer undergo cellular respiration.

Show slide 20 of the 4.2 Explaining How Fungi Move and Function: Cellular Respiration PPT.

• Have students consider how their ideas changed with regard to scale, movement, and carbon.
• What do they know now about how fungi use food to move and function that they didn’t know before the investigation?

Show slide 21. Have students look at their 3.3 Evidence-Based Arguments Tool for Bread Molding. Display the class list of unanswered questions from Activity 3.3.

• Ask students which of their unanswered questions they can now answer with their understanding of Cellular Respiration. Which ones are left unanswered? Do they have any new questions to add to the list?
• The remaining questions will be answered in future lessons on digestion and biosynthesis.

Show slide 22 of the 4.2 Explaining How Fungi Move and Function: Cellular Respiration PPT.

• Pass out a Learning Tracking Tool for Decomposers to each student.
• Have students write the activity chunk name in the first column, "Explaining How Decomposers Move and Function" and their role as “Explainer.”
• Have a class discussion about what students did during the activity chunk. When you come to consensus as a class, have students record the answer in the second column of the tool.
• Have a class discussion about what students figured out during the activity chunk that will help them in answering the unit driving question. When you come to consensus as a class, have students record the answer in the third column of the tool.
• Have a class discussion about what students are wondering now that will help them move towards answering the unit driving question. Have students record the questions in the fourth column of the tool.
• Have students keep their Learning Tracking Tool for future activities.
• Example Learning Tracking Tool

Show slide 23 of the 4.2 Explaining How Fungi Move and Function: Cellular Respiration PPT.

• On a sheet of paper or a sticky note, have students individually answer the exit ticket questions. Depending on time, you may have students answer both questions, assign students to answer a particular question, or let students choose one question to answer. Collect and review the answers.
• Conclusions: What do animals, plants, and decomposers have in common?
• Predictions: What do you think cells are made up of?
• The conclusions question will provide you with information about what your students are taking away from the activity. Student answers to the conclusions question can be used on the Driving Questions Board (if you are using one). The predictions question allows students to begin thinking about the next activity and allows you to assess their current ideas as you prepare for the next activity. Student answers to the predictions question can be used as a lead into the next activity.