Amber Dorsey
Lexington Middle School
Unit: Cell City
Grade Level: 7th
4 MAT Lesson Plan
Connect 1R
Overview:
Students will brainstorm the different jobs in a city.
Details:
Objective:
To generate ideas and get students thinking about how the city/town where they live work.
Activity:
Part 1
 Have students group up with their table partners, no more than 4 students per group.
 Have each group elect a recorder. The only job of the recorder is to write down everything the
members say – no matter what they feel about the answer. At the top of the paper they are
recording on, have them write the word CITY in all capital letters and circle it.
 Give the students 5 minutes to generate a list of any job they can think of in the city.
 When teacher says STOP the recorder puts their pencil down.
Part 2
 The teacher needs to label the board CITY.
 Have each group elect a writer.
 Have each group elect a typist.
 Each group will have the opportunity to have their writer put their city list and cell list on the
board. No matter what is listed, each group will put all of their ideas on the board, even if it is
repeated.
 When the class list is generated, have the typist of each group create a wordle, at wordle.com, with
all of the CITY words.
 Teacher will project a teacher made wordle.
Once the wordle is completed the class will discuss the commonalities and differences of the selected
jobs. This will lead into a discussion of jobs left off the list, which ones are most important and what
would happen if an important job were taken away. (Example – what if the sanitation job were left off
the list…what would happen to the city?)
Assessment:
Involvement of students with brainstorming activity.
Tasks of each elected group member.
Class discussion on jobs needed and why some are a necessity in order for the city or cell to work.
Attend 1L
Overview:
Compare and contrast, group discussions, discussion of the jobs of a city
Details:
Objective:
Connect the function of particular jobs to its importance of making a city run effectively.
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Activity:
Part 1
Have students re-group with a maximum of 4 people per group. They can be the same partners or
new partners the only rule is that each group must have only 1 typist from the day before.
Have the typist get out the wordle created the day before from the class brainstorming activity.
Spend 5 minutes reviewing the wordle and discussions from the day before.
Each group will get 15 minutes to discuss how the function of the jobs they listed relate to the
which jobs are needed to make a city work. Students will also discuss which jobs can be taken off
the list because they are non-essential jobs and the jobs needed to be added to the wordle because
they would be essential to the function of a city.
At the end of 15 minutes teacher says STOP to move on to the next step.
Part 2
Each group will take 20 minutes write down what each job does for a city and why that particular
job is needed or not. Students must be able to defend their answers.
Students need to document their findings any way they choose.
They must include all jobs listed their wordle – they can’t add or delete jobs from their wordle OR
from their document.
Document Examples
o Written on paper
o Google.doc
o Power Point
o Inspiration/Kidspiraiton
o Pages/Word document
o Excel
Assessment:
Contributions to group discussions and document with the job descriptions, explanation of why it
necessary and which ones are found both in cells and cities.
Imagine 2R
Overview:
Video and Reflection
Details:
Objective:
Students will connect the parts of a city to the parts of a cell.
Activity:
 Students will watch a video comparing the parts of a city to the parts of a cell by connecting
them by the function of their essential parts.
 Watch video – 6minutes
 Have students choose to work by themselves or in their table groups to reflect on how
cities and cells are alike. They can draw a picture, write a journal or have a group
discussion to reflect.
Assessment:
Student reflection through drawing, discussion or journal writing.
Inform 2L:
Overview:
Class discussion, group worksheet
Details:
Objective:
Students will learn how to create analogies by connecting the parts of a city to the jobs of a cell with a cell
city analogy worksheet.
Activity:
Part 1
 Introduce the cell vocabulary discussed in the video.
 Have students practice the vocabulary words on quizlet.
 Have students take a vocabulary quiz on quizlet.
Part 2
 Have students choose to work by themselves or in a group of 2.
 As a class the teacher will review what analogies are and how give some real life examples.
 Teacher will project the Cell City Analogy Worksheet on the board. As a class the teacher
will read the analogy situation out loud to the class.
 As a large group, solve two of the analogies from the story.
 Give each group a Cell City Analogy Worksheet.
 Each group will work together trying to figure out the connections between the parts of the
City in the worksheet and the cell parts listed below.
 When each group is finished they will trade papers and check the other work as well as
check their own work by comparing answers. (5 minutes)
 At the end of the 5 minutes the class will come back as a whole and discuss the answers
with the teacher.
 If two groups get different answers for the same question they will have to defend why
they selected the answer they chose.
 Each group has the right change their answer only AFTER they defend why they selected
the answer they chose and why they want to change it.
Assessment:
Completion of Cell City Analogy Worksheet, Teacher interaction with analogy defending activity, Quizlet
quiz
Practice 3L
Overview:
Generating own analogies
Details:
Objective:
Students will apply what they have learned about the similarities of the jobs of a city and functions of a
cell and create analogies connecting the two entities.
Activity:
 As a class students will generate a Top 14 most essential jobs of a city list.
 Give students the option to work by themselves or in a group of 2 (depending upon the students
this number can go up)
 Each group needs to write down the structures of a cell and review the job of each. They need to
create a visual aid to help them keep organized. I would suggest a chart like this:
Vocab Word
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Definition
City Connection
Analogy
Each group needs to make a comparison between the parts of a cell to the job of a city and write an
analogy. They have to be able to defend their answer to the analogy must be written in this
format:
o A ___________________(cell structure) is to a __________________ (city job) because
(defense)_______________________________________________________________________________.
o A nucleus is to a mayor because they both control centers and make sure everything runs
smoothly.
Assessment:
Completion of the analogy organizer.
Extend 3R
Overview:
Project work
Details:
Objective:
Students will work by themselves or in groups (of no more than 3) with other students who share their
same passion and learning style. They will create a project of their choice that demonstrates to the
teacher they understand the structures of a cell, their function and how essential they are to the work of
the cell
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Activity:
Working in groups of by themselves, students will create a project to demonstrate that they
understand what the structures of a cell are, what their job is and how they connect to the real life
experiences.
Examples of student projects
(Examples of each style of project will be shared with the whole group)
o Power Point
o Podcats
o Garage band (ballad/rap song)
o Comic Life
o 5 Paragraph Essay
o Game
o Build a cell city
o Project of their choice
Assessment:
Practice Presentation – Teacher feedback, Self-Grade, Partner- Grade (if in a group)
Refine 4L
Overview:
Present projects to class
Details:
Objective:
Students will present their findings to teacher and classmates. Teacher, self and partner (if there is one)
will all evaluate the final product. After projects are presented and reflected upon students will have the
opportunity to edit and re-do their presentation with their new modifications.
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Activity:
Each group will present their project and become the “expert” over the parts of a cell, what each
part is responsible for and how it connects to their life.
Each group will present their project for practice and for critical feedback from teacher, self and
classmates.
When the groups have the opportunity to read their critiques they have the option to edit their
project for a final presentation.
Final presentation with modifications and teacher rubric grade.
Assessment:
Rubric for teacher, self and partner assessment, Teacher will interact with individual groups discussing
feedback and modifications made to projects
Reform 4R
Overview:
Take a virtual field trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo and connect with their genetic conservation team with
their Madagascar Exhibit through the education department.
Details:
Objective:
Students will take a virtual field trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo and connect with experts on genetic
conservation and conservation in general. Students will connect what they learned about cells to
conservation.
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Activity:
Class discussion on the over conservation genetics.
Large group will split up into table groups and reflect on why they think cells are important to
conservation. They can journal, draw a picture or have a group discussion.
Generate a list of questions from the group reflections before the zoo connection that deals with
conservation, genetics, and cells.
Connect with the Henry Doorly Zoo and start a dialogue about conservation genetics and lead into
where technology has led the science world.
Backchannel during the presentation to generate a running class journal and to generate
discussions.
Assessment:
Group discussion, Backchannel, Global Connections