Danielle Lopes

December 4th, 2023

EDU 415 – Dr. Wargo
Strategy Collection

1. Strategy: Group Peer-Teaching Chart

Standard: Cell Cycle (Standard - 3.1.B.A4)
Tradebook: “All About Mitosis and Meiosis” by Elizabeth Cregan
Annotated bibliography:
Cregan, E., R., C. (2007). All about mitosis and meiosis. Teacher Created Materials

This book is written for a target audience of 9-18 year olds, so it is an appropriate level
for high school biology students. It covers the topic of mitosis, which is a crucial part of
the cell cycle. This book is well organized and contains useful visuals for ease of reading.
It could be used as an assigned reading or as a trade book that students can flip through
for a research project or regarding questions they may have.

Description: Students would each be given a copy of the blank chart. Each team will
receive one “answer box” that they can use to fill in the chart. Through discussion as a
class, the students will help the other teams fill in their blank spaces on the chart. The end
result will be that each student has filled in their blank chart. This activity utilizes
cooperative learning, because the students must work together to complete the chart,
since every team will only have the answer to one blank. The tradebook for this
assignment can be used to obtain this information, answer questions or discrepancy about
the answers, and provide visuals to demonstrate the information since it is relatively
abstract which may be more challenging for students to grasp.
Sample:

Number of Genetic similarity Haploid Crossing Phases

daughter cells vs. Diploid over?
Mitosis
Meiosis

Number of Genetic similarity Haploid Crossing Phases

daughter cells vs. Diploid over?
Mitosis 2 identical 2n no PMAT
Meiosis 4 non-identical n yes PMAT
2. Strategy: White Board Impromptu Presentations
Standard: Characteristics of Life (Standard - 3.1.B.A1)
Tradebook: “Plant Reproduction” by Shelly Buchanan
Annotated Bibliography:
Buchanan, S. (2015). Plant reproduction. Teacher Created Materials.

This trade book is written with a fourth grade reading level in mind, which makes it a
useful resource for middle or high schoolers who could use an easy reader for
introductory material. Because of its focus on reproduction, it fits well into the state
standard about the main characteristics of living things. I think that this book in particular
would be helpful because most students are more familiar with mammalian and animal
reproduction rather than that of plants, and there can be confusion especially in the
subject of sexual reproduction in plants.

Description: For this strategy, I would divide up the seven characteristics of life and split
the students into small groups, one group for each characteristic. I would give the student
groups 10 minutes to use resources, including the tradebook listed above, to develop a
mini presentation about the characteristic of life that they have been assigned. I would
have a variety of tradebooks and other hands-on resources available for the students to
use. The presentations would only be ~2 minutes long, and would be given in front of the
class. This strategy would focus on the following components of Marzano’s Top Nine:
identifying similarities and differences, and collaborative learning. It would also serve as
a strategy for activating prior knowledge.

Sample: N/A
3. Strategy: Double-Entry Journal
Standard: Compare and contrast various theories of evolution (Standard - 3.1.B.C3)
Tradebook: “The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries” by Donald R. Prothero
Annotated Bibliography:
Prothero, D., R. (2020). The story of evolution in 25 discoveries. Columbia University
Press.

This book presents the theory of evolution from a modern perspective and provides
support for claims that go against the idea of creationism. Advanced biology students or
apologetics students would benefit greatly from hearing the current theory held by
evolutionists, regardless of their own personal beliefs. This would be an excellent
resource for a scientific debate or for examining in a discussion-based class or project.

Description: Students will be given a double-entry journal sheet with the first side asking
the question “what does the author claim?” and the second side asking “what are your
thoughts?” This strategy uses the technique of writing to learn, and encourages students
to consider and express their own thoughts and opinions on the topic. It can be used as an
introduction into a discussion in the classroom, leading to collaborative learning. It also
can be used for students to identify similarities and differences between the modern view
of evolution and their own views. Both of these (collaboration and identifying
similarities/differences) are part of Marzano’s Top Nine for instructional strategies. The
students will read an assigned chapter or section in this tradebook and will work
independently to fill out the double entry journal either while reading or afterwards.
 Sample:

What does the author claim? What are your thoughts?

4. Strategy: Jigsaw
Standard: Explain that the information passed from parents to offspring is transmitted by
means of genes which are coded in DNA molecules (Standard - 3.1.B.B1)
Tradebook: “Biology Made Easy: An Illustrated Study Guide For Students To Easily
Learn Cellular & Molecular Biology” by NEDU
Annotated Bibliography:
NEDU. (2021). Biology Made Easy: An Illustrated Study Guide For Students To Easily
Learn Cellular & Molecular Biology. NEDU LLC.

This is a book of illustrations about cell and molecular biology. This would be incredibly
useful in a future classroom, because many students are visual learners. Especially
because of the somewhat abstract and/or microscopic nature of many biology topics,
students would benefit from having images to make connections to the information
shared with them in class. I would use some of these visuals in my presentations/lectures,
and would also consider including them on activity sheets and assignments. I would also
like to use some as posters and visuals to hang in the classroom. This book would be a
useful tradebook to have on hand for students who are researching something in biology
for a project, or have a specific question.

Description: Students will be broken into four teams. Each team must choose one person
for each of the four categories. The team representative for each category will join with
the other representatives for that category and they will learn together about their
particular topic, using this tradebook and other resources provided by the teacher. After a
given amount of time, the students will return to their original groups and share out about
the details that they learned in their particular categories. The categories will be as
follows: dominant genes, recessive genes, Gregor Mendel, and Punnett Squares.

Sample: N/A
5. Strategy: Quizizz Review Game
Standard: Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration (Standard - 3.1.B.A2)
Tradebook: “Plant Respiration: From Cell to Ecosystem (Advances in Photosynthesis and
Respiration Book 18)”
Annotated Bibliography:
(2006). Plant Respiration: From Cell to Ecosystem (Advances in Photosynthesis and
Respiration Book 18). Springer.

This book is very detailed in its description of photosynthesis in plants and the effects of
it on the rest of the natural world. While it would not be very practical to expect students
to read the entire book as an assignment or activity in class, it does have a place. It would
be a useful resource for students to flip through, read the introductory paragraphs from,
and look up specific questions or details from.

Description: Students will sign in to the online quiz website “Quizizz.com” and enter the
join code and their choice of a nickname. I created this quiz using information that can be
found in the tradebook listed above, which will be available after the activity. This
website allows me to choose the format of my question from 15+ format styles, so I can
pick whichever one best fits the information I am quizzing on. I will use this strategy as a
low-stakes prior knowledge assessment. It will be on the topics of photosynthesis and
cellular respiration. The students will be able to follow along on the leaderboard, which
will add some competition between peers as they play. The students will be given time
after completing the quiz, during which they can flip through this tradebook and other
pictures/resources I bring into class to supplement the material.

Sample:
(Below is the link to the online quiz which I created)

https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/656e468d3771591dbb6fa8cc?source=quiz_share