The question is no less relevant in a beginning biology course . The concept that hierarchical levels of function are related to hierarchical levels of structure grows nicely from a hands-on exercise that I have successfully adapted for students of different ability levels in grades 7 to 12.
Students can work individually or in small teams of three or four.
See background information for origami instructions. Biological Concept Students struggle with the conceptualization of emergent properties involved in biological systems. For example, how can nonliving atoms even if arranged in complex assemblages, or grouped and bounded by membranes, actually do things that they could not do in their original assemblages. The paper folding exercise will illustrate the relationship between structure and function. Student solutions to the 'enclosed separate environment' task, typically envelopes and boxes, can be used to illustrate how internal environments can be maintained as distinctly different from external ones.