Nye
Mitosis
Content: This lesson will expose students to the process of cell division, specifically mitosis. Initially, this lesson will describe the process of mitosis, demonstrating how the process is necessary for physical growth and repair. Students will know what a diploid cell is, and how diploid cells can reproduce to make more diploid cells.
Learning Goals:
Students will be able to differentiate between diploid and haploid cells.
Students will be able to explain the purpose of mitosis, and how it results in growth and repair.
Students will be able to identify the four phases of mitosis.
Rationale:
My rationale for this lesson is twofold. Authentically, students will be exposed to the process of cell division, which is integral to our growth, maintenance and reproduction, as well as to the growth, maintenance, and reproduction of many other organisms. Furthermore, understanding mitosis will render students better able to understand meiosis, and thereby human reproduction. Finally, cell division is an important facet of the MCAS, and I want my students to graduate!
Assessment:
Assessment will initially be immediate and low stakes; as students work in pairs to fill in their mitosis graphic organizers, I will circulate around the room to check what students are choosing to place in each information receptacle. If students are missing crucial pieces of information, I will redirect their attention to the appropriate area in the text. At the end of class I will display my own graphic organizer, so that students can include anything they missed while still benefiting from the practice of gathering information from a resource. Secondly, their ultimate knowledge of cell division will be assessed at the end of the unit, when they turn in a creative project detailing meiosis.
Personalization and Equity:
Students are able to work in pairs, affording individuals the opportunity to learn from each other as well as from the text. Additionally, I am providing students with a graphic organizer that will encourage them to highlight the information that they really need to know. Finally, the small group nature of the activity will allow me to float around the room, providing extra support to students in need.
Activity Description and Agenda:
(5 minutes). Starter: Draw a picture or other representation of the cell cycle on the left side of your interactive notebook.
(35 minutes). Learning Activity: Students will work in pairs or individually to synthesize information from the textbook, placing it into a graphic organizer that I have provided. The graphic organizer will help them detail prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.
(5 minutes). Closing: I will display my own filled in graphic organizer on the board so that students may include any information they may have neglected.
Mass Learning Standards:
2.6: Describe the cell cycle and the process of mitosis. Explain the role of mitosis in the formation of new cells, and its importance in maintaining chromosome number during asexual reproduction.
Reflection: Overall, this lesson was successful; my students seem to work more effectively in pairs than they do in groups of four or five, largely because they spend more time focusing and less time socializing. Yet, they are still able to use each other as resources, increasing the likelihood that each pair finishes the assignment in an accurate and timely fashion. However, I would refrain from telling my class that I planned on providing them with a filled in graphic organizer at the end of class, because I believe that knowledge discouraged them from giving their own organizer their best effort. Still, the lesson provided students with a much-needed opportunity to dust off their reading-for-information skills, while also presenting the concept of a graphic organizer as a potential study skill. From my experience today, I do not think I will alter this lesson in the future for a group of students at the same academic level.