Course Launch: PLTW access, BioDigital/Maniken routines, lab notebook, PPE/SDS, anatomy language, measurement norms.
What to do if absent- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning — make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure — the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities — you open it through Schoology.
Week overview - Course Launch: PLTW access, the lab notebook, and the language of anatomy
Set up your PLTW access and lab notebook, practice safe lab habits with PPE and an SDS, and start using directional anatomy terms to describe the body precisely.
- 1Log in to your PLTW HBS course shell and confirm you can open the Course Launch benchmark and the BioDigital and Maniken routines.
- 2Set up the first page of your lab notebook with your name, the course, the date, and a measurement units key (cm, kg, seconds).
- 3List the PPE you see in the room and match each item to the body part it protects.
- 4Open the SDS for an assigned chemical and find the handling, storage, and first-aid sections, then record one storage rule in your notebook.
- 5Practice anatomy language by labeling a partner sketch with anterior, posterior, proximal, distal, superior, and inferior.
- 6Write one sentence defining homeostasis in your own words and give one everyday example.
- • You will be able to access your PLTW course shell and set up a dated, traceable lab notebook entry.
- • You will be able to locate PPE, handling, and storage information on an SDS.
- • You will be able to use anterior, posterior, proximal, distal, superior, and inferior to describe body locations.
Daily lessons this week
Open any day for its full lesson, the work due that day, and guided notes.
One-paragraph CER posted to the class board taking a position on anatomical donation for education.
Labeled negative-feedback loop diagram for thermoregulation with all four components identified.
Completed SDS checklist (Sections 2, 4, 8) plus a photo of your initialized, dated notebook page.
Body outline with five structures labeled using correct paired directional terms, plus three sentences each using at least two terms.
Complete week-one evidence packet: homeostasis diagram, SDS checklist, directional-terms labeled outline, and two-sentence reflection, all dated and rubric-checked.
Quick intro to the week
- Hook: every clinic and lab runs on shared safety habits and a shared language, so today we build both before we touch any model.
- Today's goal: get into PLTW, set up your notebook, and prove you can read an SDS and speak basic anatomy.
- Monday bioethics tie-in: who is responsible for safety in a shared lab, the individual or the whole team?
- Reminder: your graded notebook setup and safety check live in the PLTW course shell, not on loose paper.
Your PLTW coursework this week
Do this: Open your PLTW HBS course shell and advance the online benchmark through Course Launch.
- • Anatomy is the study of structure and physiology is the study of function.
- • Homeostasis is the body keeping internal conditions stable.
- • An SDS lists handling, storage, first-aid, and disposal information for a chemical.
- • Set up a dated, traceable lab notebook entry with a units key.
- • Use directional terms to describe where a structure is located.
📋 PLTW evidence due this week: completed Course Launch benchmark plus your safety and SOP practical and baseline vocabulary check.
All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment — this page only gives direction.
This week's PLTW tracker
Your week at a glance. Check off each deliverable as you finish it, then submit so Mr. Mendoza can see how the class is pacing.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
| Day | Date | Focus | Key deliverable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Mon, Aug 24 | Bioethics: who owns a body? | One-paragraph CER posted to the class board taking a position on anatomical donation for education. |
| Tuesday | Tue, Aug 25 | Anatomy vs physiology, homeostasis | Labeled negative-feedback loop diagram for thermoregulation with all four components identified. |
| Wednesday | Wed, Aug 26 | Lab notebook and safety practical | Completed SDS checklist (Sections 2, 4, 8) plus a photo of your initialized, dated notebook page. |
| Thursday | Thu, Aug 27 | Anatomical directional terms | Body outline with five structures labeled using correct paired directional terms, plus three sentences each using at least two terms. |
| Friday | Fri, Aug 28 | Submit launch evidence | Complete week-one evidence packet: homeostasis diagram, SDS checklist, directional-terms labeled outline, and two-sentence reflection, all dated and rubric-checked. |
- M: Philosophy for Kids / John Carroll bioethical debate
- T: teacher background notes + PLTW launch task
- W: lab / data or model work
- Th: analysis / CER or design revision
- F: submit tracker + weekly evidence
Due by week's end: Safety/SOP practical; baseline anatomy/vocabulary check.
Lab day — what to bring & watch
This explainer accompanies the PLTW lab protocol — watch it before lab.
What to do when absent
Most days, this class is your PLTW coursework — and PLTW is online and individual. So being out usually just means doing exactly what we did in class, from home.
Open Schoology (CMSD) and keep goingHow to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.
You can't do those from home — do this instead: Teacher-posted data/model packet, same objective. Supplemental: Khan: anatomy and physiology intro; NSTA safety position.
Class still runs. A substitute will post today's plan — complete the online activity above; it's built to be self-guided. Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
CDC Laboratory SafetyVocabulary
Virtual resources
Teacher-posted resources
Classroom documents for this lesson. Ones marked “Open the file” open right here; the rest are posted in Schoology. Use the label on each card to choose the right move.
Use this as the classroom resource for HBS launch and body systems overview.
Placement rationale
Matched HBS launch and body systems overview by path:Human-Body-Systems/00-Course-Planning; keywords:body systems. Score 130. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.
Standards this week
WebXam practice
Drop your Week 1 here. Use a clear file name (your initials + project). Routine work still goes to Schoology (via the CMSD portal).
Upload a project