Directions 1. Use the instructional model to show students where they are in the course of the unit. Show slide 2 of the 4.2 Explaining How Potato Plants Move and Function: Cellular Respiration PPT. 2. Revisit students’ arguments about what happens when plants grow. Show slide 3 of the 4.2 Explaining How Potato Plants Move and Function: Cellular Respiration PPT. Tell students that this activity’s purpose is to develop explanations for how plant’s use food to move and function. Return each student’s copy of 3.5 Evidence-Based Arguments Tool for Plants and have them review their arguments before they completed the molecular modeling activity. Their arguments and unanswered questions should also apply to potato plants. Ask them to think about what they know now that they didn’t know then 3. Have students complete the Explanations Process Tool. Show slide 4 of the 4.2 Explaining How Potato Plants Move and Function: Cellular Respiration PPT. Give each student one copy of 4.2 Explanations Tool for Potato Cellular Respiration. Tell students that in this part of the unit, they will combine everything they learned about how plants 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. 4. Have students share explanations with each other. Show slide 5 of the 4.2 Explaining How Potato Plants 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 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.” 5. Have students think about how cellular respiration answers the Matter Movement question. Use slides 6-10 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 Potato Cellular Respiration. Show students slide 6-8 to have them think about where atoms are moving from and moving to during cellular respiration. Display slides 9-10 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. 6. Have students think about how cellular respiration also answers the Matter Change Question. Show slide 11 to have student consider the Matter Change Question. Display slides 12-13 to have students compare their answers to the Matter Change Question on the 4.2 Explanations Tool for Potato 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. 7. Discuss how cellular respiration helps to answer Energy Change questions. Show slide 14 to have student consider the Energy Change Question. Display slide 15 to have students compare their answers to the Energy Change Question on the 4.2 Explanations Tool for Potato 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. 8. Using the Plants Matter Tracing Tool, have students answer the question:.. Using the Plants Matter Tracing Tool, have students answer the question: How does cellular respiration fit into the story of how plants grow and function? Show slide 17 and have students pull out their Plants Matter Tracing Tool. Allow students to complete their tools, keeping in mind the discussion that just took place. Display slide 18 to have students check their arrows on the Plants Matter Tracing Tool. Allow for corrections if necessary. 9. (Optional) Have students critique example explanations. Have students look at two handouts: (a) the Three Questions Handout, and (b) the Example Plant Explanations Handout. Ask students to evaluate the two example explanations of photosynthesis on the Plants Example 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. 10. Have students read about cellular respiration. Pass out 4.2 How do Plants Get the Energy They Need to Move and Function? Reading. The reading provides a summary explanation of cellular respiration and additional information about how plants absorb and reflect light. Students can complete the reading 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. 11. Have students critique and improve their full explanations. Display slide 19 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 12. Lead a discussion about how student ideas have changed over time. Show slide 20 of the 4.2 Explaining How Potato Plants Move and Function: Cellular Respiration PPT. Have students look back over their process tools for this unit. Have students consider how their ideas changed with regard to scale, movement, and carbon. What do they know now about how plants use food to move and function that they didn’t know before the investigation? 13. Revisit unanswered questions. Show slide 21. Have students look at their 3.5 Evidence-Based Arguments Tool for Plants. Display the class list of unanswered questions from Activity 3.5. 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? 14. Have students complete an exit ticket. Show slide 22 of the 4.2 Explaining How Potato Plants Move and Function: Cellular Respiration PPT. Conclusions: What did you observe during the investigation? Predictions: How do you think the plants gained more mass than the paper towel lost? 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. 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.