Lesson 3 : Engineer

Time Required: 150 minutes

Engineer a solution for a local pet store that is out of oxygen pumps, but needs to maintain their oxygen-rich water. Students design an investigation that will provide data as to the optimal light conditions needed for Elodea plants to maintain oxygen-rich water and present their solution to the "pet store owners."

MS-LS1-6

Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on tracing movement of matter and flow of energy.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include the biochemical mechanisms of photosynthesis.]

MS-LS1-7

Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on describing that molecules are broken apart and put back together and that in this process, energy is released.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include details of the chemical reactions for photosynthesis or respiration.]