Understanding Biosynthesis in Animal Cells

1. Carbon: Transformations in Matter and Energy Environmental Literacy ProjectMichigan State University Animals UnitActivity 5.4: Explaining How Cows Grow: Biosynthesis

2. Unit Map You are here

3. Revisit your arguments Think about what you know now that you didn’t know before. What have you learned?

4. How do animals use food as materials for growth?

5. Step 2: Biosynthesis Materialsfor growth:Biosynthesis Food Digestion Energy:Cellular respiration

6. Constructing explanations Consider the following as you construct your explanation: Evidence from the investigation What you learned from the molecular modeling or tracing activity Three Questions Handout

7. Comparing Ideas with a Partner • Compare your explanations for each of the Three Questions. • How are they alike? • How are they different? • Check your explanation with the middle- and right-hand columns of the Three Questions handout. • Consider making revisions to your explanation based on your conversation with your partner.

8. The MatterMovement Question How do animal cells use small organic molecules to grow and divide?

9. MatterMovement • Do you have: • an arrow showing small organic molecules or monomers going into the cow’s skin cell? Small Organic Molecules or Monomers

10. MatterMovement • Do you have: • large organic molecules (or polymers) staying in the cow’s skin cell? Small organic molecules or monomers Large organic molecules or polymers

11. The Carbon and Energy Questions: What happens to small organic molecules during biosynthesis? The MatterChange Question Chemical change Small organic molecules (monomers) go into cells, but don’t come out. What happens inside the cells?

12. Matter Change Name the chemical change that cow cells use to build large organic molecules: Biosynthesis

13. Matter Change What molecules are carbon atoms in before the chemical change?   Small organic molecules (or monomers such as amino acids, sugars, and fatty acids) What other molecules are needed? None What molecules are carbon atoms in after the chemical change? Large organic molecules (or fats/lipids, and proteins) What other molecules are produced? Water Chemical Change

14. Energy Change What forms of energy go into this chemical change?   Chemical Energy What forms of energy come out of this chemical change? Chemical Energy Energy Transformation

15. Telling the Whole Story Question: How does a skin cell in the leg of a cow use food to grow and divide? Does your story include these parts? (Check the back of the Three Questions Handout.)

16. How can learning about cows help you to understand people?Using the Animals Matter Tracing Tool

17. Drawing arrows to show matter movement for biosynthesis • Green arrow: Blood carries small organic molecules from the digestive system to all body cells • Red dots: Body cells grow by making large organic molecules from small organic molecules • (Optional: water is a also a product when small organic molecules are bonded together to make large organic molecules)

18. What happens during biosynthesis? Biosynthesis is just the same inside a cow’s cells and a child’s cells!

19. Exit Ticket • Conclusions • How does a cow grow on the cellular scale? • Predictions • How do you think what we have learned about cows applies to other animals?

20. Learning Tracking Tool • For the activity “5.4 Explaining How Cows Grow: Biosynthesis,” discuss with your classmates what you figured out will help you to answer the unit driving question. Record your ideas in the column “What We Figured Out.” • Discuss questions you now have related to the unit driving question and record them in the column “What We are Asking Now.”