Lung%Capacity%
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SC!Academic!Standards:%%
NGSS!DCI:%%%
Science!and!Engineering!Practices:%%S.1A.1;%S.1A.2;%S.1A.4;%S.1A.5;%S.1A.7%
Crosscutting!Concepts:%Patterns;%Cause%and%Effect:%Mechanism%and%Explanation;%
Systems%and%Systems%Models;%Energy%and%Matter:%Flows,%Cycles,%and%Conservation;%
and%Stability%and%Change.%
Focus!Question(s):!!What!is!my!lung!capacity?!!What!factors!affect!lung!
capacity?!
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Conceptual!Understanding:!!Plants%and%animals%have%physical%characteristics%that%
allow%them%to%receive%information%from%the%environment.%Structural%adaptations%
within%groups%of%plants%and%animals%allow%them%to%better%survive%and%reproduce.!
Life%is%the%quality%that%differentiates%living%things%(organisms)%from%nonliving%objects%
or%those%that%were%once%living.%All%organisms%are%made%up%of%cells,%need%food%and%
water,%a%way%to%dispose%of%waste,%and%an%environment%in%which%they%can%live.%
Because%of%the%diversity%of%life%on%Earth,%scientists%have%developed%a%way%to%organize%
groups%of%organisms%according%to%their%characteristic%traits,%making%it%easier%to%
identify%and%study%them.%
The%Animal%Kingdom%includes%a%diversity%of%organisms%that%have%many%
characteristics%in%common.%Classification%of%animals%is%based%on%structures%that%
function%in%growth,%reproduction,%and%survival.%Animals%have%both%structural%and%
behavioral%adaptations%that%increase%the%chances%of%reproduction%and%survival%in%
changing%environments.%
Multicellular%organisms%(including%humans)%are%complex%systems%with%specialized%
cells%that%perform%specific%functions.%Organs%and%organ%systems%are%composed%of%
cells%that%function%to%serve%the%needs%of%cells%which%in%turn%serve%the%needs%of%the%
organism.%
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Background:!!!Lungs%are%balloonSlike%structures%in%the%chest%that%are%used%to%
exchange%oxygen%and%carbon%dioxide%between%your%blood%and%the%atmosphere.%%As%
you%inhale%(breathe%in),%air%is%drawn%into%your%lungs.%%As%you%exhale%(breathe%out),%
