Outline of cells unit, goals, objectives, activities.
Materials: Chart paper Markers Illustration of the brain Drawing paper Colored pencils Category-graphic organizers, 5th grade science text book Schools Attuned Glossary of Neurodevelopmental terms
Materials
Lesson Procedure
Background before actual lesson: The lesson incorporated using memory skills to recall and receive new information on "cells". Since the beginning of the school year I had begun to actively use the construct terminology during my lessons to engage the interest of my students about how they think while they are learning. So by the time we began the cells unit my students had prior schema in short-term, active, and long term memory, attention controls such as the production output.
Goals of the lesson:
1. memorizing and identifying parts of a cell
2. being able to describe through writing and discussion functions of cells
Activities for lesson:
1. I drew on chart paper a model of a brain's side profile and divided the inside into sections that looked like puzzle pieces. Then I labeled each piece with a construct title. The students copied the model using colored pencils and drawing paper. The drawings were stapled into their notebooks for future use.
2. The memory piece was our focus for the lesson and a brief discussion was held regarding how all the pieces of the brain work together to help us function on a daily basis. A web of ideas was created during discussion.
3. We then read a section in the chaper and studied a diagram of cells. Then I asked my students to review the diagram and close their books.
4. I then did an oral drill with them by asking who could tell me the main parts of a cell they had just learned. Most students were able to tell me three of the six main parts we had just read and visually studied.
5. I asked them to open their books to review the diagram again and we reviewed the functions of each part. Then I asked how we could link information to our long term memories.
6. Strategies we used to help us:
a. labeled parts of cell in alphabetical order
b. drew a diagram and labeled parts in an ordered path starting from the inside of the cell: Chromosomes =1, Nucleus =2, cytoplasm =3, etc.
c. The last thing we did was create a jingle describing the parts of the cell -fun and successful!
Continued with Second Goal:
Students being able to talk about functions of cells.
Activities:
1. We began by reading a section in the chapter about the functions of cells.
2. I asked my students to close their books. I then asked them to tell me what they remembered. Again the results were less than half of the material read.
3. I suggested we needed to help our short and active working memories by using some kind of chart to help us remember the information.
4. This lead to creating and filling in a "category" graphic organizer which associated cell functions with daily life activities. For example running = leg muscle cells, scrap = skin cells, eating = mouth cells, arm muscle cells, etc. Categorizing and associating real life activities was effective in helping students link how cells help with life activities.
5. We then reread the section in the textbook about cell functions. I asked my students to close their books.
6. I then played an association game with them. I decribed a function and my students described how cells helped with that function.
Final activity -Students created booklets using pictures in magazines to cut out and then describe the life activity cells were helping with in the picture.
The best part of the lesson was the follow-up discussion. I asked my students what activities were used to help their memory skills and everyone was clearly able to identify all the activities that we did to link information from short term memory to long term memory! Hooray for my students - what a great feeling teaching and learning experience.
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