MS-LS1-3 lessons
Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.
The Next Generation Science Standards code MS-LS1-3 asks students to: “Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.” These Fieldbook lessons teach it hands-on, with everyday materials, a printable teacher guide and a student sheet.
How Your Body Works Grades 3–5 · partly supports this standard
- Why does your heart beat faster when you run? 45–60 min
Students find their pulse, count it at rest, after a minute of star jumps and every minute while it comes back down, then graph the recovery. They use the pattern to explain the heart as a pump that sends oxygen and food to working muscles.
- What happens to your lunch? 45–60 min
Teams build a working model of the gut: teeth (a fork), a stomach (a bag with water and vinegar) and an intestine (a stocking squeezed over a tray), and follow a cracker through it. They check their own teeth in a mirror and put the parts of the digestive system in order, with a job for each.
- How does your arm bend? 45–60 min
Teams build an elbow from card, a paper fastener and two strings, and find that it will only bend if one string pulls while the other goes slack. They feel their own biceps and triceps swap jobs while lifting a bag of rice, and explain why muscles always work in pairs.
NGSS is used as written in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, so the code MS-LS1-3 matches there. Other states word and number their own versions: see curriculum alignment for your state's codes.
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