Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

5 minutes - Introduction
10 minutes - Part A: What Is Sugar?
30 minutes - Part B: Filter It Out
30 minutes - Part C: Explaining the Experiment
15 minutes - Reflection

Introduction

Before class, set up the experiment according to the following steps.

Organise the equipment for the lesson (cups, sponges, trays, liquids, etc.).
Mix the orange juice solution (orange juice, water, food dye) in the bucket, pour into smaller cups.
Set equipment aside for part B in the session.

Access Prior knowledge:

'I'm wondering' questions are a great way to access prior knowledge and demonstrate thinking strategies. It is all about being active learners and connecting ideas and promoting the sense of wonder as we begin the lesson.

Lead the class in a quick 'I'm wondering' brainstorm of ideas from the students to see what they know about sugar.

Ask these leading 'I'm wondering' questions:

Where do we get sugar? Do people make it, or is it natural?
What happens to sugar when it goes into our bodies?
Do you know what kidneys are?

Finish with: 'I'm wondering' How the kidneys in our bodies and sugar might be connected?

PART A: What Is Sugar?

Step 1.

Bring the whole class together to view the following clip

SciShow Kids - Where does sugar come from? (https://youtu.be/dhbJqDWtpMM)

Step 2.

Lead a class discussion by asking the students inquiring questions about the clip. Ask one question at a time. After each question is asked, write the responses from the students on the board as a collective brainstorm. Keep these brainstorms active by choosing four to five students to respond to each question. Make connections with the other students as you go, by requesting a show of hands of who agrees with the statements made.

Inquiring questions:

Where does sugar come from?
How did the plant make sugar?
How do we use sugar?
What happens when sugar goes into our body?

PART B: Filter It Out

Step 1.

Organise the students so they are ready to watch a second clip from The Dr Binocs show. Dr Binocs is a science-based character that looks at things in close up detail - he 'zooms in' to teach us important facts.

Discuss with the students that they are about to watch a section of the clip that shows the kidneys and the urinary system. Share with the students that they will hear words like 'wee' and 'pee'. In science, health and P.E these are important as part of our body's daily activities. It is okay to talk about these in our classes as we learn about our bodies and how they work. It's an important part of everyday life.

Step 2.

Show the following Dr Binocs clip

Dr Binocs Show - How your urinary system works (https://youtu.be/dZREDWD5bA)

After viewing the clip, ask the students these reflective questions:

What did we learn about our bodies and the kidneys?
How many kidneys do we have in our bodies?
What are kidneys? Where are they found? What do they do?

Share with the students that they are about to complete an experiment to investigate how our kidneys work.

Step 3.

Set up the class for the experiment by organising the class into small groups of two or three students. Each group can be given equipment and take it to their workspaces or tables.

Provide each group with the equipment:
- a sponge
- a cup of a liquid solution (e.g., orange juice with pulp or use water with yellow food dye and a spoonful of soup mix to represent the 'good stuff', an empty cup and a tray).
Provide each student with the P.O.E Student Worksheet and a pencil. Explain to the students that they will use a simple Predict Observe Explain (P.O.E) Student Worksheet to record what happens during the experiment.

Depending on the group size, you can demonstrate the activity to the students at their workspaces or invite them to a workspace you have organised. The students can stand around you to see what you are doing or sit in front of the workspace demonstration area.

Step 4.

Begin by asking students to make a prediction. A prediction is a way to build a sense of wonder and to encourage the students' thinking processes. It is shown on the Student Worksheet with a P = Prediction.

Ask students this prediction question:

What do you think will happen to the sponge as the water is added?

Support the students by discussing the different things that could happen. What will happen in the sponge? Will it stay dry? Perhaps the water will soak into the sponge? Write the sentence structure you want students to use on the board as a model - for example, 'I think that [x] will happen.'

Ask students to go back to their workspace and draw or write what they think will happen. They should use the 'Prediction' section of their P.O.E worksheet. Allow 5 minutes for the students to draw or write their ideas. Set a timer if it helps.

Step 5.

Bring the students back as a whole class. Show the students how to set up the experiment as a class demonstration.

Place a cup on the tray.
Put the sponge on the top of the cup in the tray. Clarify with the students that the sponge is representing the kidneys in your body. Kidneys filter blood which carries sugars, other nutrients and waste liquid around our bodies by delivering the nutrients and taking away the waste.
Slowly pour the liquid (blood) from the cup over the sponge (kidney).
As you pour the liquid mixture onto the sponge, ask them to watch and observe any changes.
- What is left behind on the sponge?
- What is in the cup under the sponge? (Waste that has been filtered out of the kidneys and released to the bladder as wee)
Explain to the students that the little pieces left behind on the sponge represent all the ‘good stuff’ that the body needs to stay healthy, proteins and nutrients. The kidneys will continue to send the ‘good stuff’ around the body in the blood. Protein should not leave the body in the waste. Finding traces of protein in wee is a sign that the kidneys are not filtering properly.

Step 6.

Ask students to write up what they observed in this experiment. Invite them to look closely, just as Dr Binocs zooms in closely, to assist them in their observation. To guide students more closely, you could ask:

What happened to the sponge?
Did anything collect in the sponge? What could this be?

Ask the students to draw or write what they saw in the Observe section of the planner under the Prediction section.

PART C: Explaining the Experiment

Step 1.

In the final part of the experiment, the students explain what happened. This section is where we bring the concepts together of the experiment and the concepts of the experiment we are learning. Allow the students to remain at their workspaces. They will need to look at their experiment and table space to complete this section of the P.O.E Student Worksheet.

Encourage students to explain what happened in the experiment. Use these guiding questions to ask the students:

What happened to the sponge?
How is it like our kidneys?

Step 2.

Ask students to 'turn and talk' to the other people in their groups. Invite them to share thoughts and ideas about what they saw happen in the experiment.

Use these guiding questions for the turn and talk focus:

What did the liquid do? What happened to the sponge? What did it collect?
How is this like your kidneys? Do your kidneys work as a filter to clean your blood?

These discussions are important as it allows students time to process the experiment and connect the concepts of the kidneys as blood filtering organs.

Step 3.

Provide the students with 5-10 minutes to write or draw their explanation of the experiment. Encourage the students to think about the sponge and how it works similarly to our kidneys in our body.

Reflection

The reflection is an essential part of the experiment process. It allows students time to show the work they completed and to share ideas. Listen to the student responses and promote discussions as the students offer their thoughts and ideas.

Focus discussion about what happened during the experiment:

What did the sponge do? How did it filter the water/orange juice?
If the sponge represents our kidneys and the water/orange juice represents our blood, how do we explain how our kidneys filter our blood?

Regroup the students in a circle on the floor bringing their P.O.E worksheets with them. The reflection can be undertaken by asking student volunteers or selected students to share their work. If time permits, provide an opportunity for each student to share their work with the group.

Differentiated Learning

Extension - Further activities would involve giving students access to more information about how kidneys work via clips by the Learning Junction:

Kidney function in humans - Learning Junction (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT_vjf5fMw4)

It is a clip that uses more complex scientific language and descriptions; it provides advanced information on what kidneys are and how they work.

Here is another clip about the process of making sugar from sugar cane:

How is Sugar Made White? - Earth Lab (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l37eJI-eRz8)

Provisions for Learning Support – Learning support can be provided in the classroom by pairing students together based on abilities or to provide peer support.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

SugarByHalf - Where Does Sugar Come From?

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