Name ______Date ______

Directions for modeling meiosis: Use your plastic spoons, knives, and forks to model meiosis.

Materials needed per student group:

  • One baggie containing 4 spoons, 4 forks, and 4 knives
  • One tri- fold board with 8 plates attached (One plate for the beginning cell, one plate for interphase, two plates for the end of Meiosis I, and 4 plates for the end of Meiosis II)
  • Key terms in envelope or baggie

Part A. – This part is teacher guided (Teacher will model Part A on a tri-fold board that stays at the front of the classroom and students will follow along)

  1. Begin with a body cell containing 2 chromosomes (2 spoons)
  • You are in the ovary if your spoons are pink.
  • You are in the testes if your spoons are blue.
  1. Record beginning body cell data in the columns underneath “Spoons Activity”
  2. Using your spoons, demonstrate your body cell undergoing interphase and record data.
  3. Using the same spoons, demonstrate the first meiotic division. Record data in the data table.
  4. Using the same spoons, demonstrate the second meiotic division and record data in the data table.
  5. Remove all key terms from the baggie and place each term in the appropriate location.

Part B – Independent student group work

  1. Leave key terms on board, but remove the spoons
  2. Repeat the above steps beginning with 4 chromosomes in the body cell of the ovary or testes (2 spoons and 2 forks).
  3. Complete data table “Spoons and Forks Activity” for each step.

Part C – Independent student group work

  1. Leave key terms on board, but remove the spoons and forks.
  2. Repeat the above steps beginning with 6 chromosomes in the body cell of the ovary or testes.(2 spoons, 2 forks, and 2 knives).
  3. Complete data table “Spoons, Forks, and KnivesActivity” for each step

Data Table

SPOONS ACTIVITY / SPOONS AND FORKS ACTIVITY / SPOONS, FORKS, AND KNIVES ACTIVITY
Chromosome Number Per Cell / Number of Cells / Chromosome Number Per Cell / Number of Cells / Chromosome Number Per Cell / Number of Cells
Beginning Body Cell
Cell During Interphase
Cells after 1st Meiotic Division
Cells after 2nd Meiotic Division (Sex Cells)

Answer the following questions after completing the data table.

  1. What cell organelles are represented by the plastic knives, forks, and spoons?
  1. How many cells are produced from one cell in the testes that has completed meiosis 1 and 2?
  1. How is the chromosome number different between a body cell and a sex cell?
  1. Because this is true, body cells are considered to be______and sex cells are considered to be ______. (choose diploid or haploid)
  1. During meiosis, eggs or sperm are made. These sex cells can also be called ______.
  2. Name the organ where meiosis takes place in a human male?______

A female?______

  1. If there was an animal with 84 chromosomes in each body cell, how many chromosomes would the animal have in each sex cell? ______
  2. If an animal had 16 chromosomes in each egg cell, how many chromosomes would be in each body cell? ______
  1. Name Mendel’s Law that is represented by the separation of chromosomes during meiosis. ______

Extension Questions -

  1. What might happen if one pair of chromosomes failed to separate during meiosis?

How would this affect the egg or sperm? How might this affect the baby?