Complex Systems
Title: Comparing Kingdom Animalia Body Systems
Grade Level: 9-12
Subject/Content: Science/Biology
Summary of Lesson: Students will compare and contrast the complexity of body systems
within the kingdom Animalia. They will create an accurate depiction of the human body.
Focus Question: What specific differences in complexity can be identified in body systems
within the kingdom Animalia?
Resource: Science in Context
Procedures:
Steps/Activities by the Teacher:
1. Direct each student to copy the following table:
Circulatory
System
Respiratory
System
Reproductive
System
Digestive
System
Porifera
(sponges)
Annelids
(worms)
Bony
fishes
Amphibians/
reptiles
Aves
(birds)
Mammals
2. Instruct students to research each of these groups in Science in Context. Note that
there are topic pages on all of these systems available in Science in Context. Articles
such as the ones listed below will also be helpful:


“Lungs.” (World of Anatomy and Physiology. Gale, 2007. Gale Science in Context.
GALE|CV2430500244)
“Body Cavities” (Animal Sciences. Ed. Allan B. Cobb. New York: Macmillan
Reference USA, 2009. Gale Science In Context. GALE|CV2642150049)
3. Lead a discussion with students on the results of their research. Create a master
table on the board and fill it in with the information students uncovered. Be sure to
initiate discussion that highlights the differences in complexity between humans and
the organisms in the table.
4. Divide the students into small groups (preferably groups of three).
5. Assign each group nine major human body systems. Each group member should be
responsible for three systems.
6. Direct students to research their assigned systems using Science In Context. Instruct
students to do the following for each system:
 Define the purpose of each system
 List critical organs/structures within each system
 Sketch location and proportions of the structures within a body outline for
each system
 Document one interesting fact about each system or a part of each system
7. If possible, obtain one large sheet of roll paper per group for a life-size outline, or
have students use technology to create an outline of the human body.
8. Instruct students to indicate system organs/structures in appropriate locations.
Students should color-code; for example, all respiratory organs/structures might be
blue, etc. Students should include a key to color-coding.
9. Under or on each organ/structure, students should indicate the name of that
organ/structure.
10. In a separate document, the group should provide a listing of the interesting facts
they identified for each system.
Steps/Activities by Students:
1. Copy the following table.
2. Fill in the table by researching each category via Science in Context.
Circulatory
System
Respiratory
System
Reproductive
System
Digestive
System
Porifera
(sponges)
Annelids
(worms)
Bony
fishes
Amphibians/
reptiles
Aves
(birds)
Mammals
3. Participate in the class discussion which follows, sharing the information you have
collected during your research.
4. You will form groups. Each group will be assigned nine body systems; you should
conduct research on three of those systems.
5. Use Science in Context to find the following information for each system:




Purpose of each system
Critical organs/structures within each system
Location and proportions of the structures for each system
One interesting fact about each system or part of each system
6. If you will be drawing the body outline on paper, trace the outline of a human body.
If you will be using technology to create your outline, draw a body using technology
tools.
7. Indicate system organs/structures in appropriate locations. Color-code your systems;
for example, all respiratory organs/structures might be blue, etc. Make sure you
include a key to the color-coding.
8. Under or on each organ/structure, should indicate the name of that organ/structure.
9. In a separate document, your group should list the interesting facts you identified for
each system.
10. Share your work.
Outcome
Students will be able to construct the human body. They will effectively communicate
general information about the complexity of the human body systems.
Related Activities:
Math
 Students calculate the proportions of the organs within the body for increased
display accuracy.
 Students examine the surface area of the lungs and small intestine and
discuss or calculate the impact of decreasing or increasing surface area on
bodily functions.
Social Studies/Global Studies
 Students compare societies to the human body; just like the human body,
societies are operating systems with complex underlying structures not
necessarily visible form the “surface.” Explore the idea that systems in society
are as interdependent as systems in the body.
English
 Students write an essay sharing their experiences as a being shrunken to
minute size and injected into a human body. The essay should address each
of the body systems (including structures and functioning) as they “pass
through.”
Learning Expectation:
Students will create a table of body system characteristics and work together to identify the
organs/structures related to each system.
Standards Alignment:
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
LS1.DCI.A:1. Systems of specialized cells within organisms help them perform the essential
functions of life. (HS-LS1-1)
LS1.DCI.A:3. Multicellular organisms have a hierarchical structural organization, in which
any one system is made up of numerous parts and is itself a component of the next level.
(HS-LS1-2)
LS1.DCI.A:4. Feedback mechanisms maintain a living system’s internal conditions within
certain limits and mediate behaviors, allowing it to remain alive and functional even as
external conditions change within some range. Feedback mechanisms can encourage
(through positive feedback) or discourage (negative feedback) what is going on inside the
living system. (HS-LS1-3)
HS-LS1.CC.3.1.
Investigating or designing new systems or structures requires a
detailed examination of the properties of different materials, the structures of different
components, and connections of components to reveal its function and/or solve a problem.
(HS-LS1-1)
Standard Source: Next Generation Science Standards (2013)
Common Core State Standards
Grades 9-10
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and
other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical
context relevant to grades 9-10 texts and topics.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.5
Analyze the structure of the relationships among
concepts in a text, including relationships among key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction
force, energy).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.7
Translate quantitative or technical information expressed
in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information
expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.10
By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend
science/technical texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and
proficiently.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including the
narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.9
analysis, reflection, and research.
Grades 11-12
Draw evidence from informational texts to support
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.4
Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and
other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical
context relevant to grades 11-12 texts and topics.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.9
Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g.,
texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon,
or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research
projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem;
narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the
subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.
Standard Source: Common Core State Standards Initiative (2010)