Jennifer+Potter's+Unit+Plan

__Week 5__
 * Unit Title: Investigating how daily routines resemble the structure of cells. || Related Lessons: ||
 * Grade: 10 || Subject: Biology ||

**__Goals__** Science: Georgia Performance Standard a. Explain the role of cell organelles for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, including the cell membrane, in maintaining homeostasis and cell reproduction.
 * SB1. Students will analyze the nature of the relationships between structures and functions**
 * in living cells.**

Technology:
 * Demonstrate creativity and innovation
 * Communicate and collaborate
 * Conduct research and use information
 * Think critically, solve problems, and make decisions
 * Use technology effectively and productively

Unit Overview: Students will learn the structure and function of cells through guidance of online tutorials. They will then be able to apply their knowledge of their learning by creating a daily life item and how it is analogous to the structure of a cell. This unit will combine the use of internet research and peer evaluation.

The students will learn 21st century skills by collaborating with their peers in order to complete and enhance their learning experience. Each student will be required to create their own analogy but they will seek help from their peers to ensure their work is quality. The students with disabilities will be paired with another peer to work on one analogy together. Students will use the internet to research whatever tools needed to complete their analogy.

Lessons: The first lesson, the students will use cellsalive.com to learn the essential organelles that make up a cell. From there they will need to figure out what daily item do they use that reminds them of a cell. For instance, a school building, a mall, a car or a school bus can be used to compare to the structure of a cell. A teenager may pick a car since that is an important part of their life; but, they may not understand the different car parts to compare them to cell parts. This is where peer guidance and internet research takes place. They have to take a daily item and figure out what parts resemble a cell structure. Then students will be required to draw their daily item and label the parts of the item that resemble the cell structure. Since the project requires some time out of school to complete then students who do not have access to a computer at home then can receive special permission to use poster board but will still be required to collaborate with the rest of the class through a social network tool.

Assessment: I will use a rubric to assess their analogy project.

Jennifer, I really like the idea of peer evaluation for this lesson. I used the same analogy a few years back during a long-term sub position in Biology and the kids came up with some very interesting connections. I would like to suggest an idea about how this lesson could be more of a problem-based cell lesson. I wonder if incorporating how students can keep their own cells healthier, or plant cells healthier could represent that real-life problem.

Mike

Mike,

How does this sound? If students do the original idea and then write (bringing in literacy skills) what happens to the real life structure when not taken care of and compare that to their own cells. For instance, a mall. If a mall gets run down and stores pull out it starts to fall apart. It is not a mall that people want to visit. Well that can compare to the cell that if the cell membrane is not acting as the "security guard" then bad substances like a virus will invade and the cell will fall apart. Let me know how that would be?

Jennifer

Jennifer, I like the idea of letting the kids choose their own item to use as a comparison as it should add personal value, and I think it will let them use their imagination and creativity to connect to biology. I am wondering what your PBL question will be, as that is often one of the hardest pieces to come up with. Also, what will you do if a student picks an item that does not make a very good connection with the functions of a cell? This sounds like a great start to me otherwise.

Mike Larson

__Week 6 (second lesson) __


 * Unit Title: Investigating how daily routines resemble the structure of cells. || Related Lessons: ||
 * Grade: 10 || Subject: Biology ||

**__Goals__** Science: Georgia Performance Standard a. Explain the role of cell organelles for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, including the cell membrane, in maintaining homeostasis and cell reproduction.
 * SB1. Students will analyze the nature of the relationships between structures and functions**
 * in living cells.**

Technology:
 * Demonstrate creativity and innovation
 * Communicate and collaborate
 * Conduct research and use information
 * Think critically, solve problems, and make decisions
 * Use technology effectively and productively

Unit Overview: Students will learn the structure and function of cells through guidance of online tutorials. They will then be able to apply their knowledge of their learning by creating a daily life item and how it is analogous to the structure of a cell. This unit will combine the use of internet research and peer evaluation. The students will learn 21st century skills by collaborating with their peers in order to complete and enhance their learning experience. Each student will be required to create their own analogy but they will seek help from their peers to ensure their work is quality. The students with disabilities will be paired with another peer to work on one analogy together. Students will use the internet to research whatever tools needed to complete their analogy.

Next, they will then be placed in a group with students from my other biology classes. The groups will be responsible for explaining and demonstrating cell process; such as, the various forms of diffusion and osmosis. The groups will be responsible to develop a wiki to document their collaboration. Lessons: The first lesson, the students will use cellsalive.com to learn the essential organelles that make up a cell. From there they will need to figure out what daily item do they use that reminds them of a cell. For instance, a school building, a mall, a car or a school bus can be used to compare to the structure of a cell. A teenager may pick a car since that is an important part of their life; but, they may not understand the different car parts to compare them to cell parts. This is where peer guidance and internet research takes place. They have to take a daily item and figure out what parts resemble a cell structure. Then students will be required to draw their daily item and label the parts of the item that resemble the cell structure. Since the project requires some time out of school to complete then students who do not have access to a computer at home then can receive special permission to use poster board but will still be required to collaborate with the rest of the class through a social network tool.
 * __Part I__**

Assessment:

I will use a rubric to assess their analogy project.
 * __Part II__**

The second lesson of this unit, students will be assigned with students in other classes to form groups of three. Students will be assigned to groups with similar ability levels in order for all group participation. For groups that are special needs they will be offered a graphic organizer to help organize their information in order to post it on their group’s wiki.

Each group will be assigned with one of the following: passive transport, active transport, diffusion, osmosis, and facilitated diffusion. This activity will be a jigsaw activity where each group will be responsible for teaching the class their topic. There will be a total of ten groups per classroom so all topics will be delivered twice in two different formats.

During the collaboration time, students will need to post on their wiki at least one a day with the information they find. They will complete a podcast or voice thread of their final topic. Along with their podcast, they will design an animated demonstration of their cell process that can include any of the following: making a video, designing a graphic or three dimensional models. They will become experts on their topic and be able to relay that content to their peers.

Assessment:

I will use a rubric to assess their group collaboration, content, podcast, and animated demonstration.

Jennifer,

I really like the idea of the jigsaw piece of your second lesson. I have used a few variations of this in my math classes and it really puts pressure on students to understand the procedures well enough to teach them to the rest of the class. I actually witnessed a science teacher doing a similar project in the hallway last year and she had her students come up with a movement for their part of the process as well, and then they acted it out together. It might be a fun idea to add a similar kinesthetic piece to the project.

Mike Larson

Jennifer, Giving them the option of how they can visualize their final product is a great idea. Options, especially in high school, are important to give ther students a sense of ownership to their own creation. You also give the students plenty of time to collaborate and come up with a plan together. It looks like you have an engaging lesson for your students. I hope they enjoy it! Lisa Gomez