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Activity
Prompt
Students will begin the lesson by playing a virtual game called All systems Go! The
game has a funny avatar that asks the students to locate organs from different organ systems and
click and drag the image into the body. This activity will allow students to make predictions
about which organs fit into the systems and they will become aware of any misconceptions. This
activity follows the guidelines in Berman about making predictions, analyzing unfamiliar
information, and getting the attention of the students (Berman, 2008). After students play the
game, they will choose 5 introductory video clips to view about How the Body Works from
KidsHealth.org. The videos are all around five minutes long and present information related to
different organs in an easy to understand format.
Set-up
The instructor will present the body system debate performance task and will give
thorough instructions and requirements of the debate using a PowerPoint presentation. See
Appendix A for a detailed outline of the directions. Students will know the structure of the debate
and will get assigned a particular body system and group that they will represent in the debate.
The groups will consist of the skeletal system, muscular system, digestive system, excretory
system, respiratory system, and cardiovascular system. Students will need to research
information related to their body system and other body systems so the teacher will provide
quality resources for the students to use and will also guide them in using Google Advanced
search features such as domain search and reading level. The instructor will also present the
students with an online graphic organizer and mind mapping tool called Bubbl.us. In the
performance assessment the students will complete they will need to organize research and

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arguments that can be done in a mind map format, which may appeal to more visual learners.
Lastly, the instructor will share a source called Instructions and Tips for Writing a Debate
Outline on http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Debate-Outline to guide students through the
process of writing a debate outline and having all the key components necessary to argue
scientifically. This source also provides tips about what to do and avoid doing in creating a
debate outline and common mistakes.
All of these activities use Bermans guidelines for the Set-up because they involve direct
instruction, give information about the topic, models the task and skill necessary, and assigns
groupings for cooperative learning (Berman, 2008).
Guided Practice
Students will research their body system functions, organs, and how it interacts with
other systems. In order to create successful arguments they will also need to research other body
systems and their main functions. Students will collaborate their research on a Google Doc that
will be shared with their group members and the instructor so that the instructor can monitor
student work and correct any inaccurate information (Berman, 2008). Students will also work
collaboratively on a debate outline that can also be created with Google Docs and shared with the
instructor, and can be used during the debate. In addition, students will self-evaluate their debate
outline and each others contributions using the grading rubric provided by the teacher that will
be for the entire debate performance task. The self-evaluation using a rubric and evaluating each
other is a Berman guideline as well (Berman, 2008). Students will also view a short YouTube
clip called The Art of Debate: Never Lose an Argument Again and will use that information to
help evaluate how prepared they are for the upcoming debate.

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Presentation
For the performance assessment presentation, students will be participating in a class
debate on which body system is the most important overall. The performance assessment shows
high validity by it measuring the intended learning objectives and goals (Moskal, 2003). The
standard that aligns with this performance assessment is NGSS Standard MS-LS1-3: Use
argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems
composed of groups of cells (CDE, 2011). The class will already be divided and sitting with their
body system groups, and each group will consist of approximately five students. Prior to the
debate, the instructor will inform students of the discussion rules, guidelines, and proper debate
etiquette. Students will begin the debate by giving their opening statements where one speaker
from the group will say which body system they are representing and give a brief overview of
the main function and organs involved in your system. After each group has spoken, students
from each group will take turns giving their first statement where they will be arguing some of
the main points of why they believe their system is the most important. They will also argue
against one specific body system. The next phase will be the first rebuttal phase. During this
time students are allowed to defend their system from another group who had challenged them.
Once each group has engaged in arguments, they will begin their second statement in which they
will be arguing their final points of why they believe their system is the most important. They
will also have the opportunity to argue against one different body system. The next phase will be
the second rebuttal phase, which will be similar to the first rebuttal phase. If there is a group that
did not get challenged, they will be asked by the Nervous System (instructor) to answer which
system they believe has a stronger argument and why. The last stage of the debate will be the
closing statement. Each body system group will be asked to describe how their system works

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with other systems. They will then say one last time why they believe their system is the most
important of all the body systems.
This presentation for the performance assessment follows Bermans guidelines because
each team is demonstrating their learning for the teacher and the entire class (Berman, 2008).
Students performances will be observable and measurable and will reflect skills and concepts
learned throughout the learning series.
Reflection
Students will reflect on their learning as a body system group and also as an individual
using reflection questions produced by the instructor that will be answered in an online journal.
The group portion of the reflection will ask students what they thought they did well as a team
and what they could improve on next time. The group portion will also ask which body system
group they thought won the debate and the characteristics that made their debate strong. The
individual portion of the reflection will ask students what they learned from participating in the
debate and what they thought their strengths and weaknesses were individually and changes that
could be made in the future to perform better during a debate.
The reflection portion of the performance assessment follows Bermans guidelines
because students will be reflecting on their learning as a team and also as individuals (Berman,
2008). Students will be reflecting on their debate skills to help deepen their learning and try and
transfer this knowledge to future scenarios ad learning situations (Berman, 2008). Students can
do this by viewing the performance level descriptions in the rubric for the performance task and
evaluate their strengths and weaknesses .

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Appendix A: Organ System Debate Directions

Overview: You and your partners will debate which of the body systems is the most important
overall. Remember that each and every body system has to work together, however, in order to
win you will have to argue that yours is most important. You are allowed to use your notes but
they must be printed out, or written out. Every student is required to speak during the debate.
Opening Statement: This is where your speaker will say which body system you are
representing and a brief overview of your main function, and the organs involved in your system
1st Statement: For your first statement you will be arguing some of your main points of why
you believe your system is the most important. You will also argue against 1 specific body
system.
1st Rebuttal: During this time you are allowed to defend your system from another group who
has challenged you. If you have not been attacked you will be asked by the Nervous System (the
teacher) to answer which system you believe had a stronger argument and why.
2nd Statement: For your second statement you will be arguing your final points of why you
believe your system is the most important. You will also argue against 1 different body system.
2nd Rebuttal: During this time you are allowed to defend your system from another group who
has challenged you. If you have not been attacked you will be asked by the Nervous System
(teacher) to answer which system you believe had a stronger argument and why.
Closing statement: You will be asked to describe how your system works with other systems.
You will then say one last time why you believe YOUR system is the most important of all.

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References
Berman, S. (2008). Performance-based learning: Aligning experiential tasks and assessment to
increase learning (2nd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
The Art of Debate: Never Lose An Argument Again. Retrieved May 4, 2015, from
https://youtu.be/lesgw274kjo
bubbl.us - brainstorm and mind map online. Retrieved May 4, 2015, from https://bubbl.us/
How to Write a Debate Outline. Retrieved May 4, 2015, from http://www.wikihow.com/write-adebate-outline
Moskal, B. M. (2003). Recommendations for developing classroom performance assessments
and scoring rubrics. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 8(14). 34-38.
Retrieved from http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=8&n=14
(2011). Next Generation Science Standards - Science (CA Dept of ... Retrieved May 19, 2015,
from http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/ngssintrod.asp.