The human body is an amazing mechanism. For students, learning how the human body works can prove to be an exciting educational adventure. Matter and Energy for Growth and Activity from NSTA Press provides in-depth and meaningful lessons that explore human body systems, matter and energy changes, food, and chemical reactions.

Matter and Energy for Growth and Activity, by AAAS/Project 2061, includes the Student Edition and Teacher Edition, and features 14 classroom-tested lessons that were developed by a team of scientists and science educators.

Designed for the high school classroom, the unit helps students to understand the matter changes involved in human growth and the energy changes involved in human growth and activity. Students also will delve into fascinating concepts such as how our bodies work to heal wounds, build stamina, and give us the energy we need to function day and night. 

The unit is designed to support all three dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards, by integrating the disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science practices. Additionally, the lessons emphasize important relationships between mathematics and science, and students are asked to interpret data sets and graphs to provide evidence for their claims.

Along the way, students will discover their own answers to the unit question: “How do living things use food as a source of matter for building and repairing their body structures and as a source of energy for carrying out a wide range of activities?” Using a mix of experiments and activities they will conduct research and analysis, collect data, and reach their own conclusions.

Matter and Energy for Growth and Activity builds on the middle school unit Toward High School Biology (NSTA Press). Together the two units help students deepen their understanding of matter and energy changes in plants and animals and the role of chemical reactions in the growth, repair, and activity of living organisms.

With the Teacher Edition, educators gain access to helpful background information, teaching tips, and support that can make implementation of the unit seamless. Matter and Energy for Growth and Activity includes online resources, such as interactive media, videos, and handouts. The Student Edition has all of the student handouts.

Each lesson is sequenced to draw upon students’ prior knowledge and experience, support students as they investigate and make sense of phenomena and data, and guide them in modeling and explaining phenomena in terms of the underlying molecular mechanisms. Students will have plenty of opportunities to apply their new knowledge, practice synthesizing their ideas, and reflect on their learning as they move through each lesson.

Do you want to learn more? Check out the Matter and Energy for Growth and Activity Teacher Edition by reading a free chapter.