Lab exercise and homeostasis: a perfect match.

I started my teaching career as a long term sub. I was going into a classroom that had not had a full time teacher since September and the school was plagued with MANY problems. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew what I was doing wasn’t working. This is why I wanted you to know about pairing a lab exercise and homeostasis.

I quickly realized that my kids needed me to SHOW them. By showing them, I got a lot more buy in from them. If I showed them, they MIGHT get curious. Curiosity is where learning starts. That is where it started. Now I try to approach each topic from that perspective – because it works.

I teach homeostasis as a cornerstone topic in my classroom. I introduce it as the thing keeping us alive. My students hear me say, “without homeostasis we would die and death is bad” quite a bit in the first weeks of class.

Like many concepts in high school biology, biology, OKAY science in general – homeostasis can seem abstract. Lab exercises make it more concrete.

I naturally overlap homeostasis and the characteristics of living things.

Homeostasis and the Characteristics of Life

Homeostasis is all about maintaining the status quo. When I talk about biology, I use the human body as my go to example because we all have one of those. In the case of human anatomy, homeostasis involves maintaining an internal environment in the face of forces of change like temperature variations. This response to change correlates with the characteristic of life – responds to stimuli. I lean into the overlap.

The Benefits of Lab Exercises in Teaching Homeostasis

I use simple lab exercises for students to explore homeostasis. This doesn’t require a boring lesson on the scientific method. These are basic inquiry. I use heart rate and pupil changes to let kids SEE these phenomena in action. Making it concrete. This also helps me establish credibility and trust with them. By using lab exercises to make homeostasis and response to stimulus real, I’m setting up a pattern of thought. So we when talk about even more abstract ideas – they trust that I’m not just telling them something that isn’t real.

Sample Homeostasis Lab Exercise: “Maintaining Body Temperature”

Use body temperature as a great example. Everyone has been uncomfortable in an environment. Either too hot or too cold – it doesn’t matter. When our bodies are put in a temperature that makes it difficult to maintain our internal temperature, it responds.

Brainstorm ways that your body responds when it is hot or cold. Make a list on the board.

Try it out! You might go outside. Run up and down the classroom. Do jumping jacks. Put on a sweatshirt. Get them out of their comfort zone – literally.

Have them write a list of changes they are experiencing…

heart rate fluctuations
skin temperature
skin color
sweating/shivering

Then give them time to return to normal. Again have them go back to the list of changes they were experiencing and see if things have changed again.

This type of informal lab exercise is great for homeostasis and other topics.

Post-Lab Analysis and Discussion

Start taking data down from students so you can graph changes. This is a great way to have a low-stakes way to introduce using data to understand. Heart rate fluctuations, or number of students that felt skin tingles, how long it took to feel your body temperature return to normal can all be quantified.

Explain how their body used feedback mechanisms and compensatory responses to return to homeostasis.

Don’t forget to look into what-if scenarios. What would happen if you were stuck outside on a very hot day without water or shelter? Would your body be able to maintain homeostasis? Why or why not?

Use Notes and other Activities to Reinforce Learning

One of the most common misconceptions I see in students is that having a basic understanding and knowing it well enough for a test are the same thing. For this reason, I like to include notes, recall activities like task cards, worksheets, and review games, and hands-on learning stations with large and small groups for additional practice. This helps create a more effective and fun learning environment.

I have a bundle of activities that I use for the characteristics of life and homeostasis ready for you in my shop.