#3385. Respiratory and Circulatory Research Project

Science, level: Elementary
Posted Fri Feb 18 08:41:07 PST 2005 by Courtney Brunetti (brunetcl@pickens.k12.sc.us).
McKissick Elementary, Easley
Materials Required: library books, internet, poster paper, markers, pictures (acquired from books and internet)
Activity Time: Two weeks
Concepts Taught: Students will use internet and books to research and write a report on different diseases

Time used for lesson: I used one week for research, writing reports, and planning presentations and another week for presenting their work.

Objectives:
• The students will be able to use the computer and other resources to research diseases that deal with the circulatory and respiratory systems.
• The students will write a report on the disease they choose.
• The students will give a report to the class telling them what they learned about their disease.
• The students will compose 10 questions to guide them in their research.
Standards:
5.I.4.Communicate
a. Use drawings, tables, graphs, written and oral language to describe objects and explain ideas and actions.
5.II.3.Disease is a breakdown in structures or functions of an organism. Some diseases are the result of intrinsic failures of the system (respiratory and circulatory).
a. Identify common diseases associated with the respiratory system caused by viruses (such as colds, influenza), diseases caused by bacteria (such as pneumonia, and tuberculosis), and diseases caused by substances such as tobacco. (P)
b. Identify common intrinsic diseases and disorders associated with the respiratory system such as asthma and with the circulatory system such as leukemia, sickle cell, and heart disease.

Materials:
1. Library books relating to various respiratory and circulatory diseases
2. Internet
3. Posters
4. Markers
5. Pictures (acquired in books or internet)

Procedures:
1. In preparation, I collaborated with the Media Specialist for extra help. As part of their library time, she helped them find books relating to their disease and show them ways to research their topic. I also looked up many diseases for the students to choose from dealing with the respiratory and circulatory system. I had more than the number of students so they had a variety to choose from. (I attached the list of diseases to the end)
2. At the beginning of the first day, I listed all the diseases on the board. The students had to pick three diseases they would want to research and order them 1-3. (one being their most requested, three their least)
3. The students numbered off and I wrote all their numbers on a piece of paper and put them into a hat. When I pulled their number, the student had to pick their disease, the day they wanted to present and the day they wanted to use the internet.
4. The students had to find out the following facts about their disease: what system it effects, how it affects that system, and three interesting facts. They also had to find at least one picture showing their disease. Other than that it was up to them what they found out about their disease.
5. The students begin their research by coming up with ten questions they want to find out about their disease. The questions had to be approved by me before they could start using books and the internet.
6. The students got five days to research their topic using the library books and the internet. I bookmarked a few pages for them to get them started and we did a quick mini-lesson on how to use yahoo.com and google.com. The students will use this time to find the answers to their questions and pictures to include in their report.
7. Once they have found all their research, the students will begin their research paper by making an outline. They may do this by using a flow map. It was important that they use the five paragraph outline to organize their report. In their outline they needed to write their opening paragraph, topic sentences for each body paragraph, and their closing paragraph. They also needed to include which information they would put under each body paragraph. This is their flow map. (They were stressed that they must grab the readers attention in their first paragraph)
8. When their outline was approved by me, they began to write their draft of the paper.
9. Their papers were due when we began our presentations. For our presentations, the students had to explain their disease to the class, tell them what system it affected, tell them at least three interesting facts and show a picture to the class. The students could use their creativity to portray this information to the class. They may use posters, put on a skit, use overheads, show pamphlets, or use any other creative method they wish.
Assessment:
1. The students received a daily grade for finishing ten creative and interesting questions dealing with their disease.
2. I have attached a rubric for grading the research papers and presentations.
3. I observed the students in the daily tasks making sure they stayed on task and were on tract with their research. I put that observation in the book as a daily grade.

Research Rubric

Ten Questions answered in paper: /20

Introduce and explain disease: /10

Five paragraphs: /10

Cover Page: /10

Minimal Errors: /5

Picture: /5

Total Points: /60

Presentation Rubric

Told the system it affected: /10

Told three interesting facts: /10

Kept audience's attention: /5

Made eye-contact: /5

Spoke clearly: /5

Showed picture: /5

Total points /40

Diseases that may be researched:

Respiratory Disease:
• Cold/Flu
• Pneumonia
• Tuberculosis
• Lung Cancer
• Whooping Cough
• Bronchitis
• Asthma
• Emphysema

Circulatory Diseases:
• Leukemia
• Sickle Cell
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Arteriosclerosis Heart Disease (hardening of arteries)
• Stroke (Cerebrovascular Accident)
• Peripheral Vascular Disease (Circulation to lower extremities diminishes)
• Congestive Heart Failure
• Pulmonary Edema (fluid in pulmonary arteries)
• Hemophilia (Blood won't clot)
• Myocardial Infarction (heart attack)
• Diabetes