LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE FOR THE AGENDA FOR EDUCATION IN A DEMOCRACY

Name:__Holly Keeper__________________Date:____10/23/14______________________
Unit Essential Question: _How does muscle tissue function to support life & our everyday
actions and how does it work together with the other bodily systems to achieve this?
Lesson Topic: Introduction to the Muscular System
Class:_Anatomy & Physiology, 3rd period___
PLANNING THE LESSON
With Democracy and Social Justice at the Center of Instruction
Focusing on the National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER) Mission the 4-Part
Agenda for Education in a Democracy
EQUAL ACCESS
ENCULTURATION
NURTURING PEDAGOGY
STEWARDSHIP
To Knowledge
In Democratic Society
Safe and Caring for All
of the Mission
What are you and your students doing today to advance the 4-Part Mission? Connections:
With which part(s) of the Agenda does this lesson connect most clearly? And how?
Students will discuss topics with their table partners at various points throughout the lecture to
ensure that every voice in the classroom is being heard. Students will also work in groups of
two or three to create physical models of muscle structure and a sarcomere and then explain
their model to another group. Through this activity, every member of the group takes on a role
of responsibility, while coming up with their version of the structure theyre asked to model.
Each student will also be responsible for their own written explanation of their model. Through
the use of multiple techniques (writing, building, speaking, and visualizing), we will work to
advance the 4-part mission by providing equal access to knowledge for all students in the class.
We will also be supporting stewardship of the mission by requiring the use of democratic skills
such as collaboration and invention. This activity also provides opportunity for enculturation as
students learn about each other through their group work and through speaking and listening
to other groups explain their work.
STANDARDS (www.cde.state.co)
Content:
High School Science
Standards:
Understand the three
different types of muscle have
specific structure and
function.
Understand muscle tissue
organization and the

Literacy and Numeracy:

Employ standard English
language properly and
fluently in reading, writing,
listening, and speaking.

Democracy and
21st Century Skills:
Use leadership and teamwork
skills effectively.

structural components and

function of a sarcomere.
OBJECTIVES
Content: SWBAT
Describe the structure and
function of all three types of
muscle tissue by discussing
the topic with their table
partner, and then
contributing to class
discussion about the topic.
Describe muscle tissue
organization and the
structural components and
function of a sarcomere by
working in small groups to
create a labeled model of
either the skeletal muscle
gross anatomy or of a
sarcomere and then
explaining their model and its
function to another group.

Literacy and Numeracy:

SWBAT
Employ standard English
language properly and
fluently in reading, writing,
listening, and speaking by
recording notes in a lecture
guide and by collaboratively
discussing and building a
model, orally explaining the
function of their model to
another group, and writing an
explanation of their model, as
a ticket out the door.

Democracy and
21st Century Skills:
SWBAT
Use leadership and teamwork
skills effectively by
collaborating with one or two
other people to build and
label a physical
representation of either
skeletal muscle gross anatomy
structure or sarcomere
structure, and discussing the
function of the structure to
another group of students for
the purpose of increasing
communication and
collaboration skills necessary
for 21st century workforce
readiness.

ASSESSMENTS What is your evidence of achieving each objective? How will students know
and demonstrate what they have learned in each of the areas, all of the objectives?
Content:
I will assess whether students
are grasping an ability to
describe the three different
types of muscle by listening to
their conversations with their
table partners, and to their
contributions to the group
discussion about the topic.

Literacy and Numeracy:

To measure whether students
are reaching the literacy
objective, I will observe that
they are filing out their
lecture guide and during the
activity, I will listen to assure
they are communicating in a
clear manner, watch as they

Democracy and
21st Century Skills:
This will be assessed as I listen
and observe as students work
together on their models and
also explain their models to
each other. Students will
show that they are using
teamwork and leadership

Students who are grasping

this should be able to
determine the difference in
structure and function of the
three types and determine
where in the body each type
is found.
I will observe and listen during
the group model activity to
assess whether students are
gaining knowledge of the
structure and function of
muscle tissue organization
and sarcomeres. Students
should be able to construct
and label an accurate
representation of their
assigned structure, and take
notes as another group is
explaining their model. I will
also prompt the students with
questions and collect their
ticket out the door as a part
of assessment.

listen to each other and

observe the models, and
collect their written ticket out
the door which should include
the use of proper grammar
and clear English.

skills effectively if they are

able to discuss and analyze
the possibilities for the
creation of their model and if
each member of the group is
able to carry out their part. In
the explanation, students will
need to have collaborated
with group members to
decide on how they will
present their models to give
the audience group an
understanding of their
structure and its function.

Literacy and Numeracy

Clear
Coherent
Audience
Grammar
Fluency
Discussion
Explanation

Democracy and
21st Century Skills
Collaboration
Teamwork
Leadership

KEY VOCABULARY
Content
Skeletal muscle
Cardiac muscle
Smooth muscle
Multinucleated
Uninucleated
Striations
Voluntary
Involuntary
Muscle fiber
Epimysium
Perimysium
Endomysium
Fascicle

Tendon
Aponeurosis
Ligament
Fascia
Myofibril
Sarcolemma
Sarcoplasm
T-tubules
Myofilaments
Sarcomere
Actin
Myosin
Sliding filaments
Cisternae
Sarcoplasmic Reticulum
Z-line
M-line
Zone of Overlap
Cross Bridges
Contraction
HIGHER ORDER QUESTIONS for this lesson
Content
Where is the sarcomere found
within the levels of skeletal
muscle tissue organization,
and can you use this
information to explain the
idea of scale within the
muscle (can you grasp the
idea of how many sarcomeres
may be in a single muscle?)
How does structure match
function of muscle tissue at
both the macroscopic and
microscopic levels?
Where does the energy for
muscle contraction come
from?
How do the other systems of
the body interact with the
skeletal system?

Literacy and Numeracy

How does writing about the
structure of our body systems
help us to understand more
about the function of our
bodies in our everyday lives?

Democracy and
21st Century Skills
How might collaborating in a
scientific setting help us to
come up with the best
possible solution to a
question or problem?

LESSON FLOW
This is the actual planning of the lesson activities.
Time

Anticipatory Set Purpose and Relevance

Warm-up may include any of the following: hook, pre-assessment, introduction
to topic, motivation, etc.
Posted warm-up for students to write down and answer using their books and
notes: What are the three different types of muscle? What are the functions of
the muscular system?
Physical warm up! Students will be asked to stand up and make room for a
couple of exercises to get the blood pumping - body weight squats, calf raises,
and light jogging in place for a total of about two minutes. When students are
again seated I will ask them what parts of their body they were using this will
lead to a quick discussion of the skeletal muscles and their function and then I will
ask about the other muscles within their bodies that are working without us
really thinking about it - leading to discussion of cardiac and smooth muscle,
allowing us to sufficiently answer the warm-up questions they wrote down.

Time

Pre-Assessment
The warm-up should cover most of the pre-assessment but additionally Ill ask
what else the students can tell me about the skeletal system so far before
beginning the lecture.

Time

Building Background
Link to Experience:
We require muscles to live. Cardiac muscles pump our blood while smooth
muscles help us to digest our food. Also, skeletal muscles allow us to do sports,
dance, and walk among many other things.
Link to Learning:
The skeletal muscles attach to the skeletal system, which we just did a unit on. All
the systems of the body we learn about in Anatomy and Physiology work
together to allow us to function as we do.

Time

Anticipatory Set The hook to grab students attention. These are actions and
statements by the teacher (or students) to relate the experiences of the
objectives of the lesson, to put students into a receptive frame of mind.
To focus students attention on the lesson

To create an organizing framework for the ideas, principles or

information that is to follow (advanced organizers)
An anticipatory set is used any time a different activity or new concept is to
be introduced.
I will quickly recap by going back to the slide showing the levels of organization of
skeletal muscle tissue organization and having students name each component
they need to be familiar with - Muscle fiber, epimysium, perimysium,
endomysium, fascicle, tendon, myofibrils, myofilaments. Ill also ask them
how/what the tendon is formed from. Ill prompt them to think about the scale of
structure at each level of organization. Next, I will draw a picture of a sarcomere
on the whiteboard and well label each of the components as a class Z-line,
M-line, actin, myosin, zone of overlap, myosin heads. Well briefly discuss
contration.
Activity Name Should be creative title for you and the students to associate
with activity.
Model that Muscle!
Students will choose their partners, getting into eight groups of three and two
groups of two. I will explain that each group will be building a model of either
skeletal muscle gross anatomy or sarcomere structure (half of the groups will do
one, and half will do the other). After building their model, they will partner will a
group who did the opposite model and each group will take a turn explaining
their model to the other group. There is also a written component, explained on
their handout, which I will collect as a ticket out the door. After I thoroughly
explain the instructions and show them the handouts theyll be using, Ill ask if
there are any questions about the activity. I will then show them the supplies
they have available to use and explain that the toothpicks and string can be used
for labelling. Then I will pass out the handouts and allow students to gather the
supplies theyll need.
Time

Instructional Input Includes: input, modeling and checking for understanding

I will give input through lecture, and will continually check for understanding
asking students if I am explaining things okay and how they are feeling about the
material. During the activity, I will walk around helping students with anything
they need while building their models, then listen and use prompting questions
to fuel discussion during the explanation part.

Models of Teaching:
Inquiry, Cooperative Learning, Concept Attainment, Direct Instruction,
Discussion, Socratic Seminar, Synectics, Inductive, Deductive and Mastery
Learning, etc.

Lecture and discussion will be used.

SIOP Techniques: I do, We do, You do.
Students will first see during lecture the structures they will be building, then
well label the structures together during the anticipatory set before the activity,
then students will be responsible for building and labelling their own models of
the same structures.
Guided Practice: An opportunity for each student to demonstrate grasp of new
learning by working through an activity or exercise under the teachers
supervision. The teacher moves around the room to determine level of mastery
and to provide individual feedback and remediation as needed. (Praise, Prompt,
and Leave)
I will provide guidance and suggestions during the activity, praising students on
well-constructed and well-labeled models. I will also prompt them to think about
how their structure functions as they are building it.
Reading , Writing, Listening, Speaking
Students will be required to read from their lecture notes and books, write their
descriptions of their models, listen to each other while building and after
partnering with another group, and will speak while explaining their models to
the other group. Every student will be expected to take part in each of these tasks
while completing the activity.
Checking for Understanding: Determination of whether students got it before
moving on. It is essential that the students practice doing it right so the teacher
must know that the students understood before proceeding to practice. If
there is any doubt that the class does not understand, the concept or skill
should be re-taught before practice begins.
I will continually check for understanding during lecture by asking students if I am
explaining things okay and how they are feeling about the material. During the
activity, I will walk around helping students with anything they need while
building their models, then listen and use prompting questions to fuel discussion
during the explanation part.

Questioning Strategies: Utilizing Blooms Taxonomy questions should

progress from the lowest to the highest of the levels of the cognitive domain
(knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation and
creativity).

Questions Ill ask during the discussion/explanation phase of the activity:

Where do we find the sarcomere within muscle tissue organization? (this
can also help us to grasp the concept of scale)
Where do the calcium ions come from that we need for contraction?
How are they signaled to be released?
Do T-tubules carry chemical or electrical signals?
Where does ATP play its part in muscle contraction?
Where does the ATP come from?
At what step in contraction is the Energy released?
What components are responsible for the actual contraction step?
What is the function of the tendon and how does this help show us the
interrelatedness of the various systems of the body?
Independent Practice: Once the students have mastered the content or skill, it
is time to provide reinforcement practice. It is provided on a repeating
schedule so that the learning is not forgotten. It may be homework or individual
or group work in class. It can be utilized in a subsequent project. It should
provide for relevant situations not only the context in which it was originally
learned.
Students will be able to draw each of the structures modeled in class today and
label them.
Students will be asked to read through a packet provided by Ms. Widhalm and
walk through the steps of muscle contraction, using colors to identify and follow
the various components, as explained and illustrated within the packet. This will
serve as reinforcement for todays lesson and prepare students for the
information in the next lesson which will include a higher level of detail about
muscle contraction.
Time

Accommodations, Modifications, and Student Adjustments

Consider: multiple intelligences, learning styles, cultural and ability diversity,
etc.
If the activity is too advanced or too easy for some, how will you modify
instruction so all students will learn?
What accommodations will be needed and for whom? (IEP, 504, Special Needs)

Time

Review and Assessments of All Objectives How will you and how will the
students know they have achieved the objectives of the lesson?

Content:
Students will feel comfortable explaining their models to each other and show
they have gained knowledge by giving sufficient answers to the questions other
students ask and to the higher-order questions outlined above.
Literacy and Numeracy:
Students will have achieved this objective if they complete the ticket out the door
and use complete, clear English and correct grammar.
Democracy and 21st Century Skills:
Students will have achieved the objective for 21st century skills if the participate
well in their groups, helping each other in the building, explaining and writing
processes.

Time

Closure
What will you and the students do at the end of the lesson or after a chunk of
learning to synthesize, organize and connect the learning to the essential
question(s)?
We will quickly review in a class discussion the things we learned in the activity
and the students will have a few more minutes to add to their written
explanations before I collect them.

Time

Next Step
Students will be asked to read a packet of additional information about muscle
contraction both to reinforce the concept learned today and to prepare for next
time. I will suggest they highlight the different components responsible for the
processes, which is illustrated by figures in the text. They should give each
component such as Ca2+, ATP, ADP+Pi, troponin, and tropomyosin a different
color and follow these components through each step to visualize how they play
a part in the process.

Post-Lesson Reflection ( For the Teacher)

1. To what extent were all objectives achieved?
The objectives were all achieved but there is still much room for improvement. I
wish the students had more time to discuss their models and I also should have
given a clearer definition of what it was that I was looking for in the written
explanation. I could tell students were getting a good understanding of muscle tissue
organization and sarcomere function and especially the students doing most of the
talking during the explanation of the models. The literacy objective was achieved as
students worked in their groups discussing their models and each student wrote at
least two sentences about their models, which I collected on their way out the door.
2. What changes would you make if you teach the lesson again? I would be more
specific in my instructions and would also keep a better eye on my time. My
instructions for the written part of the activity should have been much more
specific. I wanted students to give me an idea of how the structure that they were
modeling works. I wanted them especially to focus on the component of the
structures components that they couldnt physically include in the model, so as to
gather what kind of understanding they have of the function overall. When I
consider it more now, I think it would have been a good idea to have students write
about their partner groups models, so I could assess whether they increased their
knowledge of the other component of muscle structure, instead of writing about
their own model. Second, time management is my largest challenge right now. I
would have liked for students to have more time after partnering up to explain their
models. Ms. Widhalm and I reflected briefly after the lesson and her suggestion was
that I give students a set amount of time to work on their models (this is definitely
something I should have specified to them) so they would have finished what they
needed to get done and we would have had more time for the discussion. Also, she
suggested I bring more supplies for the students next time for the model building. I
agree with this as well. The students didnt do exactly what I had in mind, which was
great. They were much more creative and it was very impressive! Bringing more
supplies would provide give them with better resources for their creativity! Also, I
would do another of Ms. Widhalms suggestions, that being to add an illustration on
the handout to give the students an idea of how they may want to use the supplies
and to put the supplies each group will need into a baggie so the students can send
one person to grab their groups bag and there will be less time spent on gathering
supplies.

3. What do you envision for the next lesson?

More group discussion during lecture, and more walking around while students are
writing to make sure Im allowing the right amount of time for lecture notes.
Also, I hope for more group discussion time in the next activity we do. Better time
management and giving students a set amount of time to complete a task should
help and will keep us moving at a good pace through the material.
4. To what extent does this lesson achieve the Mission of the Agenda for Education in
a Democracy? To what extent does this lesson achieve the 21st Century Skills?
Students did a good job of collaborating and creating their own interpretation of the
models. Beyond practicing their literacy skills, we also discussed the concept of
scale. The muscle has so many different levels of organization and although its a
hard concept to wrap your head around at first, it is essential to understanding the
function of our muscles and also gives you a look at just how complex the human
body is. The collaboration, use of teamwork and leadership I saw in the activity
certainly supports the development of 21st century skills.