A Lesson on Matter and Energy at the Organismal Scale: Linking Patterns and Processes Across Diverse Taxa

Abstract

Pathways and transformations of energy and matter (PTEM) are a conceptually challenging but essential component of biological literacy. Curricular gaps about PTEM nevertheless remain; although lessons targeting PTEM at small scales (chemical, molecular, cellular) and large scales (ecological, global) are most common, they do not necessarily address understanding of the intervening organismal scale. Moreover, at the organismal scale, student reasoning about PTEM in one taxonomic category (e.g., animal growth) does not necessarily transfer to others (e.g., fungal growth). Building on prior studies, we developed five organismal-scale activities about animals, plants, and fungi that address misconceptions, promote active learning, and require minimal background knowledge of chemistry. These activities are best suited for large (&gt;200) active-learning courses for non-majors or majors with heterogeneous science concept mastery. The lessons involve answering 17 clicker questions, making predictions, building explanatory models, and correcting common misconceptions. The activities include: (i) introducing matter and energy, (ii) understanding what is (and is not) food, (iii) predicting change in mass across the tree of life, (iv) explaining changes in matter and energy using conceptual models, and (v) correcting misconceptions about matter and energy. Pre-post assessments produced significant (p &lt;.01) and meaningful (Cohen&#39;s <em>d</em> = -1.8) learning gains, as well as widespread improvement (98% of 449 students). Instructors may choose to use the five activities in isolation or together, or independently make use of the clicker question set. For more advanced students, the activities may be used as pre-course assignments in preparation for more complex learning tasks. <em>Primary image:&nbsp;</em>Six examples of plants and animals undergoing changes in mass, used for creating conceptual models about matter and energy in organisms. Plant examples have different light environments, and animal examples have different activity levels.