Unit Plan 9 (Grade 7 Science): Cells & Systems — Quarter Synthesis

Focus: Model the flow of matter and energy from cells to systems, showing how living things are made of cells, how cells form subsystems and systems, how organisms grow, and how food and environment support cellular processes.

Grade Level: 7

Subject Area: Science (Life Science — Cells, Systems & Energy; Engineering Design)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this synthesis unit, students step back and connect the entire quarter’s learning about cells, body systems, growth, genes, environment, and energy in organisms. They build and refine a multi-level model that shows how matter and energy move from food molecules and oxygen into cells, through tissues and organs, and into body systems that interact. Students also incorporate prior investigation data and design thinking to explain and improve how systems function under real-world constraints. The week culminates in a Cells-to-Systems Model & Brief that weaves together MS-LS1-1–7 and MS-ETS1-1–2.

Essential Questions

• How do cells, tissues, organs, and systems fit together in living things?
• How do matter (food, oxygen) and energy flow from the cell level all the way up to organism-level systems?
• How do cell division, genes, and environment work together to influence growth?
• How do chemical reactions involving food molecules support both growth and energy needs in cells and systems?
• How can we design or improve a solution that helps body systems work better, using what we know about cells, matter, and energy?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Summarize evidence that living things are made of cells, either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells (MS-LS1-1).
2. Use and refine a multi-level model to show how cell parts, cells, tissues, organs, and body systems work together as interacting subsystems (MS-LS1-2, MS-LS1-3).
3. Explain, using evidence, that growth in organisms results from cell division, influenced by genetic and environmental factors (MS-LS1-4, MS-LS1-5).
4. Show, with models and explanations, how food molecules are rearranged through chemical reactions to support growth and release energy in cells (MS-LS1-6, MS-LS1-7).
5. Define a design problem related to supporting healthy system function (e.g., delivering oxygen more efficiently, supporting growth under poor conditions) and evaluate solutions using clear criteria and constraints (MS-ETS1-1, MS-ETS1-2).
6. Create a Cells-to-Systems Model & Synthesis Brief that traces matter and energy flow and defends at least one design idea or recommendation with evidence.

Standards Alignment — 7th Grade (NGSS-based custom)

• MS-LS1-1 — Conduct an investigation / use evidence to show living things are made of cells (one or many).
• MS-LS1-2 — Develop and use a model of the cell and its parts contributing to cell function.
• MS-LS1-3 — Argue from evidence that the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.
• MS-LS1-4 — Use argument and evidence that biological growth results from cell division.
• MS-LS1-5 — Construct explanations for how environmental and genetic factors influence growth.
• MS-LS1-6 — Explain how food molecules are rearranged through chemical reactions to form new molecules.
• MS-LS1-7 — Develop a model describing how food is rearranged to release energy for cellular processes.
• MS-ETS1-1 — Define design problems with clear criteria and constraints.
• MS-ETS1-2 — Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can show, with evidence, that organisms are made of cells, and that cells build up to tissues, organs, and systems.
• I can create a multi-level model tracing matter and energy from food & oxygen into cells and then into body systems.
• I can explain how cell division, genes, and environment together influence growth.
• I can show that food molecules are rearranged in chemical reactions to support growth and release energy for cells.
• I can describe a design problem about supporting healthy body systems and evaluate possible solutions using criteria and evidence.
• I can write a clear Cells-to-Systems Synthesis Brief that uses models, data, and reasoning to connect all these ideas.