Introduction
All living beings need to maintain homeostasis to stay alive. Specifically, humans regulate temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels, and blood sugar. What happens, though, if you're already dead...?
INTRODUCTION
In people, homeostasis is a state of being at which your body is totally and completely stable. Everything is balanced. Your body needs everything to be balanced, but we will keep it simple and focus on temperature, oxygen levels, blood sugar, blood pressure, and heart rate. Remember that everything needs to be balanced, or you will die.
Temperature
Your cells need to be at a very specific body temperature in order to survive. Specifically, your body has to be at 98 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is too cold,everything inside of your body will move too slowly. If it is too hot, everything will be overheated. Some ways that your body can try to regulate your temperature are sweating, fevers, shivering, and goosebumps. The main system that controls temperature is your endocrine system.
Oxygen Levels
You need to breathe oxygen to live (duh). However, once again you need to have a certain amount of oxygen in your body in order for you to live. Too little oxygen, and you will suffocate and die. Too much, and you could get oxygen poisoning and die. We all know that we get oxygen from breathing, but oxygen is spread out through your body by blood. This is why your body controls your breathing rate and your heart rate. The main systems that control your oxygen levels are your respiratory and circulatory/cardiovascular systems.
Blood Sugar
We all need to eat, and most of us like to eat (Ms. Lagman included). Your body is very happy when you eat because it needs the nutrients to help you maintain that important balance that keeps you from being dead. Food that you eat gets broken down and your body takes the nutrients from it. One thing that your body takes from food is sugar for energy. If you have too much sugar, you can get sick and get a disease like diabetes. If you have too little sugar, you can also get sick and not have enough energy to live. Your body balances this by keeping nutrients it needs and�getting rid of what it doesn�t. The main systems that control your blood sugar levels are your digestive, endocrine, and excretory systems.
Blood Pressure and Heart Rate
All of the �stuff� that your body needs travels through your body in your blood.Your blood delivers the oxygen and nutrients you need to live. If you have no blood, you have no life. If your blood moves too slow and you have high blood pressure with a low heart rate, you won�t get oxygen and nutrients when you need it. If your blood moves too fast and you have low blood pressure and a fast heart rate, you won�t have enough time to get rid of the stuff you don�t need and you will die. The main systems that control your blood pressure and heart rate are your endocrine and cardiovascular/circulatory systems.
SO� how is this related to zombies? Remember that EVERYTHING we have been talking about is meant to keep us alive, but zombies are DEAD!!!!! So how do they function?
Task
Assignment:
You (or you and a partner) are the last remaining survivors of the zombie apocalypse and you need to make a game plan so you dont die. Use the resources provided to create a survival guide that includes the following information:
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Project Information |
Check when completed |
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What homeostasis is and the five things that need to be balanced |
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How ONE of the organ systems works and maintains a balance (ex: You could explain how the digestive system helps maintain blood sugar)
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The main organs in that organ system |
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A list of things you need to survive and how each item relates to maintaining homeostasis |
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Your own theory of how best to defeat a zombie and why you think this would work
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Pictures (of the organ system and maybe a cool one of a zombie) |
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Formats:
Your project can be presented in ONE of the following formats:
- Poster
- Brochure
- Video
- Powerpoint
- Educreations
- Comic
Process
1. Decide if you want to work by yourself or with a partner.
2. Decide what format you would like to do your project in.
3. Read the "Introduction."
4. In your journal, take notes on each section that needs to be regulated. Write down what is being regulated, how it is regulated, and what body system regulates it.http://www.biology4kids.com/files/systems_endocrine.html
Graphic Organizer for Step 4 of Process
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What is Being Regulated |
System Responsible |
How Regulated |
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Temperature |
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Oxygen Levels |
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Blood Sugar |
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Blood Pressure and Heart Rate |
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5. Choose an organ system and click on the link that explains the organ system.
6. In your journal, for the organ system you have chosen, explain: what it regulates, how regulating it helps maintain homeostasis, and what the main organs are.
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Organ System Chosen |
How it works |
Main Organs/main parts |
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7. Make a list of all the items you would need to survive and explain how it would help you maintain homeostasis.
8. Devise an effective way of killing zombies. Explain.
9. Take ALL of the information you have found and put it in the project format. Make your project creative! Humanity is counting on you...
10. Look at the checklist and make sure you have all parts of your project.