On Day 3 of my capstone lesson plan, I will teach the mitosis cell life cycle. One of the objectives that I have for my students is for them to recognize the changes of three important structures in this process: DNA, nucleus, and spindle apparatus.
As they are learning this material, my students will fill out a note catcher in which they will document what happens during each phase of mitosis. I will formatively assess their understanding of this cycle by tracking the descriptions they write in regard to the changes of the DNA, nucleus and spindle apparatus.
The introduction task that I will ask students to complete is watch a video of an actual live cell dividing. This video does not have any accompanying text or voice. This is intentional. I want students to record 5 things that they noticed and 5 things that they observed. After this they will share what they learned and wondered with their table partners and add to their lists.
My students are mostly Hispanic, and many come from a lower socioeconomic status, the majority of which are eligible for free or reduced lunches. That being said only 3 of them are identified as ELL students. My lessons include multiple ways to access learning (lecture, video, drawing detailed models, collaborative discussion) as recommended by the Universal Design for Learning.
For this lesson, I will have students utilize Dok Level 2 of Hess’s Cognitive Matrix. They will explain the relationship between the DNA, nucleus, and the spindle apparatus and the phases of the mitosis cell cycle.
Students will demonstrate their knowledge by documenting their learning in their note catcher scaffold. They will also have the opportunity to clarify any misunderstandings with their table partners. Each phase of mitosis will also be drawn as they are covered in class as this is another way for me to assess their understanding.
For this lesson I used Hess’s Cognitive Matrix to help me clarify the depth of knowledge that I want my students to attain. I will also use the following videos in class: