Cell Birth and Death: A Teaching Unit for 10th Grade Biology
Location
Atrium
Session Format
Poster Presentation
Research Area Topic:
MBI - Molecular Biology Initiative
Co-Presenters and Faculty Mentors or Advisors
Bradley Ward, Statesboro High School, Statesboro Ga
Abstract
The Molecular Biology Initiative (MBI) is a STEM outreach program that pairs graduate students (fellows) in the biology department at Georgia Southern with local high school teachers (partner teachers). Fellows and partner teachers work collaboratively to design weekly lessons plans that incorporate aspects of the fellow’s research project, while keeping within the GA science standards. My research project focuses on the gene expression pathways associated with cell death. Together with my partner teacher, we developed a teaching module (unit) that focuses on the entire life process of cells, starting with how cells are made and ending with why cells die. The module starts with students making a movie showing the process of mitosis. The next three lesson plans teach students molecular techniques used in research labs: DNA extraction, DNA barcoding, and gel electrophoresis. In the last lesson plan, students are taught about cell death and how this process is initiated by cell signaling. This entire module can be adapted to any high school classroom and can be used as a whole teaching unit or used partially as individual lesson plans. If this module is used as a whole, it helps high school students understand that biology is an ongoing process, which can be continued on all organizational levels, and not just a series of topics lumped together under the theme of life.
Keywords
K-12, STEM outreach, Biology, Education
Presentation Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Start Date
4-24-2015 2:45 PM
End Date
4-24-2015 4:00 PM
Recommended Citation
Reynolds, Amanda C., "Cell Birth and Death: A Teaching Unit for 10th Grade Biology" (2015). GS4 Georgia Southern Student Scholars Symposium. 120.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/research_symposium/2015/2015/120
Cell Birth and Death: A Teaching Unit for 10th Grade Biology
Atrium
The Molecular Biology Initiative (MBI) is a STEM outreach program that pairs graduate students (fellows) in the biology department at Georgia Southern with local high school teachers (partner teachers). Fellows and partner teachers work collaboratively to design weekly lessons plans that incorporate aspects of the fellow’s research project, while keeping within the GA science standards. My research project focuses on the gene expression pathways associated with cell death. Together with my partner teacher, we developed a teaching module (unit) that focuses on the entire life process of cells, starting with how cells are made and ending with why cells die. The module starts with students making a movie showing the process of mitosis. The next three lesson plans teach students molecular techniques used in research labs: DNA extraction, DNA barcoding, and gel electrophoresis. In the last lesson plan, students are taught about cell death and how this process is initiated by cell signaling. This entire module can be adapted to any high school classroom and can be used as a whole teaching unit or used partially as individual lesson plans. If this module is used as a whole, it helps high school students understand that biology is an ongoing process, which can be continued on all organizational levels, and not just a series of topics lumped together under the theme of life.
