Life Structure and Function Unit
Seventh Grade
Week Topic/Focus of the Week
2/6/17 Ch.5 Lesson 2 and Ch. 6 Lesson 2: The Cell & Levels of
Organization
Essential Question/s
1. How are prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells similar, and
how are they different?
2. What do the structures in a cell do?
3. How do unicellular and multicellular organisms differ?
4. How does cell differentiation lead to the organization
within a multicellular organism?
Topics
Definition of a cell and cell theory
Nutrients that make up a cell and their functions
Organelles and their functions: focus on nucleus,
cytoplasm, cell wall
Unicellular vs. multicellular organisms
Prokaryotic organisms: structure and function
Eukaryotic organisms: structure and function
Prokaryotic vs. eukaryotic organisms
Differentiation and types of differentiating cells
Levels of organization
Potential Activities
Cell analogy- cell=CCMS
Labs
NGSS Standards
SEP: #1: Asking questions (for science) and
defining problems (for engineering)
DCI: LS1.A: All living things are made up of
cells, which is the smallest unit that can be said
to be alive. An organism may consist of one single cell
(unicellular) or many different numbers and types of cells
(multicellular).
CCC: Structure and function; Scale, proportion and quantity;
systems and system models
PE: MS-LS1-1: Conduct an investigation to provide evidence
that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many
different numbers and types of cells.
MS-LS1-2: Develop and use a model to describe the function of
a cell as a whole and ways parts of cells contribute to the
function.
MS-LS1-3:Use argument supported by evidence for how the
body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups
of cells.
 Life Structure and Function Unit
Seventh Grade
2/13/17 Chapter 5 Lesson 3: Moving Cellular Material SEP: #5: Using mathematics and computational
thinking
Essential Question
1. How do materials enter and leave cells? DCI: Within cells, special structures are
2. How does cell size affect the transport of materials? responsible for particular functions, and the cell
membrane forms the boundary that controls what enters and
Topics
leaves the cell (MS-LS1-2)
Passive transport and active transport
Diffusion and facilitated diffusion
CCC: Structure and Function - The way in which an object or
Osmosis
living thing is shaped and its substructure determine many of its
Endocytosis and exocytosis
Cell size and transport
properties and functions.

Potential Activities

Labs:
Membrane Lab

Testing
SLO preparation
Administer SLOs 2/15-2/16

2/20/17 Chapter 5 Lessons 3 and 4: Cells and Energy & Moving SEP: Developing and using models
Cellular Material
DCI: Within cells, special structures are
Essential Question responsible for particular functions, and the cell
1. How do materials enter and leave cells? membrane forms the boundary that controls what
2. How does cell size affect the transport of materials? enters and leaves the cell (MS-LS1-2)
3. Why are the membranes semi-permeable?
4. What materials or molecules might cells NOT want to
CCC: Structure and Function - The way in which an object or
enter their cells?
living thing is shaped and its substructure determine many of its
properties and functions.
Topics
Passive Transport
 Life Structure and Function Unit
Seventh Grade
Diffusion
Active Transport
Osmosis
Facilitated Diffusion
Endocytosis and Exocytosis

Potential Activities

Labs
Membrane Lab

Testing
Corrective Instruction should take place this week for
lowest standards on Unit I LS1-3 and LS 1-4.
Administer corrective instruction assessment by 2/27/17.

2/27/17 Chapter 5 Lessons 4: Cells and Energy SEP: Analyzing and interpreting data

Essential Question DCI:

1. How does a cell obtain energy? (breaking down sugar
molecules)
2. How do some cells make food molecules?
(photosynthesis)
3. How long can cells go without oxygen?
4. How long can humans go without taking a breath?
5. What similarities do you notice between the equations
for Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration?
Topics
Photosynthesis
Cellular Respiration
Mitochondria and Chloroplasts
Cellular to Macro (human level)
Photosynthesis:
LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow
in Organisms
The process of photosynthesis converts light energy to
stored chemical energy by converting carbon dioxide
plus water into sugars plus released oxygen. (HS-LS1-5)
As a result of these chemical reactions, energy is
transferred from one system of interacting molecules to
another. Cellular respiration is a chemical process in
which the bonds of food molecules and oxygen
molecules are broken and new compounds are formed
that can transport energy to muscles. Cellular respiration
also releases the energy needed to maintain body
temperature despite ongoing energy transfer to the
surrounding environment. (HS-LS1-7)
 Life Structure and Function Unit
Seventh Grade
6CO2 + 6H2O + Light Energy -> C6H12O6 + 6O2
Cellular Respiration: CCC: Flows, cycles, and conservation. Tracking fluxes of
C6H12O6+6O2 --> 6CO2+6H2O+36ATP energy and matter into, out of, and within systems helps one
understand the systems possibilities and limitations.
Potential Activities

Amoeba Sisters Video - Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

(youtube)

Testing
Administer corrective instruction assessment by 2/27/17.

3/6/17 Chapters 6 Lesson 1: The Cell Cycle and Cell Division SEP:
DCI: LS1.B
Essential Question Animals engage in characteristics
1. What are the phases of the cell cycle? behaviours that increase the of
2. Why is the result of the cell cycle important? reproduction (Ms-LS1-2)
Plants reproduce in a variety of ways, sometimes
Topics
depending on animal behaviour and specialized features
The Phases of the cell cycle
for reproductions (MS-LS1-4)
Length of a Cell Cycle
Genetic factors as well as local conditions affect the
The Mitotic process
growth of the adult plant. (MS-LS1-5)
Results of cell division
Understand how mitosis ensures that each new cell gets
a complete set of genes CCC: Patterns
Dividing the cell components

Lab
Oreo Lab

Potential Activities
 Life Structure and Function Unit
Seventh Grade
3/13/17 Chapters 6 Lesson 1: The Cell Cycle and Cell Division SEP:

Essential Question DCI:

1. What are the phases of the cell cycle? Animals engage in characteristics
2. Why is the result of the cell cycle important? behaviours that increase the of
reproduction (Ms-LS1-2)
Topics
Plants reproduce in a variety of ways, sometimes
The Phases of the cell cycle
depending on animal behaviour and specialized features
Length of a Cell Cycle
for reproductions (MS-LS1-4)
The Mitotic process
Genetic factors as well as local conditions affect the
Results of cell division
Understand how mitosis ensures that each new cell gets
growth of the adult plant. (MS-LS1-5)
a complete set of genes
CCC: Patterns
Potential Activities

3/20/17 Chapters 7 Lesson 1: Sexual Reproduction and Meiosis SEP:

Essential Question DCI: LS2.A

1. What is sexual reproduction, and why is it beneficial? Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
2. What is the order of the phases of meiosis, and what Organisms, and populations of organisms, are
happens during each phase? dependent on their environmental interactions both with other
3. Why is meiosis important?
living things and with nonliving factors. (MS-LS2-1)
In any ecosystem, organisms and populations with similar
Topics
requirements for food, water, oxygen, or other resources may
Modeling homologous chromosomes
Sexual reproduction
compete with each other for limited resources, access to which
Meiosis
consequently constrains their growth and reproduction. (MS-
LS2-1)
Potential Activities Growth of organisms and population increases are limited by
access to resources. (MS-LS2-1)
Similarly, predatory interactions may reduce the number of
organisms or eliminate whole populations of organisms.
Mutually beneficial interactions, in contrast, may become so
Life Structure and Function Unit
Seventh Grade
interdependent that each organism requires the other for
survival. Although the species involved in these competitive,
predatory, and mutually beneficial interactions vary across
ecosystems, the patterns of interactions of organisms with their
environments, both living and nonliving, are shared. (MS-LS2-
2)

2-LS2-2. Develop a simple model that mimics the function

of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.
Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Plants depend on water and light to grow. (2-LS2-1)
Plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds
around. (2-LS2-2)

ESS3.C
Human Impacts on Earth Systems
Human activities have significantly altered the biosphere,
sometimes damaging or destroying natural habitats and causing
the extinction of other species. But changes to Earths
environments can have different impacts (negative and positive)
for different living things. (MS-ESS3-3)
Typically as human populations and per-capita consumption of
natural resources increase, so do the negative impacts on Earth
unless the activities and technologies involved are engineered
otherwise. (MS-ESS3-3),(MS-ESS3-4)

CCC: Cause and Effect

 Life Structure and Function Unit
Seventh Grade
3/27/17 Chapters 7 Lesson 1: Sexual Reproduction and Meiosis SEP:

Essential Question DCI: LS2.C

1. What is sexual reproduction, and why is it beneficial? Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and
2. What is the order of the phases of meiosis, and what Resilience
happens during each phase?
Ecosystems are dynamic in nature; their characteristics can vary
3. Why is meiosis important?
over time. Disruptions to any physical or biological component
of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all its populations. (MS-
Topics
LS2-4)
Phases of Meiosis
Biodiversity describes the variety of species found in Earths
Development of a zygote
Fertilization
terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems. The completeness or
Birth integrity of an ecosystems biodiversity is often used as a
measure of its health. (MS-LS2-5)
Potential Activities
CCC: Cause and Effect

4/3/17 Chapters 7 Lesson 2: Asexual Reproduction SEP:

Essential Question: DCI:

1. What is asexual reproduction, and why is it beneficial?
2. How do the types of asexual reproduction differ? CCC: Energy and Matter - Flows, cycles, and
conservation. Tracking fluxes of energy and matter into, out of,
Topics:
and within systems helps one understand the systems
Asexual Reproduction
possibilities and limitations.
Life Cycle of a Simple Plant

Potential Activities

Testing
Unit Wrap-up/Unit Post Test
Administer Unit Post Test