Instructional Methods
Richard Styner
OPENING
Students will read the textbook section on organelles before the unit and answer questions. They will also find a definition for the word "analogy." Homework will be stamped for completion while students reflect.
Hook (5 min):
Students will reflect on these questions:
Why are cells important? What functions do they perform that make life possible? What is an analogy? What are the organelles of the cells?
Students will partner up and Think-Pair-Share on reflection. Anticipatory set (5 min):
Teacher will ask for volunteers to talk about reflection questions, emphasizing definitions of analogy and why making analogies can be important.
Introduction (10 min):
Discuss the Cell Analogy Project. Pass out the project sheets and rubrics.
DURING
Introduce New Knowledge:
Students will watch a short video on cell organelles, "The Cell and Its Functions," while filling out a worksheet on cell organelles (7 min).
Students will revise earlier Think-Pair-Share with a partner and complete the sheet (5 min).
Discussion: Students will be asked to volunteer cell organelles they know, and will be asked to compare them to another object, such as mitochondria to a power plant (5 min).
Students will be assigned groups, and each group will brainstorm what their cell analogy will be and how they will present it. As they work, the teacher will circulate among groups and ask leading questions to assess understanding. Students may choose Poster, PowerPoint, Physical Model, or Performance formats. They will decide how the project meets each standard on the rubric. As students choose an analogy, they will put a note on the Parking Lot poster to avoid repeats. Group roles will be assigned (10 min).
CLOSING
Closing:
Students will reconvene as a class.
Each group will announce to the class their analogy, how it will meet the project goals, and group roles.
Teacher will ask questions about projects, asking how the students will define a specific organelle. Students will be informed that they will use part of class tomorrow to work on the analogy, but they also need to work at home.
Tonight for homework they will watch a video on Endosymbiosis Theory
and meet with their group members in a Google Hangout to come up with three questions for class about it and how they can incorporate it into their analogy project.