UNIT I:
INTRODUCTION TO THE CELL
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Cell/Developmental Biology
Group 4
Bryant Chase, Lloyd Epstein, Trisha Spears, Florida State University
Jill Beyette and Brian Kinkle, University of Cincinnati
Kathy Miller and Kathy Hafer, Washington University
“The Bloom-ing Idiots”
Context
• First semester, introductory biology class for
majors
• Large lecture format (> 100 students)
• The unit is designed to span 4-5 lectures
• The tidbit is designed to be used the first day
of lecture
At the end of the unit, students should…
Understand:
1. differences between
living and non-living
entities.
Be able to:
1a. list defining properties of a living entity
1b. evaluate evidence and decide if an entity is alive
or not alive
2. the essential
2a. draw and label parts of a cell;
characteristics and defining 2b. describe the function of essential components of
properties of a cell.
the cell;
2c. explain leading hypotheses on the origin of cells;
2d. explain the origin of extant cells.
3. an organism can be one
cell or many cells.
4. not all the cells are the
same.
3. name 3 types of uni- and multicellular organisms.
5. scientific knowledge is
incomplete and subject to
change.
5. evaluate the ability of our current definition of life to
accommodate new scientific and technological
innovations
4a. list different types of cells (in a human).
4b. explain/suggest hypotheses for why some cells
are different from others.
4c. compare & contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic
cells.
At the end of the unit, students should…
Understand:
1. differences between
living and non-living
entities.
Be able to:
1a. list defining properties of a living entity
1b. evaluate evidence and decide if an entity is
alive or not alive
2. the essential
2a. draw and label parts of a cell;
characteristics and defining 2b. describe the function of essential components of
properties of a cell.
the cell;
2c. explain leading hypotheses on the origin of cells;
2d. explain the origin of extant cells.
3. an organism can be one
cell or many cells.
4. not all the cells are the
same.
3. name 3 types of uni- and multicellular organisms.
5. scientific knowledge is
incomplete and subject
to change.
5. evaluate the ability of our current definition of life to
accommodate new scientific and technological
innovations
4a. list different types of cells (in a human).
4b. explain/suggest hypotheses for why some cells
are different from others.
4c. compare & contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic
cells.
Learning Goals for this Tidbit
Students will understand:
1. fundamental differences between living and
non-living entities
Learning Goals for this Tidbit
Students will understand:
1. fundamental differences between living and
non-living entities
2. that scientific knowledge is dynamic
– the body of knowledge is currently incomplete
– new knowledge can cause us to change our
theories about science
Learning Goals for this Tidbit
Students will understand:
1. fundamental differences between living and
non-living entities
2. that scientific knowledge is dynamic
– the body of knowledge is incomplete
– new knowledge can cause us to change our
theories about science
3. categories and definitions that scientists use
have limitations and may change over time
Learning Outcomes
After completing this tidbit, students will be able
to:
– list defining properties of a living entity
– analyze evidence and decide if an entity is alive
– evaluate the ability of our current definition of life
to accommodate new scientific and technological
innovations
Have you met Aiko?
YouTube video
Clicker activity:
Have you met Aiko?
Is Aiko alive?
A)Yes
B)No
C)I don’t have sufficient information
What are the defining characteristics
of life?
• On your own, take 1 minute and write down
at least 3 characteristics of all living things.
• Assemble into groups of 4 and take 2 minutes
to make a single combined list. Choose your
top 3.
Defining characteristics of life
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Evolution
Organization (cells)
Growth (and development)
Metabolism
Reproduction (genetic material)
Regulation (homeostasis)
Response (to environment)
Clicker activity:
Try these: Which of these are living
entities?
A: 1
B: 2
C: 3
D: 2 and 3
E: 1, 2 and 3
1
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TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
2
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
3
Now it gets harder.
Which of these are living entities?
A: 1
B: 2
C: 3
D: 1 and 2
E: 1 and 3
1
2
3
Let’s imagine Aiko 10.0
• real human skin
• solar-powered
• programmed to build Aiko 11.0, Ariko 1.0 (a boy)
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Clicker question: Thinking about the list of
defining characteristics of life, is Aiko 11.0
now alive?
A) Yes
B) No
Clicker question: Thinking about the list of
defining characteristics of life, is Aiko 11.0
now alive?
A) Yes
B) No
Food for thought: what would make Aiko 11.0
alive? Do we need to modify our list?
Homework assignment
Venter Institute Scientists Create First
Synthetic Bacterial Genome
http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/synt
hetic-bacterial-genome/press-release/
Assignment: read the article and write a short
paragraph evaluating whether Venter has
successfully created new life
Learning Goals for the Entire Teachable Unit
Students should understand the following:
• differences between living and non-living entities
• the essential characteristics and defining
properties of a cell
• not all cells are the same
• an organism can be one cell or many cells
• scientific knowledge is incomplete and subject to
change
Formative Assessments
1. Individual response clicker questions
2. Individual followed by group brainstorm
3. Group discussion
4. Repeat clicker question after evaluating
new evidence
Summative Assessment
Exam Question:
Assume a Mars probe brought back a sample with
the following properties:
•It moves toward light
•It responds to sound by repeating the sounds
•It can pick up small objects and internalize them
The director of the Mars Study Group announces
that life has been discovered on Mars. Do you
agree? Explain your reasoning.
Addressing Diversity
Our classroom activities accommodate different learning
styles in the following ways:
•Visual (photographs)
•Auditory (group discussion and listening to instructor)
•Read/write (list and one minute paper homework assignment)
Group work encourages diverse students to work together
and share ideas
We use a variety of universally recognizable images in
our presentation
Opportunities to expand teaching unit:
1. Define each item on the list generated by the class and take time
to address possible misconceptions.
Example: Ask students, “Do you agree with this item on the list?
Why or why not?”
2. Expand on the following themes: the scientific process, scientists
form collaborations all the time, richness that diversity brings to
science, the body of scientific knowledge expands as scientists
evaluate new evidence.
Examples: a) Elaborate on the metacognitive process that the
students went through while they were generating their lists “How
did you generate your list? What information did you draw on to do
so?”, etc. b) Discuss the benefits of the brainstorming activity
when performed alone or in groups. c) Address student
interpretations of what life is outside of the biological perspective,
and reinforce that science is based on evidence.
3. Continue the theme “is X alive or not alive?” with other examples in
the course (red blood cell, viruses, etc.)
4. Address relationships between science and technology.
Example: Ask students “Will new advances in our technology cause
us to re-think what our curren t definition of life is?”
5. Explore ethical issues that can arise for this topic. For example,
when does life start? What are the implications if “artificial life” and
life become indistinguishable? Are we comfortable destroying
artificial life?
6. Use a pre-post assessment to examine student’s attitudes towards
science and what it is that they think scientists do.