Modeling Mitosis
Structured Investigation Inquiry: Modeling Mitosis
Students will be required to understand the process of mitosis and demonstrate this by drawing pictures of the different mitotic stages in the correct temporal order. These drawings will be judged by how complete they are. For example, the subcellular organelles involved in each stage, including the nuclear membrane, chromosomes, spindle fibers, and centrioles, should be clearly labeled and depicted in a manner that reflects the correct structure for a given mitotic stage. The students will then provide a written, overall summary to demonstrate their grasp of the terminology used to describe mitosis.
Class Performance Ranking Results for Modeling Mitosis:
Exceeding expectations: 50%
Meeting expectations: 33%
Below expectations: 12%
Critique of Student A, an Example of Meeting Expectations:
The student's description of mitosis revealed minor discrepancies in her grasp of the knowledge that included the following:
Cytokinesis was defined as one cell splitting into two.
Interphase was defined in the summary as the period when chromosomes are copied, but the drawing did not show chromosomes.
The summary discussion of prophase discussed the movement of centromeres to the opposite sides of the cell, but failed to mention the nuclear membrane. She also failed to label the centrioles in the drawing of the prophase cell.
The summary discussion of metaphase cells stated that chromosomes line up and then separate into chromatids, but failed to label the chromatids in the drawing
Telophase is described as the period when the nuclear membrane reforms and cytokinesis occurs, but the drawing depicted completely...
The pre-laboratory exam included a question, hypothesis, and Venn diagram designed to probe the depth of their understanding. Following completion of the laboratory project, which involved students dissecting the muscles and bones of chicken wings, another assessment of student understanding was performed using a questionnaire and essay section. The rankings of student performance were based on terminology use, topical fluency, and how well they used their own words to demonstrate subject matter comprehension. Students who demonstrated mastery of the material were judged as exceeding expectations.
Class Performance Ranking Results for Pre- and Post-Laboratory Exercises for Chicken Wing Dissection:
Exceeding expectations: 40%
Meeting expectations: 44%
Below expectations: 16%
Critique of Student B, an Example of Exceeding Expectations:
This student exceeded expectations for several reasons, including the following:
In response to the question "How do our muscles and bones work together to move the wing?" she answered "The muscles attach to bones with tendons, and flex so that the bones can move." This answer matched her drawing of muscles and bones, which demonstrated consistent comprehension of the material and her understanding of…
