Nora has a Master's degree in teaching, and has taught a variety of elementary grades.
There are several different ways that cells divide and reproduce. One way is through the process of meiosis, in which the cells reproduce with half the DNA of the original cell. As you work through a unit on cells and cellular reproduction, you'll want to find fun and engaging ways to get your students to learn about meiosis and analyze the process. The following activities will give you some ideas on ways to challenge your students. With them, they'll demonstrate their understanding of meiosis, and then show that they're able to analyze the process.
Have your students research the different phases of meiosis: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. They should then create an illustrated diagram that shows what happens in each phase. As students work, circulate the room and make sure their diagrams are accurate. Have your students display their diagrams around the classroom to refer to as they continue learning about cells and cellular division.
Divide students into pairs and give each pair two Venn diagrams. Your students should examine the two processes of meiosis and mitosis and determine which aspects are the same and which are different. After students have filled in their Venn diagrams, have them share their work with another pair. Then, ask your students to share one similarity and one difference with the whole class.
Have students choose one phase of meiosis: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, or telophase. They should create a costume to try and get other students to guess which phase they are. For instance, if a student chooses to make a costume of the prophase, they might dress us as a chromosome that is short, thick, and coiled up like the chromosomes become during this phase. Encourage your students to think creatively with their costumes. Have a party in which all the students dress up as a phase, and then try to guess their fellow students' phases.
In small groups, have your students create a mural that shows the process of meiosis. If you don't have a wall that's available to paint, your students can create their murals on large pieces of butcher paper. Your students should go through a planning phase, in which they decide on how to show the process of meiosis using just images. Then, they should create a draft to-scale on a smaller piece of paper. You might have your students workshop these drafts with another group where they can offer suggestions and constructive criticism.
In small groups, have your students develop a board game in which players have to go through different phases of meiosis and complete tasks. For instance, a player might go through metaphase and have to move chromosomes to the equator of a cell. Encourage your students to think outside the box and develop a game they themselves would have fun playing. Then, have the groups teach their game to another group. Through this, students get a chance to play a game and learn even more about meiosis.
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