Meiosis Unit
Target audience – 10th grade on level biology class.
Class size: 33 students. 85% have some sort of
accommodation
The class is co-taught.
Day 1
Mitosis Review
Mitosis rap (same one from the Mitosis unit)
Concept map presentation
Purpose of mitosis
Key vocabulary review
• Word Wall – decorated with Mnemonics
• Decorated Flash cards
Simple Carbohydrate Quiz (oral quiz with candy prizes
– class ritual – used to check for understanding)
Rationale
• I commonly play a youtube.com rap about whatever our
topic is as students enter the room. If the rap’s lyrics
function as direct instruction, I will play it every day so that
students memorize the lyrics. Otherwise, I find a different
one every day for novelty.
• Presenting the concept map helps students connect each
day’s lesson to the larger picture.
• Since, at this level of biology, the concepts are not very
difficult but the vocabulary is, I use the arts as mnemonics.
Further, using a word wall in conjunction with flash cards
reinforces the key vocabulary.
• The candy quiz also helps with behavior management in
that students are required to raise a hand quietly and wait
without calling out.
Day 2
Mitosis Process (stages)
Mitosis Rap (play as students enter)
Cloze Notes (scaffolded)
PMAT review with key vocabulary emphasized
• Prophase
• Metaphase
• Anaphase
• Telophase
Simple Carbohydrate Quiz
Rationale
• The cloze notes are scaffolded to 3 different levels
based on a student’s ability or IEP specification.
Day 3
PMAT Murals
Work in groups
Jokes, Jokes, Jokes
(class contest for making up jokes using key
vocabulary)
Simple Carbohydrate Quiz
Rationale
• The mural is a group activity that is a reinforcement
through art. Working in groups insures that any
individual’s misconceptions are corrected.
• I regularly use humor to teach vocabulary. This is
structured time for students to develop their own
jokes. I collect the jokes and use them in the study
guide. The rules for the jokes are that they have to
be “grandma-friendly” and cannot single out a
specific category of people.
Day 4
Meiosis Introduction
Meiosis rap (youtube.com)
Purpose
New Vocabulary
• Decorated Word Wall (with several mnemonics –
student developed)
• Decorated Flash Cards
Simple Carbohydrate Quiz
Day 5
Meiosis rap (youtube.com)
Vocabulary Word of the Day
Meiosis process (stages)
Scaffolded Cloze notes
• Diagram
Simple Carbohydrate Quiz
Rationale
• I highlight one key vocabulary word each day for
reinforcement. Presentations vary between
drawings, jokes and songs. I also give out a candy
prize after a student uses the word correctly after
the secret number of times, i.e. the 7th or 10th time.
This causes students to practice using the word of
the day and results in repeated reinforcement. It is
also a way to check for understanding.
Day 6
Meiosis rap (youtube.com)
Vocabulary Word of the Day
Clay Modeling of Meiosis (work in pairs – Play Blue
Danube in the background)
Simple Carbohydrate Quiz
Rationale
• The clay modeling is a hands on activity in which
students re-enact all 8 stages of meiosis. The
“crossing over” component is represented by
multiple colors of clay.
• Playing the Blue Danube is both foreshadowing for
our culminating activity on Day 8 and to get the
students accustomed to hearing an unfamiliar
rhythm whose meter will be utilized for retention and
recall.
Day 7
Meiosis rap (youtube.com)
Vocabulary Word of the Day
Venn Diagram of mitosis and meiosis
Jeopardy Game on the Promethean (a smart board –
use the Blue Danube as the “thinking” music)
Meiosis Jokes
Simple Carbohydrate Quiz
Rationale
• The Venn diagram is a check for understanding for
comparing mitosis and meiosis. Confusing the 2
processes is where many students have difficulty.
• Jeopardy is played by teams that are teacherselected for competitive parity. The rules are that no
one can answer a second time until everyone on a
team has answered once. Team mates cannot tell
each other answers but may point to the answers in
their notes.
Day 8
Meiosis rap (youtube.com)
Vocabulary Word of the Day
Re-enactment of Meiosis by the whole class (play Blue
Danube with narration on the Promethean)
Flip books (cartoons) of meiosis
Pass out Study Guide
Create test for family members
Simple Carbohydrate Quiz
Rationale
• The human re-enactment of meiosis is narrated by a
student to the waltz rhythm of “The Blue Danube”.
The slowness of the rhythm allows students time to
retrieve information while the group nature of the
activity affords correction of misconceptions.
• The flip book is an additional reinforcement that
students can use in study.
• Making a test for family member is a fun de facto
way of studying. It also facilitates families to support
students.
Day 9
Meiosis rap (youtube.com)
Test
Day 10
Meiosis Rap
Review test answers with explanations
Rationale
• Going over the right test answers reinforces correct
retrieval and corrects any misconceptions.
• I also vocalize the metacognitive process of how to
look at each question. The purpose here is to help
students prepare for the state exam in May.