Day 2:

Science- “Cell and Organelle Time to Tell”

English- “World in Color” (Chapters 2-4)

Cell & Organelle Time to Tell

Topic: Introduction to cell unit and what organelles look like inside of a cell.

Goals/Objectives

1. Students will be able to see what a cell and its organelles look like.

2. Students will create a visual representation of a cell and its organelles.

3. Students will begin thinking about cell biology and ask questions to formulate understanding.

Materials

1. Book: Schwartz, D. M. (1985). How much is a million? New York City, NY: Lee & Shepherd Books

2. Paper and Pencils

3. 5 Microscopes

4. 5 slides of human cheek cells made ahead of time by teacher

Procedure

• Introduction

1. Five microscopes will be set up and properly adjusted before the lesson and placed around the room. Allow students to go back in assigned groups to look at the cells through the microscopes. The different microscope slides will be of human cheek cells. Microscopes are unlabeled but instruct students that they are to look and describe what they see and what they think this cell is from. Short descriptions and/or drawings must be written down on a sheet of paper.

2. Inform students that our next unit is about human cell biology

• Lesson Steps

1. Questions to Guide Learning and Check Prior Knowledge: (Students will be instructed to take out a piece of paper and write down their responses to the following questions. Teacher will strongly emphasize that this is not a graded assignment and if students do not know the answer to the question it is OK that is why we are learning.) (Answers discussed after Think-Pair-Share Activity)

• Does anybody know what the definition of a cell is? Cells are the building blocks and basic units of life. They are like tiny factories that work together like a team towards a common goal.

• Are all things made up of cells? All living things are made up of cells.

• How many cells do you think we have in our body? The number varies for each person because they are different sizes but most people have over 75 trillion cells…discuss how big is 10 trillion? (It is 100 million.)

  • Read “How Much is A Million” by David M. Schwartz

  • It may be a children’s book but it will put students in awe of how big 100 million truly is in relationship to cells.

• What are some different parts in the cell? Parts of the cells are called Cell Organelles—Nucleus, Cell Membrane, Cytoplasm, Mitochondria are a few we are going to learn about.

• Do you know these cell functions?

• What do you want to know about cells? Any questions? What questions do you have after look at the cells under the microscope?

2. Students will Think-Pair-Share their written responses

• Group the students and allow them the opportunity to share their ideas with a partner.

• After moments with a partner, the teacher will then call the class back together to form a large group discussion on each of the questions and ask for student opinions.

3. “Answers” for group discussion and to spark student interest

• Closure

1. Allow time for students to ask their questions about cells. Write down ones that teacher cannot answer immediately and tell students that we will look these questions up on the internet during home room period, or the teacher will research at home and answer them in following class periods.

Assignment: None

Assessment/Evaluation

• Students will hand in their written responses and credit will be given on completion not correctness.  The answering of questions was done to activate student knowledge as stated in the objectives, not to grade on what they already know about cells. Students’ answers will help form this unit on how much students already know and still need to learn.

A World in Color

Topic: Chapter 2-4 in The Giver

Objective(s):

1. Students will be able to comprehend what they read and apply the concepts to real life (Iowa Content Standard).

2. Students will be able to listen to The Giver for interpretation, analysis, and evaluation (Iowa Content Standard).

Materials needed:

1. Clip from Wizard of Oz

2. Projector

3. Computer with internet access

4. The Giver

5. Color construction paper, 6 pieces of the following colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)

6. Red Sings from the Treetops

Procedure

• Introduction-

1. Show the Clip from Wizard of Oz where the movie goes from black and white into color.

2. Ask students “what adding color in that scene did for the movie?”

Expected answer: made it more exciting, more interesting.

3. Ask students to “Name the type of society Jonas lives in.”

Expected answer: Utopian- a perfect society.

4. Ask students “What has happened to color in this society?”

Expected answer: there is no color.   

• Lesson steps-

1. Have large pieces of different color construction paper for each group. One red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.

2. Separate students into groups of 6.

   • Each student in the group will have a different color paper, they will write down words and feelings on the construction paper that they associate with that color (for example: blue—cold).

   • When the teacher says switch (every 20 sec.) they will pass the paper on to another member of the group and receive a different color paper, again they will write down association with that color.

   • This will be done 6 times, till every group member has written something down on each piece of construction paper.

3. Take a different color piece of construction paper from each and tape color construction paper to a wall in the front of the classroom.

4. Go over colors and their feelings and ask students to add one or two more feelings. Add them to the construction paper.

5. Read one of two poems from Red Sings from the Treetops. Ask students to pay attention to the words the author uses to describe colors.

6. Ask students why there might not be any color in a “perfect society.”

Expected answer:  because some colors can be associated with negative feelings.

7. Ask students “Why we can praise God for giving us a world full of colors?”

Expected answer: because they are beautiful, show us the beauty of diversity.

8. Challenge students to go through the rest of the day admiring the colors that are all around us.

• Closure

1. Tell students to imagine The Giver in black in white, like the first scenes of The Wizard of OZ.

2. Tell the students to close their eyes and imagine the world of black and white; teacher read the first page of chapter 4.

3. Tell students they may choose to keep their eyes closed or open their eyes as the teacher reads the rest of chapter 4 out-loud.

Assignment:

1. Students will read chapters 5 and 6 for homework. They will write a 300 word journal where they reflect on:

• How they believe they would react if they were in Jonas’ place in this world?

• How do they believe their lives would be different if they were in his place?

Evaluation:

• Journal assignment-