Human Excretion/Locomotion Learning Activities (Distance Learning)

This zip file contains 10 different activities (24 pages of student handouts) which can be used to compose a unit for biology students introducing them to Human Excretion and Human Locomotion. While these lessons were originally designed to correlate to the performance indicators of the New York State Living Environment/Biology curriculum, the components of this lesson may be easily used in other biology courses as well. 

All documents with the exception of the PowerPoint are provided in both pdf and editable word format to allow you to modify any activity to meet the needs of your course. These documents are well suited for use in distance learning environments. 

Specifically it contains the following items: 

• Marzano self assessment scale for students specific both units in word and pdf format
• Curriculum Correlations to the NGSS, Common Core and New York State Core Curriculum Learning Standards and Performance Indicators (3 pages)
• Cloze completion notes handout for students with learning goals for both Human Excretion and Human Locomotion (totaling 5 pages)
• PowerPoints to accompany the cloze notes (40 frames including 2 ticket out or closure activities with answers embedded in the PowerPoints)
• Locomotion Lab activity requiring students to look at prepared slides or internet images of muscle tissue, measure the influence of temperature on muscle contraction and investigate aspects of muscle fatigue in word and pdf format (4 pages)
• Pictures of slides of skeletal, cardiac and smooth (visceral) muscle to support distance learning requirements for the locomotion lab (2 pages)
• Human Excretion Worksheet with key (2 pages) in word and pdf format
• Human Excretion quiz with key (1 page) in word and pdf format
• Human Locomotion worksheet with key (3 pages) in word and pdf format
• Human Locomotion quiz with key (2 pages) in word and pdf format
• Human Excretion Practice quiz as pdf for students with key (3 pages)
• Human Locomotion Practice quiz as pdf for students with key (4 pages) 

Human Excretion and Locomotion Learning Goals 

Upon completion of this unit the student will be able to: 

1. define the term excretion. 

2. list several metabolic processes which produce excretory wastes and state the specific waste(s) produced by each process. 

3. explain the chief excretory functions of the lungs, liver, skin, and large intestine. 

4. explain the role of the skin in the maintenance of temperature homeostasis in humans. 

5. describe the two major functions of the kidney in the body. 

6. given a diagram of the human urinary tract, identify the kidneys, ureter, urinary bladder and urethra. 

7. state the functions of the ureter, urinary bladder, and urethra. 

8. compare the nitrogenous waste removal process in land versus aquatic organisms. 

9. define the term locomotion. 

10. list five reasons locomotion enhances the ability of an organism to survive. 

11. list five functions of the human skeleton. 

12. describe cartilage and list three major functions it has. 

13. explain the difference between tendons and ligaments. 

14. describe the chief symptom of tendonitis and arthritis. 

15. describe the appearance, function, and some locations of skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscle. 

16. describe how muscle fatigue occurs and the cause of this. 

17. recognize that organisms possess a great variety of locomotion structures. 

NGSS Standard 

HS-LS1-2. Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms.

Common Core State Standards Connections:

ELA/Literacy 

SL.11-12.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. 

NY State Living Environment Core Curriculum 

Performance Indicator 1.2 

Describe and explain the structures and functions of the human body at different organizational levels (e.g., systems, tissues, cells, organelles). 

Major Understandings 

1.2a Important levels of organization for structure and function include organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and whole organisms. 

1.2b Humans are complex organisms. They require multiple systems for digestion, respiration, reproduction, circulation, excretion, movement, coordination, and immunity. The systems interact to perform the life functions. 

1.2c The components of the human body, from organ systems to cell organelles, interact to maintain a balanced internal environment. To successfully accomplish this, organisms possess a diversity of control mechanisms that detect deviations and make corrective actions. 

1.2d If there is a disruption in any human system, there may be a corresponding imbalance in homeostasis. 

1.2e The organs and systems of the body help to provide all the cells with their basic needs. The cells of the body are of different kinds and are grouped in ways that enhance how they function together. 

Appendix A Laboratory Skills 

¥ Organizes data through the use of data tables and graphs

¥ Analyzes results from observations/expressed data

¥ Formulates an appropriate conclusion or generalization from the results of an experiment

Bundle and Save

Many more biology materials are available from Monday's Rescue.   The Biology/Life Science Course contains 22 units which can be used to develop a full year course.   A purchase of the Biology/Life Science Course provides significant savings of over 70% compared to purchasing each of the 22 units individually.  This course is available for $24.99.   It contains over 900 pages of learning materials and 1500 plus PowerPoint slides. 

This year long course contains the following units:

• Life Processes and Introduction to Classification Learning Activities
• Cell Structure and Function Lesson Activities
• Membrane and Membrane Processes Learning Activities
• Introduction to Biochemistry and Enzymes Lesson Activities
• Human Nutrition Learning Activities
• Human Circulation Learning Activities
• Immunity Lesson and Lab Activities
• Human Respiration Learning Activities
• Introduction to Cell Respiration Learning Activities
• Introduction to Human Excretion and Human Locomotion Learning Activities
• Nervous and Endocrine Systems Lesson Activities
• Introduction to Mitosis and Asexual Reproduction Lesson Activities
• Introduction to Meiosis Lesson Activities
• Reproduction and Development Lesson Activities
• Plant Systems and Adaptations Lesson Activities
• Photosynthesis Learning Activities
• Plant Reproduction and Development Lesson Activities
• Classical Genetics Learning Activities (Mendelian and Beyond Mendel)
• Introduction to DNA, RNA, Protein Synthesis and Biotechnology Lesson Activities
• Introduction to Evolution Lesson Activities
• Ecology Lesson Activities
• Human Ecology Learning Activities
• Complete NY State Living Environment Regents Review Packets with Answers 

View the contents of the whole year course in more detail at  Biology/Life Sciences Complete Course 

Terms of Use

Purchase of the product is for classroom use by the purchaser only. It is a violation for individuals, schools, and districts to redistribute or sell this item on the Internet or to other individuals. I do encourage you to use and edit these documents to suit your needs with your own students in distance learning environments.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.