Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes – Part A: Introduction – Failing Kidneys
35 minutes – Part B: What Does The Kidney Do?
20 minutes – Part C: What If The Kidneys Stop Working?
10 minutes – Reflection

Part A: Introduction – Failing Kidneys

Step 1.

Begin this lesson by explaining to students that they will watch a clip from the documentary film Dying to Live called ‘Kate’s Story’. This clip describes the way in which Kate’s kidneys are failing due to complications related to Type 1 Diabetes. Before you watch, ensure your class understands Kate’s situation by explaining the following points:

Once these facts have been covered, you can then watch the following clip with students. As they watch, invite students to make notes of anything they find interesting or important.

Dying to Live: Kate's Story (https://youtu.be/jr3eracx_Kk)

Step 2.

Once the clip is complete, distribute Student Worksheets and invite students to use the clip as a starting point for completing the THINK PUZZLE EXPLORE table about the kidneys and kidney failure. If you have students who are struggling, prompt them with the following questions:

Do you know where the kidneys are in the body?
Do you know which system they are connected to?
Do you know what the kidneys produce?

Allow students time to complete their tables independently. You can then invite students to pair up and discuss their THINK PUZZLE EXPLORE tables, highlighting similarities in ideas. Allow time for each group to share their main ideas or points with the class.

Part B: What Does The Kidney Do?

In this section you will lead students through the anatomy and physiology of the urinary system and the kidneys using diagrams, explanation and a practical activity. The following video could be used as a revision or to supplement learning in Steps 1 and 2.

Ted-Ed video: How do your kidneys work? - Emma Bryce (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN3MFhYPWWo)

Step 1.

Project the following images of the excretory system and the kidney, (also available as slide 1, and 2 in the Lesson Presentation: Kidneys) and outline the location of the most important features.

Step 2.

Distribute a copy of the Label Your Kidney Worksheet to each student and ask students to label all three images using the terms below.

Diagram 1 – Kidney, Ureter, Urethra, Bladder, Aorta, Vena Cava
Diagrams 2 & 3 – Renal Vein, Renal Artery, Renal Cortex, Renal Medulla, Renal Pelvis, Nephron, Glomerulus

Confirm students' understanding of the location of these features using the images above and on the Lesson Presentation: Kidneys document.

Step 3.

Using the Nephron Anatomy diagram below (also available as slide 3 in the Lesson Presentation: Kidneys), explain to students how the kidney and nephron functions.

It might help if you break the process into the stages described in this factsheet: Stages of Kidney and Nephron Functions.

Step 4.

Now that students have an understanding of the kidneys and the urinary system, invite them to participate in a practical activity that simulates kidney function. Explain to students that they will be participating in a role play where four students will play ‘nephrons’ and aim to remove tokens (representing toxins) from the passing students, who are play the role of the bloodstream. Download detailed instructions of the Kidney Function Role Play Instructions here.

Step 5.

Once students have participated in different roles and simulated situations, bring the class together to discuss key ideas from the activity. Consider the following questions in your discussion:

What did you discover about the kidneys?
How did you feel while completing the activity?
What happened when challenges were given to the ‘nephrons’?
In what ways is this activity similar to how a real kidney functions?

Part C: What If The Kidneys Stop Working?

Step 1.

Project the following image of Kate undergoing dialysis to your class (also available as Slide 4 on the Lesson Presentation: Kidneys). Explain to students that people who are suffering with kidney failure are waiting for a kidney transplant, and need regular dialysis treatment.

Use the image to explain the following points about dialysis treatment:

Blood vessels are connected to a tube that runs into a dialysis machine
The machine then filters the blood similarly to the way a kidney would, and removes waste
Clean filtered blood flows through another tube back into the body
Usually takes 4 hours per session and needs to be repeated about 3 times a week
Dialysis does not fix the kidneys, and it will need to be repeated until the patient receives a kidney transplant
A person requires dialysis when their kidney function is around 15%, which represents the last stage or end stage in kidney disease (source).

For more information about the stages of kidney disease, click here.

Step 2.

Explain to students that they will now watch another clip from the Dying to Live documentary. In this clip they will observe a man called Woody and his experiences of life on dialysis while waiting for a kidney transplant.

View the following clip with students. As they watch, invite students to make notes of anything they find interesting or important.

Dying to Live: Woody's Story (https://youtu.be/NaJUbRT345U)

Once complete, invite students to share any observations they have about this clip and to reflect on what they think life was like for Woody while he was on dialysis and how his life changed when he received a kidney transplant.

Step 3.

Break the class into pairs or small groups. Distribute a Venn Diagram Factsheet to each pair and explain that they will fill out the digram together to compare what life was like for Woody before and after his transplant. In the first circle encourage students to identify what life was like for Woody on dialysis and in the second circle what life was like for Woody with a donated kidney. In the centre where the two circles overlap, ask students to identify how Woody’s life has remained the same, for example, he still has to take medication.

Once complete, consider inviting students to share their Venn Diagrams with the class and explain their reasoning for the content added to their diagrams.

Reflection

Step 1.

Explain to students that they have seen the stories of two people who have been on dialysis and in need of a kidney transplant. Woody has been lucky enough to receive 3 kidneys; however, at the completion of the Dying to Live documentary, Kate had still not received a transplant. She has been waiting over 6 years.

Project the following quote from the end of ‘Kate’s story’:

Allow the class to discuss the quote, their thoughts and feelings about Woody's and Kate’s stories, and the impact that an organ transplant could have on someone's life. You could prompt them with the following:

What do you think the quote suggests about organ donation in Australia?
How do the statistics make you feel?
What do Kate's and Woody’s stories make you think of?
How did it make you feel when you heard personal stories of people being on the organ waiting list?
Were there any parts of Kate's or Woody’s stories that were confronting?
Why do you think the filmmaker made such a raw and emotive documentary? Do you think they were successful?
Have you ever thought about organ donation before seeing these stories?

Step 2.

You can then invite students to work independently to complete the following activity (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Reflecting on the fact (above) from the Dying To Live documentary, record your thoughts and feelings about Woody's and Kate’s stories and your understanding of how the kidneys function by writing a reflection on the impact that an organ transplant could have on someone's life.

Differentiated Learning

Extension – The urinary system and kidney function is relatively complex and has been simplified in this lesson to suit the year level. If you have a high ability class or students who are seeking more challenging content, you may wish to extend this lesson in the following ways: explaining nephron function in more detail to examine reabsorption of specific chemicals and their function within the body e.g. NaCl; investigating the kidney’s role in osmoregulation (through the use of antidiuretic hormone- ADH) or blood pressure through the secretion of renin; looking at peritoneal dialysis as well; or examining the different stages of kidney disease.

Provisions for Learning Support – Depending on the support requirements of individual students in your class, it may be beneficial to provide additional scaffolding or support where required as well as placement in particular groups or individually.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Dying To Live - The Urinary System

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