Science Assessment ~ Items ~ EB078001

During physical education class, several students ran a mile race. After their run, the students recorded changes they experienced. The students noticed that after the run they were sweating, their faces were flushed, their hearts were beating faster, and they were breathing faster.

Why did the students experience these changes after running? Your answer should describe the role of matter and energy changes during running and include what happens at the molecular, cellular, and organ/organ system levels of biological organization.

Details
Performance
NGSS

Topic: Energy in Biology
Scoring Rubric: Students receive two scores for this item. One is based on the matter story and the other is the energy story. The matter score ranges from 0 to 4. The energy score ranges from 0 to 3

Matter Score

0. Irrelevant response or a response that includes none the ideas listed below. For example, “their lungs pull in oxygen as they ran as they breathed in and pushed carbon dioxide as they breathed out.”

1. States outcome of action(s): Increased breathing and heart rate increase the supply of oxygen, and/or eliminate carbon dioxide, and/or sweat removes water.

2. Also includes why action is needed: The body needs/uses more oxygen and/or produces more carbon dioxide and/or water.

3. Also includes the idea that there is a chemical reaction occurring and identifies at least one reactant and one product: Cellular respiration occurs, and oxygen and/or glucose is converted into carbon dioxide and/or water.

4. Also includes the idea that with increased need for energy (or during running), cellular respiration rate increases so levels of both reactants would be depleted and levels of both products would accumulate: When they are running, cellular respiration will happen faster and more oxygen and glucose are needed/used and more carbon dioxide and water are produced.

Energy Score

0. Irrelevant response or a response that does not include the ideas listed below. For example, “because they were running and they use all of their energy and they get tired.”

1. States outcome of action: Sweating and flushing cause cooling.

2. Also includes why action is needed: Body temperature increases (heat produced) during exercise.

3. Also includes the idea that the energy comes from a chemical reaction: Cellular respiration (or fat burning, anaerobic metabolism) releases energy for running, with some energy released as heat.

Pre-Test

Pre-Test

Post-Test (Treatment)

Post-Test

Points Earned

Group	Earned	Possible	Percent
Overall	131	3745	3%
Grades
6–8	N/A	N/A	N/A
9–12	119	3304	4%
Gender
Male	70	1946	4%
Female	48	1386	3%
Primary Language
English	109	3129	3%
Other	6	210	3%

View data table

Points Earned

Group	Earned	Possible	Percent
Overall	227	3745	6%
Grades
6–8	N/A	N/A	N/A
9–12	214	3423	6%
Gender
Male	113	1967	6%
Female	97	1400	7%
Primary Language
English	201	3164	6%
Other	8	217	4%

View data table

Disciplinary Core Ideas: PS3.D Cellular respiration in plants and animals involve chemical reactions with oxygen that release stored energy. In these processes, complex molecules containing carbon react with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and other materials.
LS1.A Feedback mechanisms maintain a living system's internal conditions within certain limits and mediate behaviors, allowing it to remain alive and functional even as external conditions change within some range. Feedback mechanisms can encourage (through positive feedback) or discourage (negative feedback) what is going on inside the living system.
LS1.C As a result of these chemical reactions, energy is transferred from one system of interacting molecules to another. Cellular respiration is a chemical process in which the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and new compounds are formed that can transport energy to muscles. Cellular respiration also releases the energy needed to maintain body temperature despite ongoing energy transfer to the surrounding environment.

Science Assessment

Item EB078001: Students who are running experience sweating, increased heart rate, and increased breathing rate because of an increase in the rate of cellular respiration that is needed to get the energy required to run.