Body temperatures

Body temperatures

Pencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
This task is about reading information off a graph.

Environmental temperature and body temperature of 4 animals

Question 1Change answer

a)  From the graph determine:
i) the length of time does the graph cover?  hours

ii) the highest temperature reached in this place.  °C

iii) the lowest temperature reached in this place.  °C

iv) the range of temperature fluctuations shown in this place.  °C

Question 1Change answer

b)  What would you expect the weather to be like in the place where these temperatures were taken?
 
 

Question

c) i)  Which graph line would represent the body temperature of a human during this time? (choose one)

    • Animal A

    • Animal B

    • Animal C

    • Animal D

ii) Why did you choose this answer?

Question

d) i) Which graph line would represent the body temperature of a spider during this time? (choose one)

    • Animal A

    • Animal B

    • Animal C

    • Animal D

ii) Why did you choose this answer?

Question

e) i)  Choose one graph line that follows a pattern that wouldn't be possible. (choose one)
 

    • Animal A

    • Animal  B

    • Animal  C

    • Animal D

ii) Explain why you chose this pattern.
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper or online.
Level:
5
Curriculum info: 
Science, Communicating in science, Living World
Keywords: 
Life processes, body temperature, graph interpretation
Description of task: 
Task: Students interpret a graph to answer questions, and use background knowledge to justify their responses. Assessment focus: control of body temperature in different types of animals.
Curriculum Links: 
Science capabilities
The capabilities focus is brought about by the conversations you have and the questions you ask.
 
Capability: Interpret representations
This resource provides opportunities to discuss the role that science knowledge plays in being able to interpret a graph.
Science capabilities: 
Interpret representations
Answers/responses: 
      Y10 (08/2005)
a) i)
ii)
iii)
iv)		 24 hours
highest temp = 49 °C (Accept 48 °C to 50 °C
lowest temp = 35 °C (Accept 34 °C to 36 °C)
range = 14 °C or 35 °C to 49°C (or answer consistent with lowest and highest temperatures given in previous answers).
(37% of students identified a single number for the range and 10% said between 35 °C and 49 °C)		 very easy
moderate
difficult
moderate
b)   The high temperatures suggest summertime/ a very hot place.
The relatively small day/night fluctuation suggests this is not a desert environment.		 moderate
very difficult
c) i)
ii)		 Animal C
Humans do maintain a constant body temperature of about 37 °C. This line stays more or less constant.		 moderate
difficult
d) i)
ii)		 Animal B
Spiders cannot maintain a constant body temperature. This line roughly follows the environmental temperature line.		 difficult
very difficult
e) i)
ii)		 Animal A or Animal D
Animal A: bears no relationship to environmental temperature. The differences in temperature would kill a warm-blooded animal.
Animal D: all warm-blooded animals have slight fluctuations in body temperature.		 very easy
moderate
 
Results are based on a trial set of 247 Year 10 students in August 2005.
Diagnostic and formative information: 
  Common error
b)
  • it was a sunny place (rather than very hot);
  • it was extremely sunny, humid with no clouds;
  • it was a desert.
c) human temperature changes with the environmental temperature.
d)
  • a spider's temperature doesn't change because it's so small;
  • spiders are nocturnal and therefore not affected by the environmental temperature.
Next steps: 

Making inferences from evidence
Students tended to infer weather conditions based on their personal experiences. For them, hot weather is typically also sunny weather and so they went beyond the available data to describe this place in those terms.

You could discuss the limitations of using just one piece of evidence to answer a question about weather and challenge students to devise a list of other observations that would provide the evidence needed to answer the question more accurately.

Drawing attention to the extent of temperature fluctuations
Many students knew that the normal human body temperature is between 37 and 38°C.  However they did not seem to be aware that fluctuations take place within a very narrow range. Because they have experienced feeling hotter in a hot place, they seemed to think that the temperature would go up substantially (and vice versa for cold).

Again they seemed to make misleading inferences that were based on their personal experiences.  This might be an opportunity to differentiate between the temporary sensation of heat or cold on the skin and the much more stable core body temperature.

Most students seemed to be unaware that deserts, while very hot in the daytime, also get very cold at night. In this case, much greater temperature fluctuations would be expected.

Specific mathematical vocabulary
In mathematics the term "range" is used to refer to a single number whereas in everyday situations we tend to use the word "range" to refer to the set of numbers between a lower and upper limit. For example in the question "What is the range of temperature fluctuations shown in this place?" the correct answer would be 14 °C if range is interpreted in a mathematical sense and 35°C to 49°C if range is interpreted in an every day context.

This could be used as an opportunity to discuss the specific meanings words often have in different subject areas. One of the aims of the Nature of Science strand in the draft science curriculum is that "students will develop knowledge of the vocabulary, numeracy, symbol systems, and conventions of science, and use this knowledge to communicate about their own and others' ideas".

Invertebrate temperatures
Students found it difficult to explain what happens to a spider when the environmental temperature changes. Some equated a stable body temperature with being small. Most "cold blooded" animals are indeed relatively smaller than homeotherms, especially many mammals.

Students could be challenged to investigate why this is so, and to find contrary examples of very large reptiles and very small birds or mammals. They could also discuss why being said to be "cold blooded" is a misleading term, especially for animals that live in hot places!