Directions 1. Use the instructional model to show students where they are in the course of the unit. Show slide 2 of the 5.4 Explaining How Fungi Grow: Biosynthesis PPT. 2. Remind students of their unanswered questions Using slide 3 of the PPT have students revisit their arguments and unanswered questions from the Bread Molding Investigation by looking at 3.3 Evidence-Based Arguments Tool for Bread Molding. Remind students that after explaining cellular respiration in Lesson 4.2 there were still unanswered questions about how decomposers grow and where the glucose needed for cellular respiration comes from. In today’s lesson, students will use what they learned in Lesson 5.1 (and 5.2) to explain how fungi get food to their body’s cells and how fungi use food for growth. 3. Discuss what happens to the small organic molecules after digestion. Use Slide 4 to review how decomposers use food to grow. Ask students for their ideas about what they remember from the previous activity. Show slide 5 of the PPT. Remind students that the products of digestion (small organic molecules or monomers) can be used by cells for either growth or energy. Allows students to talk through the process of cellular respiration as a review. 4. Have students complete their Explanations Process Tool for Biosynthesis. Show slide 6 of the 5.3 Explaining How Fungi Grow: Biosynthesis PPT. Give each student one copy of 5.4 Explanations Tool for Fungi Biosynthesis. Tell students that in this part of the investigation, they will combine everything they learned about how decomposers use food to grow into an explanation. Remind them to consider both their evidence from the investigation as well as what they learned in the molecular modeling (or tracing) activity to construct their explanations. Give students about 10 minutes to complete the Explanations Process Tool. 5. Have students share explanations with each other. Show slide 7 of the 5.4 Explaining How Fungi Grow: Biosynthesis 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 or handout to make sure they are following the “rules.” 6. Have students think about how biosynthesis answers the Matter Movement question. Use slides 8-10 in the PPT to have the students discuss what is happening to matter during biosynthesis and to have them check their answers to the Matter Movement Question on their 5.4 Explanations Tool for Fungi Biosynthesis. Show students slide 8 to have them think about where atoms are moving from and moving to during biosynthesis. 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. 7. Have students think about how biosynthesis answers the Matter Change Question. Show slide 11 to begin discussing the Matter Change Question. Display slides 12-13 to have students compare their answers to the Matter Change Question on the 5.4 Explanations Tool for Fungi Biosynthesis 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. Refer to the Digestion and Biosynthesis 11 x 17 Posters in your classroom to help students visualize the biosynthesis of monomers to polymers. 8. Discuss how biosynthesis helps answer the Energy Change questions. Display slide 14 to have students compare their answers to the Energy Change Question on the 5.4 Explanations Tool for Fungi Biosynthesis 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. 9. (Optional) Have students critique example explanations Display slide 15 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 biosynthesis 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. 10. Have students critique and improve their full explanations. Display slide 15 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. 11. (Optional) Have students read about biosynthesis and complete part of the graphic organizer. Pass out 5.4 How do Decomposers Grow? Reading. Higher level students may not need the review of content provided in this reading, but you may want them to add to the matter tracing tool started in Activity 4.2. Have students read using the Questions, Connections, Questions Student Reading Strategy See the Questions, Connections, Questions Student Reading Strategy document for information about how to engage students with this strategy. The reading provides a summary explanation of biosynthesis and additional information about of metabolic pathways (students can refer to the Metabolic Pathways 11 x 17 Poster to see some of the other pathways). After pairs are finished reading, have students share with the class what they found interesting and any questions they have. After discussion, students can complete the biosynthesis section of the Decomposers Matter Tracing Tool they started completing in Activity 4.2. 12. Have students discuss with a partner how biosynthesis works at the macroscopic scale by referring to the decomposer poster. Show slide 16. Have students look at the Decomposer 11 x 17 Poster and discuss with a partner the parts of a fungus involved in biosynthesis on a macroscopic scale. Tell students that all parts (all cells) of a fungus’ body undergo biosynthesis. 13. Lead a discussion about how student ideas have changed over time. Show slide 17 of the 5.4 Explaining How Fungi Grow: Biosynthesis 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 cows use food to move and function that they didn’t know before the investigation? 14. Revisit unanswered questions. Show slide 18. Have students look at their 5.4 Explaining How Fungi Grow: Biosynthesis PPT. 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 digestion and biosynthesis. Which ones are left unanswered? Do they have any new questions to add to the list? 15. (Optional) Have students complete the Big Idea Probe: Leaf Pack Experiment for the second time. If you decided to use the Big Idea Probe: Leaf Pack Experiment have students complete it and share their ideas for a second time. See Assessing the Big Idea Probe: Leaf Pack Experiment and Using Big Idea Probes for suggestions about how to use the Big Idea Probe. 16. Have a discussion to complete the Learning Tracking Tool for this activity. Show Slide 19 of the 5.4 Explaining How Fungi Grow: Biosynthesis 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 Grow" and their role as the “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 Activity Chunk What Did We Do? What Did We Figure Out? What Are We Asking Now? Explaining How Decomposers Grow Explainer Use molecular models and Explanations Tools to explain digestion and biosynthesis in mushrooms. Mushrooms break large organic molecules into small organic molecules outside their bodies (digestion) and then make new large organic molecules in their cells (biosynthesis). How do other decomposers grow, move, and function? 17. Have students complete an exit ticket Show slide 20 of the 5.4 Explaining How Fungi Grow: Biosynthesis 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: How does a mushroom grow on the cellular scale? Predictions: How do you think what we have learned about mushroom applies to other decomposers? 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.
