11th Grade  Project 5 weeks

Breath of Fire: Unraveling Combustion Mysteries

Veronica R
Updated
HS-LS1-7
HS-LS1-7
HS-LS2-3
HS-LS2-3
HS-LS2-5
+ 3 more
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Purpose

This project aims to deepen students' understanding of cellular respiration as a combustion reaction and its broader implications across biological, environmental, and chemical systems. Through engaging with community partners, interactive exhibits, and reflective journaling, students will explore the scientific concepts underpinning their essential question while developing critical skills in thinking, communication, and self-directed learning. The collaborative and experiential nature of the project will empower students to connect scientific theories to real-world phenomena and share their insights through creative multimedia expressions.

Learning goals

Students will explore the dynamics of chemical reactions, focusing on types, thermodynamics, equilibria, acids and bases, and kinetics. Through hands-on experimentation and community engagement, they aim to understand why cellular respiration, a combustion process, doesn't lead to human self-combustion. Students will also examine the intersections of human respiratory processes with environmental systems, developing the ability to synthesize scientific concepts into creative expressions while building critical thinking and effective communication skills.

Standards
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] HS-LS1-7 - Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and the bonds in new compounds are formed resulting in a net transfer of energy.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] HS-LS1-7 - Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and the bonds in new compounds are formed resulting in a net transfer of energy.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] HS-LS2-3 - Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow of energy in aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] HS-LS2-3 - Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow of energy in aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] HS-LS2-5 - Develop a model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.
Competencies
  • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Students consider a variety of innovative approaches to address and understand complex questions that are authentic and important to their communities.
  • Effective Communication - Students practice listening to understand, communicating with empathy, and share their learning through exhibiting, presenting and reflecting on their work.
  • Self Directed Learning - Students use teacher and peer feedback and self-reflection to monitor and direct their own learning while building self knowledge both in and out of the classroom.

Products

Students will create interactive multimedia installations for the 'Science Meets Art' showcase, combining elements such as virtual reality experiences, digital animations, and fire-themed art projects to visually and experientially present the concept of cellular respiration and combustion. Additionally, they will develop reflective portfolios that integrate insights from community partners, experimental data, and narratives explaining the non-combustive nature of human respiration. At the 'Breathing Ecosystem Fair,' students will design and lead interactive exhibits replicating various environmental settings, connecting human respiratory processes to natural aquatic systems.

Launch

Students will begin the project with a dynamic "Chemical Reaction Quest" that transforms the classroom into a hands-on exploration lab. Stations will be set up around the room, each illustrating a different type of chemical reaction, including combustion, acids and bases, and kinetics, using interactive demonstrations and experiments. As they work through each station, students will collect clues related to the essential question, "If cellular respiration is a combustion reaction, why do humans not self combust or breathe fire?" This quest will ignite curiosity and set the stage for inquiry-based learning, ensuring students are actively engaged from the outset.

Exhibition

Host a dynamic 'Science Meets Art' showcase where 11th-grade students present interactive, multimedia installations that explore the science of cellular respiration and combustion alongside artistic expressions. Invite attendees to engage with scientific concepts through virtual reality experiences, digital animations, and interactive fire-themed art projects, which creatively link thermodynamics and kinetic chemistry to deeper insights about human biology. Set up experiential exhibits replicating environmental settings, curated by students, to demonstrate the parallels between human respiratory processes and natural aquatic systems, ensuring active, hands-on visitor participation guided by student presentations.