NAME: ______PARTNER:______

The Cell Cycle Pipe Cleaner Activity

Introduction

Multicellular organisms, like you, begin as a single cell. In this activity, you explore how a cell reproduces (divides) to form two new cells. In this activity, you model the cell cycle, including each stage of mitosis, using pipe cleaners to represent chromosomes. Your somatic cells (body cells) have 46 chromosomes. For this simulation, you will use 4 chromosomes for simplicity.

Materials:

-Small Whiteboard (provided in your Science class) (A piece of paper if at home)

-Colouredwhiteboard markers (pencils, pens, or crayons)

-8 pipe cleaners (2 long of color “A”, 2 long of color “B”, 2 short of color “A”, 2 short of color “B”) (You may draw pipe cleaners and beads if you are completing this at home)

-8 beads

-Student Notes and / or textbook

Procedure:

You will create a stop-motion video of The Cell Cycle. This stop-motion video will include interphase, mitosis and cytokinesis (pg. 153-158 of BC Science 9 textbook).

  1. Using a whiteboard, markers, and your pipe cleaners; create a replica of all of the stages in mitosis.
  2. You will begin with Interphase, then Mitosis, then Cytokinesis. Be sure to show the “standard” diagrams for each step, as well as the steps in between (because it’s a stop-motion video!).
  3. Make sure that you include names of the stage and main points about what is happening during the stage.
  4. Be sure to include the following stages:

Interphase
-Growth & preparation
-DNA Replication
-Continued growth & preparation / Mitosis
-Prophase
-Metaphase
-Anaphase
-Telophase / Cytokinesis
  1. Collect all of your photos (of each stage) and create a stop-motion video to show the Cell Cycle
  2. Please email your teacher your final collageor stop-motion(As a JPEG file, youtube link, PDF etc)
  3. The email should have you and your partner’s name in the subject heading
  4. E.g. Sara Bruner and Katie Geale 5.1 The Cell Cycle Pipe Cleaner Activity

Rubric:

Photographs are included for
  • Interphase (G1, S, G2)
  • Mitosis (Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase)
  • Cytokinesis
/ / 16
Text is included
  • Title of each stage
  • Description of what is happening
/ / 8
Presentation & Creativity
  • Drawn elements of the cell enhances the understanding of the process
  • Creativity is used to portray the steps in the cell cycle
/ / 6
TOTAL / / 30

Chromosomes, Duplicated Chromosomes, sister chromatids:

You will need to have 1 long chromosome and 1 short chromosome of the same colour and 1 long chromosome and 1 short chromosome of a different colour. The two different colors indicate that one chromosome came from the father and one chromosome came from the mother. The two different lengths of chromosomes are because they are representing the same chromosome number (ex. The long chromosomes are both chromosome 1 and both short chromosomes are chromosome 16).

During DNA Replication during Interphase, you will need to group 2 pipe cleaners of the same color and length next to each other. Twist each pair together by one turn at the midpoint. Put a bead around the midpoint to represent the centromere. Each “X” represents a duplicated chromosome. You will use 4 of your 8 beads here.

You will be able to use these duplicated chromosomes for the remainder of interphase as well as prophase and metaphase of mitosis.

For anaphase and telophase, be sure to have 4 beads nearby so once your sister chromatids separate, you can have a centromere on each of your chromatids as they move away from each other.

* “long” chromsomes/chromatids will be ¼ of a pipecleaner long

** “short” chromsomes/chromatids will be 1/8 of a pipecleaner long

INTERPHASE:

  • Growth & Preparation: Show the DNA in the nucleus as chromatin. Be sure to include the nuclear membrane. Duplicate some organelles, cell starts getting larger.
  • DNA Replication: Demonstrate this by creating the X-shaped chromosomes as described above
  • Continued Growth & Preparation: Show the DNA in the nucleus as chromatin. Be sure to include the nuclear membrane. Mitochondria and chloroplast (if plan cell) are duplicated.

MITOSIS

  • PROPHASE:Placeyour duplicated chromosomes to the whiteboard, add label centrioles and spindle fibers to your picture! There is still a nuclear membrane initially although breaks down. Spindle fibres extend out from centrioles to centromeres. Nucleolus has disappeared and nuclear membrane has disappeared by the end of prophase. (Prophase = Prepare)
  • METAPHASE: The chromosomes line up across the middle of the cell. Be sure to include the spindle fibres and centrioles. (Metaphase = Middle)
  • ANAPHASE: The centromere is pulled apart causing the sister chromatids to move to opposite poles along the spindle fibres. Be sure to include the spindle fibres and centrioles(Anaphase = Away)
  • TELOPHASE: Show the final stage of mitosis. Be sure to label the chromosomes, draw a nuclear membrane around each set,and label the nucleolus. The spindle fibres begin to disappear. (Telophase = Ta Da!)

CYTOKINESIS

  • The cell is split into two, with one nuclei and a copy of each organelle in each daughter cell. In animal cells, the cell membrane pinches together. For plant cells, a cell plate forms along the centre of the cell.