Our Eyes: How we see and what is the best option for vision correction?

This is a unit
project designed for an 8th grade science class. The project includes a biological
aspect on the structure of the human eye with a physics aspect on the optics of
lenses. The project is mainly focused in the biological sciences. Considering
the eye is essentially an extremely optic device, the physics part is
supplemented to help the students understand how the eye works. All of these aspects
are contained in the project to aid in the understanding of nearsightedness and
its possible treatments.

Time Frame: The project will last about seven one-hour periods. Here is a basic breakdown of the project:

Hour 1: A
mini-lesson concerning the structure of human eyes, is given. All students are
required to have a clear idea as to what are the main components of a human
eyeball with the central task of understanding how the eye see and why vision
can be jeopardized by near-sightedness. The students will also learn how concave
lenses help to correct nearsightedness. They will also research the cause of nearsightedness and investigate the various ways vision
can be corrected.

Hour 2-3: Students will research the working mechanisms of glasses, contact lenses,
and LASIK. They will also investigate the costs and relevant advantages and or disadvantages in order to analyze the results.

Hour 4:  Students will compile their
results and perform an intra-group discussion. They will draw conclusions and
create the slides in preparation for the PowerPoint presentation.

Hour 5: Further
intra-group discussion will take place, while students compile the information
for their pamphlets. They will also be designing the pamphlet in preparation
for the presentation.

Hour 6: Group presentation and Q&A. Students will compare their conclusions
with those of other groups. Special attention should be given to their
explanation for the conclusions, which reflect their understanding of the
biology and physics concepts.

Hour 7: Quiz on mini lesson concepts, group discussion/debate, and teacher
summary.  Quiz will cover what is on the study guide and can be made to suit your preferences.  Students will be asked to point
out the possible defects in the arguments of other groups, meanwhile defending
theirs.  The teacher will make closing
remarks on the projects of the students.

Standards

California Standards:
9.e Students know the roles of sensory neurons, interneurons and motor neurons in sensation, thought and response.
IE1.l Analyze situations and solve problems that require combining and applying concepts from more than one area of science.
IE1.m Investigate a science-based societal issue by researching the literature, analyzing data and communicating the findings.

Credits

All images are from Google. All videos are from YouTube.

This PBL was a collaboration between:

Cassandra Chavez
Maggie Jin
Lejun Li
Qiwei Zhao