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Messiah College
Instructional Plan Template for
Elementary, Early Childhood, and Secondary Education
Name: Katherine Edelman
Date: 11/5/2014
Grade: 7th Grade

Subject: Life Science

Topic: Mitosis
School: Mechanicsburg MS

A. Instructional Goal (with Learned Capability specified)

Students will be able to identify the four phases of mitosis.
B. Pennsylvania Academic Standard(s)
BIO.B.1.1.1: Describe the events that occur during the cell cycle: interphase, nuclear division
(i.e., mitosis or meiosis), cytokinesis.
C. Essential Content (only what is necessary to perform the instructional goal)
Students will be able to identify and draw each of the four mitotic phases including
prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.
Students will keep track of the number of chromosomes between the parent and daughter
cells.
D. Instructional Objective (Summative Assessment Strategy, same as Part F)
context
performance:
capability
performance:
action

quality

Using their packet page 15 and a power point presentation, and working as large group
Students will be able to identify the four phases of mitosis as well as draw the phases of mitosis.
By listening and reading the power point presentation, students will fill out their packet pg. 15
outlining the phases of mitosis; as a group of ten students, students will recreate the phases of
mitosis, and for independent practice will create a graphic organizer of the mitotic phases and draw
a cell during each phase.
Students must complete their graphic organizer and with 100% accuracy draw each mitotic phase;
students are expected to be active participants in the acting demonstration of the mitotic phases and
must answer comprehension questions during the activity.

E. Instructional Sequence
1. Pre-instructional Phase (preparing learners: attention, motivation, expectancy)
Journal Question (discussion only): How does a person actually grow up? [Post
pictures of teacher as child, teenager, and current picture to spark student discussion.]
[Attention, Motivation]
Engage students in a classroom discussion about what actually happens in the body as
students grow. Direct their conversation toward cells and cellular division. Spark
discussion by asking students: When I was a little girl, I was very active so I always
scraped my knees or skinned by elbows. Why can I not see where those injuries were
located? [Attention, Retrieval, Motivation]
Introduce the idea of mitosis and ask students to take out their unit 3 notes packet to
begin taking notes from the power point. [Expectancy]
2. Instructional Phase (engaging learners with essential content)
Activity One: PowerPoint Presentation
The power point will look similar to the students packet pages. Students will fill out
their packet pages as the instructor explains each phase of mitosis. Students will look

up with pencils down when they are ready for the instructor to change slides.
[Encoding, Selective Perception, Guided Practice]
Begin instruction by introducing students to each phase of mitosis.
o On the second slide which provides the definition of mitosis; teacher will
make the following additional statements:
Mitosis is the nuclear division of a non-reproductive eukaryotic cell.
Mitosis occurs in eukaryotic (containing a nucleus and membranebound organelles) cells.
Mitosis is often called nuclear division because it results in two
duplicate cells from a single cell.
In the cell cycle, mitosis follows interphase and comes before
cytokinesis.
At each stage, introduce a hand motion to represent a phase of mitosis. [Encoding]
o Prophase: Fingers are interlocked
o Metaphase: Hands together
o Anaphase: Hands are pulled apart
o Telophase: Two fists
Slide three on the PowerPoint is set up the same way as packet page 19. Before
introducing the descriptions of each of the mitotic phases, teacher will briefly explain
the cell cycle.
o To understand each phase of the cell cycle, you must know about the cell
functions that occur in order to prepare the cell for mitosis, or the cell
division. The preparation phase is called interphase. The cell spends most of
its time in this stage. An important event that occurs during interphase is the
copying of the DNA. [Guided practice, feedback]
o The two main stages of the cell cycle are interphase, which is growth and
development, and then the mitotic phase, reproduction, which is then followed
by the division of the cytoplasm to make two new cells. [Guided practice,
feedback]
Slide Four: Prophase
o Ask students: What happens to the nuclear membrane during prophase? How
is this indicated in the diagram? [Guided practice, feedback]
Slide Six: Anaphase
o Ask students: What happens to the spindle fibers during anaphase?
Slide Seven: Telophase
o Some people often say that telophase is the opposite of prophase. What are
some reasons why telophase is the opposite of prophase? [The nuclear
membrane breaks down during prophase and is built up around the
chromosomes during telophase. In telophase, the chromatin condenses to
chromosomes, and in telophase it relaxes.] [Guided practice, feedback]
o Ask students: What would happen during mitosis if the chromosomes did not
replicate during telophase? [Each daughter cell would receive only part of
the genetic information it requires.] [Guided practice, feedback]
Slide Eight: Cytokinesis
o Ask students: Would a cell plate form in your own body during cytokinesis?
Explain. [Guided practice, feedback]

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o Why is cell division important for repairing the body? [Cells or tissues that
are injured need to be replaced. Cell division produces new cells that repair
some kinds of damage to the body.] [Guided practice, feedback]
o Why is the result of the cell cycle important? [The cell cycle is important
for growth in multicellular organisms, reproduction in some organisms,
replacement of worn-out cells, and repair of damaged cells.] [Guided
practice, feedback]
3. Post-instructional Phase (strengthening learning through continued practice)
Activity Two: Class acting out the phases of mitosis
Assign Roles to 10 students at a time; Each student will wear a name tag [Guided
Practice]
o 4 students and string = cell membrane
o 4 students= 2 chromosomes
o 2 students= spindle fibers
Pick out 10 students and go through each of the phases in the middle of the class. Split
the middle row of desks and create an empty space in the middle of the classroom.
Students will have a name tag describing which part of the cell they are describing
o Start by choosing four students to represent the cell membrane, have them spread
out in a circle with a rope
o Two pairs of students, hooked arms, represent the chromosomes.
o Two other students will represent the spindle fibers.
After all of the students representing the cell know their roles; teacher will move students
around to represent each phase of mitosis. [Reinforcement, Guided Practice]
During each phase, ask a student to describe the position of the cell parts and what is
happening [Feedback]
After the teacher has explicitly led the students through each of the mitotic phases, the
teacher will provide less prompts to lead a new group of ten students. If there is time for a
third round, the students who are not one of the cell parts will direct the inner-students,
who represent the cell, through the phases of mitosis. Teacher will only interject if the
students act out a phrase incorrectly. [Independent Practice, Assess, Transfer]
Activity Three: Independent Practice
For homework, students will draw each stage of the cell and write a few bullet points
describing each stage on a graphic organizer. [Independent Practice, Feedback]
Activity Four: Review
During the last minute of class, the teacher will hold us laminated pictures of cells at
different stages. Collectively the class will shout out the name of the phase as their
verbal ticket out the door. [Reinforcement, Feedback]
F. Summative Assessment
Students will answer questions during the demonstration of the mitotic phases about
the number of chromosomes, the placement of chromosomes, and predicting what
will happen next. [Formative Assessment]
Students will complete their graphic organizer of the phases of mitosis and draw each
cell with 100% accuracy. [Summative Assessment]
Observe students during the third round of acting out the phases of mitosis
[Formative Assessment]

Make sure all students participate in some way during the acting activity [Formative
Assessment]
G. Modifications and Accommodations for Individual Learners
A list of additional resources including online practice quizzes and animated
explanations of the mitotic phases will be given to any student requiring this type of
assistance. (attached)
If a student with social anxiety does not want to directly participate in the
demonstration of the mitotic phases, the teacher will not make him/her be a part of the
cell, but instead will only ask that student comprehension questions.
During the demonstration of mitosis, a picture of the cell cycle will be projected on
the board with each phases labeled. This will help the visual learners and any students
who are struggling.
Students who might need an opportunity for additional learning can complete a
reading comprehension assignment and answer the discussion questions. (Reading,
questions, and answer key attached)
Another opportunity for students who might want additional materials can complete a
Sequence of Mitosis worksheet. (Attached)
H. Resources
1. Materials
White board, overhead projector, mitotic phase graphic organizer, name
tags for each cell phase, string, extended practice papers, laminated cells and marking
period packet.
2. Advance Preparations
The teacher should gather materials and create name tags
for the acting activity. In addition, the teacher should have mastery knowledge on the
content and familiar with the outline of the daily lesson in case modifications need to be
made mid-lesson. Extra activities should also be prepared if there is extra time at the end
of class or if students are consistently off task.
3. References
Mitosis. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.pdesas.org/module/content/resources/16634/view.ashx
The Pennsylvania Department of Education posts many resources and lesson plans for
teachers. This lesson plan provides standards related to the cell cycle and possible
assessments to test students.
Whitmore, C. (Producer). How to remember the steps of mitosis. [Video/DVD] Standard
YouTube License.
This is a "hand-mnemonic" device to help students remember the four basic stages of
mitosis (cell division). The fingers act as chromosomes. In Prophase the chromosomes
aPpear, in Metaphase they line up in the Middle, in Anaphase they are pulled Apart, and
in Telophase you have Two new cells. The letters are capitalized to help remember the
names of each stage.

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I. Daily Lessons- Day One
1. Time Estimate
a. Pre-instructional phase: 7 minutes
b. Instructional phase: 15 minutes
c. Post-instructional phase: 25 minutes
2. Pre-Instructional Phase [Expectancy, Motivation, Interest, Attention (Anticipatory Set)]
a. Journal Question: How does a person actually grow up? [Discussion only,
not written in journal]
b. Class Discussion
3. Instruction Phase [Specific Learning Activities]
a. PowerPoint presentation and note taking
4. Post-Instructional Phase: [Review, Wrap-up (Closure)]
a. Act out the phases of mitosis
b. Graphic Organizer
c. Verbal Ticket out the Door