Biological - NIH Office of Science Education - National Institutes of ...

4. Give each student a copy of Master 5.2, Newspaper Articles, and ask
them to read it. Explain that they will assume the role of sleep specialists
engaged by the governor to help with an important project.
5. Give each student a copy of Master 5.3, Memo from the Governor,
and ask them to read it. You, the teacher, are the “committee chairperson”
appointed by the governor.
6. As chairperson of the governor’s special committee, instruct the
students to each prepare a list of three questions about sleep as
directed in the memo.
Students must also answer their questions and justify including
those questions in the driver’s exam.
7. Next, have the class form into teams of four or five students. Give
each team one piece of flip-chart paper. Instruct each team to discuss
the proposed questions and choose the top five (with answers
and justification) that they believe should be included in the final
list submitted to the governor. Have each group select a spokesperson
to report their results to the class.
Content Standard F:
Hazards and the
potential for accidents
exist.
Content Standard A:
Identify questions and
concepts that guide
scientific investigations.
8. After the teams complete their task, reconvene the class. Ask each
spokesperson to post their questions (on the flip-chart paper) and
explain their choices to the rest of the class.
9. Engage the class in a discussion of the questions on the flip-chart
paper with the goal of selecting the final list of 10 questions to
submit to the governor.
If desired, you can have the students vote on each question. The 10
questions receiving the highest votes will be put on the final list.
10. To wrap up the lesson, ask students to critique the questions that
made the final list.
• Do the questions cover basic sleep concepts?
• Will knowledge of these concepts contribute to a better understanding
of sleep and the consequences of poor sleep habits?
• Will a better understanding of good sleep habits be gained?
Students should justify their responses.
11. You may also engage the class in a discussion about whether or not
driver’s license applicants need to know anything about sleep and
the consequences of poor sleep habits. The following questions
will help the discussion:
Assessment:
Students should
include, as part of
their justification, facts
about sleep that they
have learned from the
previous lessons in the
module.
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Student Lesson 5