David Prosser

9th Grade Biology Class

Lesson Title/Subject: Mitosis
Standards
LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms "In multicellular organisms individual cells grow and
then divide by a process called mitosis, thereby allowing the organism to grow. The organism begins as a
single cell (fertilized egg) that divides successively to produce many cells, with each parent cell passing
identical genetic material (two variants of each chromosome pair) to both daughter cells."
LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits "Genes are located in the chromosomes of cells, with each chromosome
pair containing two variants of each of many distinct genes. Each distinct gene chiefly controls the
production of specific proteins, which in turn affects the traits of the individual. Changes (mutations) to
genes can result in changes to proteins, which can affect the structures and functions of the organism
and thereby change traits." "Each chromosome consists of a single very long DNA molecule, and each
gene on the chromosome is a particular segment of that DNA. The instructions for forming species'
characteristics are carried in DNA."
This activity helps to prepare students for the Performance Expectations:
MS-LS3-2, "Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with
identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation."
HS-LS3-1, "Ask questions to clarify relationships about the role of DNA and chromosomes in coding the
instructions for characteristic traits passed from parents to offspring."
Purpose/Rationale
Students will learn about mitosis and use model chromosomes to simulate the process of mitosis. This
activity helps students to learn about how mitosis enables new cells to get a complete set of genes.
Students will learn how gene-carrying chromosomes travel during mitosis and will understand how this
process ends with genes being transmitted from parent to offspring cells.
Background Knowledge
In the previous two lessons, students learned about chromosomes, alleles, the cell cycle, and received
introductory knowledge about mitosis. So far they have learned that cell division is necessary for new
cells to be made and in todays lesson they will receive more knowledge on how cell division occurs
through mitosis.

*Instructional Objectives:
Audience ninth graders, mixed ethnicities,

Assessment (formal/informal) HOW you

will assess: WHAT you will be looking for:
By the end of the lesson students will be able

boys and girls

Behavior Students will contribute to the

topic discussion on mitosis and will
collaborate in groups
Condition Students will use a double-sided
worksheet

Degree All students will operate according

to teachers instructions within 2 minutes of
when instruction was given

*Language Objectives:
The students will know the following
vocabulary terms: Chromosomes, Chromatin,
Chromatid, Interphase, Mitosis, Cytokinesis,
Spindle Fibers, Daughter Cells, and
Replication.

The students will be able to talk in pairs while

doing their worksheets and use their
vocabulary terms to describe mitosis.

Students will think, pair, share on two

questions and will verbally describe mitosis to
one another

to complete a worksheet on how cell division

occurs by working in pairs. This will enable
them to build a model in the next days class
to show how cell division occurs.
Teacher will monitor class discussion and
ascertain class participation, teacher will
monitor group work and critique it.
Teacher will observe that class is following
along on their worksheets during the frontloading and guided instruction aspects and
then monitor students working in pairs on the
worksheet.
Teacher will walk around making sure that
students are engaged during the fronloading/guided instruction portion of the
lesson and later to make sure that all groups
participate in the worksheet activity. Teacher
will speak to groups or individuals as
necessary to get them on task.

Assessment (formal/informal) HOW you

will assess: WHAT you will be looking for:
Vocabulary Strategy: Many of these words
were introduced on Monday and Tuesday and
will be built upon in this lesson by the teacher
to describe mitosis. Students will have to use
this vocabulary on their worksheets to fill in
sentence blanks on the various aspects of
mitosis. The teacher will walk around and
monitor the students as they work.
Comprehension Strategy: During the group
assignment the teacher will ask that the
students use scientific language and their
vocabulary terms to monitor the group
discussions to hear if academic language is
being used on the assignment.
Comprehension Strategy: Teacher will walk
around and observe students talking to see if
key concepts are being related intelligibly by
students and will monitor discussions on
mitosis for comprehension

*Multicultural Objectives:
Students will realize that mitosis is necessary
for them to exist and to continue to exist.

Assessment (formal/informal)- HOW you will

assess: WHAT you will be looking for:
The warmup questions will tie into this
multicultural objective and so will a follow up
question that the students will answer on
their worksheets after the warmup questions.

Materials and Safety Precautions (if applicable)

Worksheet: Mitosis How Each New Cell Gets a Complete Set of Genes
YouTube video played on a laptop and displayed by the projector on the screen: Mitosis
PowerPoint presentation
Accommodations for special needs, advanced and English language

EL Students: I will go to these students to make sure they are integrating into their groups and are being
aided by their groupmate.
Special Needs: Special needs students will receive additional instruction after the group activity has begun
by myself and by the instructional aide in the class.
Advanced Learners: Advanced learners will be encouraged to either, A) help aid peers if they finish early,
or B) learn more about Mitosis by reading the chapter in their textbook which goes into the topic in a lot
more depth.

Procedures
1. Beginning Warm up: Students will answer two questions on their warm up sheets that are
displayed on the projector and written on a white board in the back of the class: What is
mitosis? and How would you be affected if mitosis didnt exist?
After a few minutes the teacher will ask for volunteers to share their answers to the
warm up and will ask follow up questions to the class and call on volunteers in order to
expand knowledge and to frame mitosis in the overall life-cycle of a cell for the students
o Students who finish early will be instructed to take out their worksheet from the
day before
o While working on their warmups, the teacher will hand out a new worksheet on
Mitosis that will be used for front-loading, guided instruction, and group work
(in pairs)
2. Teacher goes over the last 2 answers on yesterdays worksheet
Reads the first question, then asks for answers to the question and calls on volunteers.
o Teacher then gives his answer to compliment the other answers given and also
to correct any misperceptions shared by students
Reads the second question, then asks the class to think, pair, share the question.
o Teacher has students work individually, then share in pairs, then asks the class
for answers.
o Teacher then gives his answer to compliment the other answers given and also
to correct any misperceptions shared by students

3. Class watches a YouTube video: Mitosis and the teacher asks the class follow up questions
to highlight important information
4. Teacher gives Google Slides presentation on Mitosis
Students follow along on their worksheets
o Teacher asks the students questions periodically to engage them during the
front-loading
5. Teacher reads the next question on the worksheet and models how to answer it, and the
kind of scientific thinking that is used
6. Teacher has the class divide into pairs to work on the rest of the worksheet which is a
review of the material taught in todays class. The teacher instructs the class to use scientific
academic language, and specifically the current vocabulary words to show that they
comprehend the material
a. Teacher walks around monitoring the groups working and listening for scientific
language being used (vocabulary terms) to describe mitosis and asks follow up
questions when need be to ascertain student comprehension
i. Teacher asks pairs questions in order to ascertain their comprehension of
mitosis
7. If anyone finishes early the teacher will check their work and ask them if theyd like to help
another group or read more in depth about mitosis in their textbook
8. By the end of class, if students have not finished, the teacher will assign the rest of the
worksheet for homework so that the next class can be used for students to build models to
represent mitosis