Sometimes the biggest mistakes turn out to be the greatest inventions!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Meiosis Lesson Plan

Last week I began writing a lesson plan that would help my students understand the process of meiosis.  This lesson was an introductory lab that would allow the students to simulate the process of meiosis.  During the lesson, the students observed that the parent cell started out with 4 chromosomes and just like mitosis divided into 2 cells.  They continued the process of cell division even further than mitosis, resulting in four gamete cells with half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell.  They were then able to explain why it is important for the gamete cells to only have half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell.   

After observing the students and grading their labs, I was very pleased with the outcome.  I also used this information to help me plan the lesson on the following day.  The students were able to correctly identify the process of meiosis and also could identify the similarities and differences between mitosis and meiosis.  Out of 24 students in the classroom only 5 students earned a grade of 79 or below.  Although I wish everyone was in the A or B range, with such a low number of students below a 79, it gave me the opportunity to work with these students in a small group setting while the rest of the class completed the extension microscope lesson. 

I was not sure how to add the lab and work samples to this page so I attached it as a word document in the question and answer section of the course home posted under Group 5 Blog: Lab and Work Samples for you to view.  Sorry for the inconvenience!!   









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3 comments:

  1. Kaydee GizziFebruary 12, 2012 at 1:07 PM

    I did something similar to this with my students this year as well!! I was pleased with the inital outcome of learning, but found that my students lost the information a few weeks later. I tried many different ways of presenting the information and they were still confused. I think a lot had to do with they thought the material was easy and barely studied for their end of the advisory test. I tried boiling the information down as much as I possibly could this year. I really just wanted them to see that Mitosis makes body cells and from 1 cell we get 2 cells with identical information. Meiosis makes gametes and from 1 cell we get 4 with different information. They struggled so much!! Any advice??

    I saw the student samples, your kids put a lot of effort into their lab!!! Kudos to them!

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    1. LnathansonFebruary 12, 2012 at 3:51 PM

      I wanted my students to understand those concepts as well. I just try to review it as much as possible through do now's, notes, reading, power points, games, labs, and homework. By the time we are on to the next topic it has become engraved in their brains. (That's if they pay attention in class! LoL)

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  2. LoriFebruary 12, 2012 at 1:45 PM

    I have been having the same issue on how to link my student lab reports to my blog. I will do the same and post them as you did.

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