The Cell Cycle

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  General Lesson Plan

• Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?

  
  

  Students will be able to explain the role of each phase in the cell cycle and mitosis through identification and illustration of each phase.

• Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?

  
  

  The student should know the types of the cells, prokaryote and eukaryote (plant and animal). Students should be able to identify structures of a cell. Students should be familiar with the functions of these organelles: nucleus, cell membrane, cell wall, nuclear membrane, cytoplasm.

• Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?

  
  

  What are the stages of the cell cycle?

  Why do cells undergo mitosis?

  How can you identify each phase of mitosis in real cells?

• Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?

  
  

  Day 1 of the lesson (lecture & notetaking, 50 minutes): Lecture : At the start of class the teacher will display the following bell work question and provide a picture of the growth stage of a human, using a projector. "How does a baby grow from an infant state to adulthood?", both are included in the power point Cell Cycle and Mitosis 2.pptx.

  The teacher will call upon 2-3 students to hear their response to the question and record them on a whiteboard in front of the class. The teacher will say, "Today, we are going learn about how human cells increase in size and number." The teacher will instruct students that they will be taking notes today in their science notebook. The students should write the title for today's lesson in their notebook as" The Cell Cycle and Mitosis".

  The teacher will continue with the PowerPoint from above. The teacher will read the first slide and the teacher will randomly select a student to read the next slide. This alternating process will continue through the end of the PowerPoint. As the slides in the PowerPoint are displayed the teacher should instruct students to record the important processes in the cell cycle and the phases of mitosis in their science notebook. The teacher will identify the key points after each slide is read aloud to ensure students record the most important information. A structured notetaking guide can also be provided for students. The bellwork, lecture and notetaking will take about 45 minutes.

  With 5 minutes left in class, distribute an index to each student. The teacher will display the last slide of the PowerPoint with the following question: List two parts of the cell cycle AND describe what happens to the cell during one of those parts. The teacher will instruct the students to write their name on the card and answer the question. As the students leave, they will turn in their index card to the teacher.

• Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?

  
  

  The teacher will say, "Today we are going visualize the process of mitosis in two videos and then create a model of the process of mitosis".

  The teacher will distribute copies of the worksheet "Visualizing Mitosis".

  The teacher will instruct the students to watch the first video http://www.cellsalive.com/mitosis.htm and answer the question on the worksheet.

  The teacher will ask for a volunteer to share what they saw in the animation.

  The teacher will instruct students to watch the second animation titled "Mitosis: One cell becomes two cells" http://www.centreofthecell.org/interactives/mitosis/index.php and answer the question on the worksheet.

  The teacher will ask for a volunteer to click and drag the phases of mitosis in the correct order then hit "submit". The student will get feedback from the website if they were correct.

  The teacher will instruct students to rewrite the phases if they were incorrect on their first attempt.

• Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the lesson?

  
  

  The teacher will inform the class of the flip chart activity.

  The teacher will pass out the instruction form for the flip chart activity and allow students a few minutes to read over the instructions. The teacher should take questions from students at this time.

  Teacher will assess the flip book based on the flip book rubric .

  On Day 2, students will complete the flip book project. The teacher will assess the student products with the flip book rubric.

• Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?

  
  

  Direct students to think back to the opening question of this lesson, "How do we grow and develop from an infant to a high schooler?"

  At this point, students should have a sophisticated understanding, including the phases of the cell cycle. Students may share answers with a partner, or make revisions and additions to their original bellwork answer.

• Summative Assessment

  
  

  Students will create a cell cycle and mitosis flip book following the instructions given.

  The teacher will assess the flip books using the mitosis flip book rubric.

• Formative Assessment

  
  

  Day 1:

  After the lecture and note taking, students will answer the exit slip question, which is displayed within the PowerPoint presentation. "List two phases of the cell cycle AND describe what happens to the cell during one of those phases."

  Student answers will vary, but the teacher should address student responses and any misconceptions in the following class period.

  Day 2: At the start of class the teacher will display the following bell work question: Using your notes from "The Cell Cycle and Mitosis" from yesterday, identify the phase of mitosis pictured below. (see Mitosis Bellwork)

  After students have answered, the teacher will poll the class to see what phase of mitosis the students thought was pictured in the bellwork. The teacher will then provide the correct answer and point out the chromosomes lining up at the equator as the key identifier for anaphase.

  Also, in Day 2, students will view two videos. After watching the video clips, students will answer one question after each video.

  Video 1: "What happened to the chromosomes during anaphase?" (answer: the chromosomes were pulled apart.) Video 2: "Use the names of the phases of mitosis and write them in the correct order below." (The teacher will ask for a volunteer to click and drag the phases of mitosis in the correct order then hit "submit". The student will get feedback from the website as to the accuracy of their sequence. The teacher will instruct students to rewrite the phases if they were incorrect on their first attempt.)

• Feedback to Students

  
  

  Teacher should review the Day 1 "Exit slips" prior to beginning instruction on Day 2.

  Teacher should address any misconceptions and/or incorrect responses at the beginning of class on Day 2.

  Following the bell work for Day 2, the teacher will point out the key indicators in the picture and explain why that phase is the correct choice.

  As students are completing their flip books, the teacher should circulate and provide assistance or clarification as needed.