Implementing the Module

The five lessons in this module are designed to be taught in sequence for approximately eight days as a replacement for a part of the standard curriculum in middle school life science. The following pages offer general suggestions about using these materials in the classroom; you will find specific suggestions in the procedures provided for each lesson.

What Are the Goals of the Module?

The Science of Energy Balance: Calorie Intake and Physical Activity is designed to help students reach these major goals associated with scientific literacy:

to understand a set of basic scientific principles related to the nature of energy balance and the relationships of energy balance to human health;
to experience the process of scientific inquiry and develop an enhanced understanding of the nature and methods of science; and
to recognize the role of science in society and the relationship between basic science and human health.

What Are the Science Concepts and How Are They Connected?

The lessons are organized into a conceptual framework that allows students to move from what they already know about energy balance, some of which may be incorrect, to gaining a scientific perspective on the nature of energy balance and its importance to science and to their lives. Students begin by developing their own definition of energy balance through investigations of their own energy use (Burning It Up) and energy intake (A Serving by Any Other Name). Students then explore energy balance by acting as energy balance experts to evaluate five fictitious characters (A Delicate Balance). An investigation of factors affecting energy balance using an animal model (Munching Mice) allows students to gain a deeper understanding of energy balance and its impact on our lives. The final lesson, Dear Me, allows students to consider what they have learned in the context of how they envision themselves in the future. The following two tables illustrate the science content and conceptual flow of the classroom lessons and activities.

Science Content of the Lessons
Lesson	Science Content
Lesson 1	What is energy?; physical activity (Energy_out)
Lesson 2	Food as a source of energy (Energy_in)
Lesson 3	The energy balance equation
Lesson 4	Factors affecting energy balance
Lesson 5	Strategies for achieving energy balance

Conceptual Flow of the Lessons
Lesson	Learning Focus*	Major Concepts
Lesson 1 Burning It Up	Engage Explore Explain	Humans require energy to function. The total energy used by an individual depends on the type and intensity of the activity and the energy required for basic life processes. The amount of energy required to maintain minimum essential life functions is called basal metabolic rate, or BMR. The amount of energy used by an individual varies from day to day and from one individual to another.
Lesson 2 A Serving by Any Other Name	Explore Explain	Humans obtain energy from the food they consume. Food labels contain information about the types of nutrients, number of calories per serving, and serving size.
Lesson 3 A Delicate Balance	Explore Explain	Maintaining a particular weight requires consuming the same number of calories in food that are used in BMR and physical activities—that is, balancing energy intake and energy output. The balance over a long period of time, such as weeks and months, will affect weight gain and loss. Children, adolescents, and teenagers need to consume more calories than they use for BMR and physical activities because of the energy requirements for growth.
Lesson 4 Munching Mice	Explore Explain Elaborate	Energy balance can be affected by several variables, including genetics, food availability, and physical activity. Laboratory animals can be used as experimental models for humans. Graphing data on weight change helps researchers draw conclusions about the impact of factors on energy balance.
Lesson 5 Dear Me	Evaluate	Strategies can be developed for maintaining a healthy body weight. Choice is an important variable. Energy balance is a lifelong issue.
*See How Does the 5E Instructional Model Promote Active, Collaborative, Inquiry-Based Learning?

How Does the Module Correlate to the National Science Education Standards?

The Science of Energy Balance: Calorie Intake and Physical Activity supports teachers in their efforts to reform science education in the spirit of the National Research Council’s 1996 National Science Education Standards (NSES). The content of the module is explicitly standards based. Each time a standard is addressed in a lesson, an icon appears in the margin and the applicable standard is identified. The following chart lists the specific content standards that this module addresses.

*Content Standards: Grades 5–8*
Standard A: As a result of activities in grades 5–8, all students should develop	Correlation to The Science of Energy Balance: Calorie Intake and Physical Activity
Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
Identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations.	Lessons 1, 4
Design and conduct a scientific investigation	Lessons 1, 4
Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.	Lessons 1, 2, 3, 4
Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.	Lessons 1, 3, 4
Think critically and logically to make the relationships between evidence and explanations.	Lessons 1, 3, 4
Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions.	Lessons 1, 2, 3, 4
Communicate scientific procedures and explanations.	Lessons 1, 3, 4
Use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry.	Lessons 1, 2, 3, 4
Understandings about scientific inquiry
Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations. Some investigations involve observing and describing objects, organisms, or events; some involve collecting specimens; some involve experiments; some involve seeking more information; some involve discovery of new objects; and some involve making models.	Lessons 1, 2, 3, 4
Mathematics is important in all aspects of scientific inquiry.	Lessons 1, 2, 3, 4
Scientific explanations emphasize evidence, have logically consistent arguments, and use scientific principles, models, and theories	Lessons 1, 3, 4
Standard B: As a result of their Activities in grades 5–8, all students should develop understanding of
Transfer of energy
Energy is a property of many substances.	Lessons 1, 2, 3
Standard C: As a result of their activities in grades 5–8, all students should develop an understanding of
Structure and function in living systems
Cells carry on the many functions needed to sustain life. They take in nutrients, which they use to provide energy for the work that cells do and to make the materials that a cell or an organism needs.	Lessons 2, 3
Disease is a breakdown in structures or functions of an organism. Some diseases are the result of intrinsic failures of the system. Others are the result of damage by infection by other organisms.	Lesson 5
Reproduction and Heredity
The characteristics of an organism can be described in terms of a combination of traits. Some are inherited, and others result from interactions with the environment.	Lessons 1, 3, 4, 5
Regulation and behavior
All organisms must be able to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce, and maintain stable internal conditions while living in a constantly changing environment.	Lessons 3, 4, 5
Behavior is one kind of response an organism can make to an internal or environmental stimulus. Behavioral response is a set of actions determined in part by heredity and in part from experience.	Lessons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Standard F: As a result of their activities in grades 5–8, all students should develop an understanding of
Personal health
Regular exercise is important to the maintenance and improvement of health.	Lessons 1, 3, 4, 5
Food provides energy and nutrients for growth and development. Nutrition requirements vary with body weight, age, sex, activity, and body functioning.	Lessons 2, 3, 4, 5
Risks and benefits
Risk analysis considers the type of hazard and estimates the number of people who might be exposed and the number likely to suffer consequences. The results are used to determine the options for reducing or eliminating risks.	Lesson 5
Students should understand the risks associated with natural hazards (fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions), chemical hazards (pollutants in air, water, soil, and food), biological hazards (pollen, viruses, bacterial, and parasites), social hazards (occupational safety and transportation), and personal hazards (smoking, dieting, and drinking).	Lesson 5
Individuals can use a systematic approach to thinking critically about risks and benefits.	Lesson 5
Important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of benefits and risks.	Lesson 5
Standard G: As a result of activities in grades 5–8, all students should develop an understanding of
Science as a human endeavor
Science requires different abilities, depending on such factors as the field of study and type of inquiry. Science is very much a human endeavor, and the work of science relies on basic human qualities, such as reasoning, insight, energy, skills, and creativity.	Lessons 1, 2, 3, 4
Science also relies on scientific habits of minds, such as intellectual honesty, tolerance of ambiguity, skepticism, and openness to new ideas.	Lessons 1, 3, 4
Nature of science
Scientists formulate and test their explanations of nature using observation, experiments, and theoretical and mathematical models. .	Lessons 1, 4

Teaching Standards

The suggested teaching strategies in all the lessons support teachers as they work to meet the teaching standards outlined in the National Science Education Standards. This module helps teachers of science plan an inquiry-based science program by providing short-term objectives for students. It also includes planning tools such as the Conceptual Flow of the Lessons chart and the Suggested Timeline for teaching the module. Teachers can use this module to update their curriculum in response to their students’ interest in this topic. The focus on active, collaborative, and inquiry-based learning in the lessons helps teachers support the development of student understanding and nurture a community of science learners.

The structure of the lessons in this module enables teachers to guide and facilitate learning. All the activities encourage and support student inquiry, promote discourse among students, and challenge students to accept and share responsibility for their learning. Using the 5E Instructional Model, combined with active, collaborative learning, allows teachers to respond effectively to the diversity of student backgrounds and learning styles. The module is fully annotated, with suggestions for how teachers can encourage and model the skills of scientific inquiry, as well as foster the curiosity, skepticism, and openness to new ideas and data that characterize successful study of science.

Assessment Standards

Teachers can engage in ongoing assessment of their teaching and of student learning using the variety of assessment components embedded within the module’s structure. The assessment tasks are authentic; they are similar in form to tasks that students will engage in outside the classroom or to practices in which scientists participate. Annotations guide teachers to these opportunities for assessment and provide answers to questions that can help teachers analyze student feedback.

How Does the 5E Instructional Model Promote Active, Collaborative, Inquiry-Based Learning?

Because learning does not occur through a process of passive absorption, the lessons in this module promote active learning. Students are involved in more than listening and reading. They are developing skills, analyzing and evaluating evidence, experiencing and discussing, and talking to their peers about their own understanding. Students work collaboratively with others to solve problems and plan investigations. Many students find that they learn better when they work with others in a collaborative environment than when they work alone in a competitive environment. When all this active, collaborative learning is directed toward inquiry science, students succeed in making their own discoveries. They ask questions, observe, analyze, explain, draw conclusions, and ask new questions. These inquiry-based experiences include both those that involve students in direct experimentation and those in which students develop explanations through critical and logical thinking.

This viewpoint that students are active thinkers who construct their own understanding out of interactions with phenomena, the environment, and other individuals is based on the theory of constructivism. A constructivist view of learning recognizes that students need time to

express their current thinking;
interact with objects, organisms, substances, and equipment to develop a range of experiences on which to base their thinking;
reflect on their thinking by writing and expressing themselves and comparing what they think with what others think; and
make connections between their learning experiences and the real world.

This module provides a built-in structure for creating a constructivist classroom: the 5E Instructional Model. This model sequences the learning experiences so that students have the opportunity to construct their understanding of a concept over time. The model leads students through five phases of learning that are easily described using five words that begin with the letter E: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. The following paragraphs illustrate how the five Es are implemented across the lessons in this module.

Engage

Students come to learning situations with prior knowledge. This knowledge may or may not be congruent with the concepts presented in this module. The Engage lesson provides the opportunity for teachers to find out what students already know or what they think they know about the topic and concepts to be developed.

The Engage phase of this module, found in Lesson 1: Burning It Up, is designed to

pique students’ curiosity and generate interest;
determine students’ current understanding about energy and the body;
invite students to raise their own questions about energy use;
encourage students to compare their ideas with the ideas of others; and
enable teachers to assess what students do or do not understand about the stated outcomes of the lesson.

Explore

In the Explore phase of the module, Lesson 1: Burning It Up, Lesson 2: A Serving by Any Other Name, and Lesson 3: A Delicate Balance, students investigate energy balance by considering foods as the source of energy in and physical activity as energy out. These lessons require students to make observations, evaluate and interpret data, and draw conclusions. Students

interact with materials and ideas through classroom demonstrations and simulations;
consider different ways to solve a problem or answer a question;
acquire a common set of experiences with their classmates so they can compare results and ideas;
observe, describe, record, compare, and share their ideas and experiences; and
express their developing understanding of energy balance by using graphs, analyzing simulations, and answering questions.

Explain

The Explain phase provides opportunities for students to connect their previous experiences and to begin to make conceptual sense of the main ideas of the module. This stage also allows for the introduction of formal language, scientific terms, and content information that might make students’ previous experiences easier to describe and explain.

In the Explain lessons in this module, Lesson 1: Burning It Up, Lesson 2: A Serving by Any Other Name, and Lesson 3: A Delicate Balance, students

explain concepts and ideas about energy balance in their own words;
listen to and compare others’ explanations of their results with their own;
become involved in student-to-student discourse in which they explain their thinking to others and debate their ideas;
revise their ideas;
record their ideas and current understanding;
use labels, terminology, and formal language; and
compare their current thinking with what they previously thought.

Elaborate

In Elaborate lessons, students apply or extend the concepts in new situations and relate their previous experiences to new ones. In the Elaborate lesson in this module, Lesson 4: Munching Mice, students make conceptual connections between new and former experiences. They draw upon their knowledge about energy balance to investigate factors that affect energy balance in an animal model. In this lesson, students

connect ideas, solve problems, and apply their understanding in a new situation;
use scientific terms and descriptions;
learn about experimental design and data analysis;
draw reasonable conclusions from evidence and data;
add depth to their understanding of concepts and processes; and
communicate their understanding to others.

Evaluate

The Evaluate lesson is the final stage of the instructional model, but it only provides a “snapshot” of what the students understand and how far they have come from where they began. In reality, the evaluation of students’ conceptual understanding and ability to use skills begins with the Engage lesson and continues throughout each stage of the instructional model, as described in the following section. Combined with the students’ written work and performance of tasks throughout the module, however, the Evaluate lesson can serve as a summative assessment of what students know and can do.

The Evaluate lesson in this module, Lesson 5: Dear Me, provides an opportunity for students to

demonstrate what they understand about energy balance and how well they can apply their knowledge to solve a problem (what advice would they give their future self?);
share their current thinking with others;
assess their own progress by comparing their current understanding with their prior knowledge; and
ask questions that take them deeper into a concept.

To review the relationship of the 5E Instructional Model to the concepts presented in the module, see the chart Conceptual Flow of the Lessons.

When a teacher uses the 5E Instructional Model, he or she engages in practices that are very different from those of a traditional teacher. In response, students also participate in their learning in ways that are different from those seen in a traditional classroom. The following charts, What the Teacher Does and What the Students Do, outline these differences.

**What the Teacher Does**
Stage	That is consistent with the 5E Instructional Model	That is inconsistent with the 5E Instructional Model
Engage	Piques students’ curiosity and generates interest Determines students’ current understanding (prior knowledge) of a concept or idea Invites students to express what they think Invites students to raise their own questions	Introduces vocabulary Explains concepts Provides definitions and answers Provides closure Discourages students’ ideas and questions
Explore	Encourages student-to-student interaction Observes and listens to the students as they interact Asks probing questions to help students make sense of their experiences Provides time for students to puzzle through problems	Provides answers Proceeds too rapidly for students to make sense of their experiences Provides closure Tells the students that they are wrong Gives information and facts that solve the problem Leads the students step-by-step to a solution
Explain	Encourages students to use their common experiences and data from the Engage and Explore lessons to develop explanations Asks questions that help students express understanding and explanations Requests justification (evidence) for students’ explanations Provides time for students to com pare their ideas with those of others and perhaps to revise their thinking Introduces terminology and alternative explanations after students express their ideas	Neglects to solicit students’ explanations Ignores data and information students gathered from previous lessons Dismisses students’ ideas Accepts explanations that are not supported by evidence Introduces unrelated concepts or skills
Elaborate	Focuses students’ attention on conceptual connections between new and former experiences Encourages students to use what they have learned to explain a new event or idea Reinforces students’ use of scientific terms and descriptions previously introduced Asks questions that help students draw reasonable conclusions from evidence and data	Neglects to help students connect new and former experiences Provides definitive answers Tells students that they are wrong Leads students step-by-step to a solution
Evaluate	Observes and records as students demonstrate their understanding of concept(s) and performance of skills Provides time for students to compare their ideas with those of others and perhaps to revise their thinking Interviews students as a means of assessing their developing understanding Encourages students to assess their own progress	Tests vocabulary words, terms, and isolated facts Introduces new ideas or concepts Creates ambiguity Promotes open-ended discussion unrelated to the concept or skill

**What the Students Do**
Stage	That is consistent with the 5E Instructional Model	That is inconsistent with the 5E Instructional Model
Engage	Become interested in and curious about the concept/topic Express current understanding of a concept or idea Raise questions such as, What do I already know about this? What do I want to know about this? How could I find out?	Ask for the “right” answer Offer the “right” answer Insist on answers or explanations Seek closure
Explore	“Mess around” with materials and ideas Conduct investigations in which they observe, describe, and record data Try different ways to solve a problem or answer a question Acquire a common set of experiences so they can compare results and ideas Compare their ideas with those of others	Let others do the thinking and exploring (passive involvement) Work quietly with little or no interaction with others (only appropriate when exploring ideas or feelings) Stop with one solution Demand or seek closure
Explain	Explain concepts and ideas in their own words Base their explanations on evidence acquired during previous investigations Record their ideas and current understanding Reflect on and perhaps revise their ideas Express their ideas using appropriate scientific language Compare their ideas with what scien tists know and understand	Propose explanations from “thin air” with no relationship to previous experiences Bring up irrelevant experiences and examples Accept explanations without justification Ignore or dismiss other plausible explanations Propose explanations without evidence to support their ideas
Elaborate	Make conceptual connections between new and former experiences Use what they have learned to explain a new object, event, organism, or idea Use scientific terms and descriptions Draw reasonable conclusions from evidence and data Communicate their understanding to others Demonstrate what they understand about the concept(s) and how well they can implement a skill	Ignore previous information or evidence Draw conclusions from “thin air” Use terminology inappropriately and without understanding
Evaluate	Compare their current thinking with that of others and perhaps revise their ideas Assess their own progress by com paring their current understanding with their prior knowledge Ask new questions that take them deeper into a concept or topic area	Disregard evidence or previously accepted explanations in drawing conclusions Offer only yes-or-no answers or memorized definitions or explanations as answers Fail to express satisfactory explanations in their own words Introduce new, irrelevant topics

How Does the Module Support Ongoing Assessment?

Because teachers will use this module in a variety of ways and at a variety of points in their curriculum, the most appropriate mechanism for assessing student learning is one that occurs informally at various points within the five lessons, rather than just once, formally, at the end of the module. Accordingly, integrated within the lessons are specific assessment components. These “embedded” assessment opportunities include one or more of the following strategies:

performance-based activities, such as developing graphs or participating in a discussion of health effects or social policies;
oral presentations to the class, such as reporting experimental results; and
written assignments, such as answering questions or writing about demonstrations.

These strategies allow the teacher to assess a variety of aspects of the learning process, such as students’ prior knowledge and current understanding, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, level of understanding of new information, communication skills, and ability to synthesize ideas and apply understanding to a new situation.

An assessment icon and an annotation that describes the aspect of learning that teachers can assess appear in the margin beside each step in which embedded assessment occurs.

How Can Controversial Topics Be Handled in the Classroom?

Teachers sometimes feel that the discussion of values is inappropriate in the science classroom or that it detracts from the learning of “real” science. The lessons in this module, however, are based on the conviction that there is much to be gained by involving students in analyzing issues of science, energy balance, and society. Society expects all citizens to participate in the democratic process, and our educational system must provide opportunities for students to learn to deal with contentious issues with civility, objectivity, and fairness. Likewise, students need to learn that science intersects with life in many ways.

In this module, students have a variety of opportunities to discuss, interpret, and evaluate basic science and health issues, some in light of their values and ethics. As students encounter issues about which they feel strongly, some discussions might become controversial. The degree of controversy will depend on many factors, such as how similar the students are with respect to socioeconomic status, perspectives, value systems, and religious preferences. In addition, the language and attitude of the teacher factor into the flow of ideas and the quality of exchange among the students.

The following guidelines may help teachers facilitate discussions that balance factual information with feelings.

Remain neutral. Neutrality may be the single most important characteristic of a successful discussion facilitator.
Encourage students to discover as much information about the issue as possible.
Keep the discussion relevant and moving forward by questioning or posing appropriate problems or hypothetical situations. Encourage everyone to contribute, but do not force reluctant students into the discussion.
Emphasize that everyone must be open to hearing and considering diverse views.
Use unbiased questioning to help students critically examine all views presented.
Allow for the discussion of all feelings and opinions.
Avoid seeking consensus on all issues. The multifaceted issues that students discuss result in the presentation of divergent views, and students should learn that this is acceptable.
Acknowledge all contributions in the same evenhanded manner. If a student seems to be saying something for its shock value, see whether other students recognize the inappropriate comment and invite them to respond.
Create a sense of freedom in the classroom. Remind students, however, that freedom implies the responsibility to exercise that freedom in ways that generate positive results for all.
Insist upon a nonhostile environment in the classroom. Remind students to respond to ideas instead of to the individuals presenting those ideas.
Respect silence. Reflective discussions are often slow. If a teacher breaks the silence, students may allow the teacher to dominate the discussion.
At the end of the discussion, ask students to summarize the points that they and their classmates have made. Respect students regardless of their opinion about any controversial issue.

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