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Mitosis, Meiosis and Fertilization
Newer Version Available
The activity below has a new and improved version available as two separate handouts; this older version is available as an archive to teachers still using it. Please find the new version at: Mitosis - How Each New Cell Gets a Complete Set of Genes and Meiosis and Fertilization – Understanding How Genes Are Inherited.
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In the hands-on activity, Mitosis, Meiosis and Fertilization, students use model chromosomes to simulate the processes of mitosis, meiosis and fertilization, and they answer questions designed to promote understanding of these processes. To demonstrate the principle that genes are transmitted from parents to offspring through the processes of meiosis and fertilization, students follow two alleles of a gene through gametes to zygotes as they model meiosis and fertilization. Students also learn how a mistake in meiosis can result in Down Syndrome.
Download Student Handout: PDF format or Word format
Download Teacher Preparation Notes: PDF format or Word format
The Teacher Preparation Notes provide instructional suggestions and background information and explain how this activity is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.
We invite comments on this Hands-On Activity and the accompanying Teacher Preparation Notes, including suggestions for other teachers who are planning to use the activity, useful preparatory or follow-up activities, additional resources or any questions you have related to the activity, or a brief description of any problem you might have encountered. If you have a relevant Word document you would like to have posted on this comments page, such as a version of the protocol you have used in your classroom, or if you would prefer to send your comments or questions in a private message, please write Ingrid Waldron at iwaldron@sas.upenn.edu.
See also a complete list of activities:
Hands-on Activities for Teaching Biology to High School and Middle School Students
Download Minds-On Activities for Teaching Biology
Introduction and Activities Listing
Intro and Biological Molecules
- Characteristics of Life
- Levels of Organization in Biology (NGSS)
- Introduction to Proteins and DNA (NGSS)
- Enzymes Help Us Digest Food (NGSS; hands-on)
- A Scientific Investigation – What types of food contain starch and protein? (NGSS; hands-on)
- Coronaviruses – Introduction (NGSS)
- Who Took Jerell’s iPod? -- An Organic Compound Mystery (hands-on)
- Is Yeast Alive? (hands-on)
- Macromolecules Jeopardy
Cell Structure and Function
- Cell Structure and Function – Major Concepts and Learning Activities
- Introduction to Cells (NGSS)
- Structure and Function of Cells, Organs and Organ Systems (NGSS)
- Why do some plants grow in odd shapes? (NGSS)
- Introduction to Osmosis (NGSS; hands-on)
- Cell Membrane Structure and Function (NGSS; hands-on)
- Cell Vocabulary Review Game
Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis
- Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis - Key Concepts and Activities
- How do organisms use energy? (NGSS)
- Using Models to Understand Cellular Respiration (NGSS)
- Using Models to Understand Photosynthesis (NGSS)
- Photosynthesis, Cellular Respiration and Plant Growth (NGSS; hands-on)
- Food, Energy and Body Weight (NGSS)
- How do muscles get the energy they need for athletic activity? (NGSS)
- Alcoholic Fermentation in Yeast – A Bioengineering Design Challenge (NGSS; hands-on)
- Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration (NGSS)
- Where does a tree’s mass come from? (NGSS)
- Photosynthesis Investigation (NGSS; hands-on)
Cell Division
- Mitosis and the Cell Cycle (NGSS; hands-on)
- Mitosis and the Cell Cycle (NGSS)
- Meiosis and Fertilization – Understanding How Genes Are Inherited (NGSS; hands-on)
- Understanding How Genes are Inherited via Meiosis and Fertilization (NGSS)
- Comparing Mitosis and Meiosis
- What causes melanoma and other types of cancer? (NGSS)
- Mistakes in Meiosis – Down Syndrome or Embryo Death (NGSS)
- Mitosis, Meiosis and Fertilization Vocabulary Review Game
Genetics
- Genetics Concepts and Activities (NGSS)
- Genetics (NGSS; hands-on)
- Genetics Intro – Family Members (NGSS)
- Genetics Sickle Cell Anemia and Trait (NGSS)
- Genetics Probability – Sex Ratios (NGSS)
- Mistake in copying DNA & Dwarfism (NGSS)
- Soap Opera Genetics (NGSS)
- Were the babies switched? The Genetics of Blood Types (NGSS; hands-on)
- Dragon Genetics I (hands-on)
- Dragon Genetics II (hands-on)
- Learning about Genetic Disorders
- Genetics Vocabulary Review Game
- Genetics Jeopardy
Molecular Biology
- Molecular Biology: Major Concepts and Learning Activities (NGSS)
- DNA (NGSS; hands-on)
- DNA Function, Structure and Replication (NGSS)
- How Genes Can Cause Disease - Introduction to Transcription and Translation (NGSS; hands-on)
- How Genes Can Cause Disease - Understanding Transcription and Translation (NGSS)
- UV, Mutations and DNA Repair (NGSS; hands-on)
- What types of mutations cause more vs. less severe muscular dystrophy? (NGSS)
- Cell Differentiation and Epigenetics (NGSS)
- Genetic Engineering Challenge – Preventing Vitamin A Deficiency (NGSS)
- Gene Editing with CRISPR-Cas – Potential Sickle Cell Anemia Cure (NGSS)
- Molecular Biology Vocabulary Review Game
Evolution
- Resources for Teaching and Learning about Evolution
- Evolution by Natural Selection (NGSS; hands-on)
- What is natural selection? (NGSS)
- Natural Selection and the Peppered Moth (NGSS)
- How have mutations and natural selection affected fur color in mice? (NGSS)
- How Whales Evolved (NGSS)
- How Eyes Evolved – Analyzing the Evidence (NGSS)
- How does evolution result in similarities and differences? (NGSS; hands-on)
- What is a species? (NGSS)
- Coronavirus Evolution and the COVID-19 Pandemic (NGSS)
- Evolution and Adaptations (NGSS)
Ecology
- Ecology Concepts and Learning Activities (NGSS)
- Exponential and Logistic Population Growth Models vs. Complex Reality (NGSS)
- Some Similarities between the Spread of Infectious Disease and Population Growth (NGSS; hands-on)
- Stability and Change in Biological Communities (NGSS)
- Food Webs, Energy Flow, Carbon Cycle and Trophic Pyramids (NGSS)
- Food Webs (NGSS)
- Carbon Cycles and Energy Flow through Ecosystems (NGSS)
- Trophic Pyramids (NGSS)
- Introduction to Global Warming (NGSS)
- Food and Climate Change – How can we feed a growing world population without increasing global warming? (NGSS)
- Resources for Teaching about Climate Change
- The Ecology of Lyme Disease (NGSS)
Human Physiology and Health
- Negative Feedback, Homeostasis, and Positive Feedback – Examples and Concepts (NGSS; hands-on)
- Homeostasis, Negative Feedback, and Positive Feedback (NGSS)
- How do we Sense the Flavors of Food? (NGSS; hands-on)
- COVID-19 Vaccines (NGSS)
- How to Reduce the Spread of COVID-19 (NGSS)
- Molecular and Evolutionary Biology of HIV/AIDS and Treatment (NGSS)
- Resources for Teaching Cancer Biology
- Carbohydrate Consumption, Athletics, Health – Using Science Process Skills
- Vitamins and Health – Why Experts Disagree
- Regulation of Human Heart Rate (hands-on)
- Should You Drink Sports Drinks? When? Why?
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Comments
requesting for the answer key
can you send to me the answer key of the student handout? thank you! :)
New version and answer keys
Please see the updated versions available at /sci_edu/waldron/#mitosis and /sci_edu/waldron/#meiosis . To find out how to receive the answer key, please read the Teacher Preparation Notes available at these links.
Ingrid
Beta Version of Revised Activity Available
We are revising this activity and have split the activity into two enhanced closely-linked activities:
Major enhancements include:
– more explicit links between genotype and phenotype
– more discussion of how meiosis and fertilization result in genotypic and phenotypic variation in offspring (with explicit discussion of independent assortment and crossing over).
Our current versions of the Student Handouts and Teacher Preparation Notes for these two new activities are available at https://sites.google.com/site/biologypd/home/genetics . We will be particularly grateful for your comments and suggestions while we are in the pilot testing phase for these activities.
Ingrid
Rollosomes and Sockosomes
Could you please post a photograph of a rollosome and a sockosome? I love this activity idea, however I am having a hard time with creating the rollosome because I just can't quite picture it. Thank you.
Picture of Rollosomes
I have included a picture of the rollosomes, as well as improved instructions for making rollosomes, on pages 3-4 of the newly revised Teacher Preparation Notes (available at the link above). Thanks for your inquiry which inspired these improvements.
Ingrid
pictures
hi all,
I am a graduate student working in the GK-12 program at University of Idaho. For this fellowship, I teach honors biology two days a week at a local high school. I really like the idea of this activity, and I actually created something similar for a cellular respiration unit I taught before Christmas. One suggestion I have is to include pictures of the actual model chromosomes/chromatids in the teacher notes. Being a visual person, the provided line drawing of the "rollosomes" was helpful, but I still think seeing an actual model in a set photos would be most useful in making the models.
Thanks
Rollosomes
Where is the drawing of the rollosomes?
diagrams of rollosomes
The diagrams of the rollosomes are on page 4 of the Teacher Preparation Notes (see link above) and the instructions for making rollosomes are on pages 3-5.
Ingrid
thanks for your suggestion
We appreciate your suggestion and will plan to implement your suggestion toward the end of 2014 when we will revisit this activity.
Ingrid
2013 revision
The biggest change in the 2013 revision of this activity has been to incorporate the helpful suggestion from K. Harding to make the model chromosomes from hair roller curlers. This approach provides model chromosomes that are relatively easy to make, engaging for the students to use, and an appropriate size for classroom use and storage. In addition, the introductory section of the Student Handout has been clarified and streamlined, the format of the Student Handout has been improved to facilitate classroom use, and the Teacher Preparation Notes have been revised to clarify the instructions for making model chromosomes and to explain the relationship of this activity to national standards.
Another material for models
I made the model chromosomes out of bendable hair rollers found at beauty supply stores. They come in a variety of widths and 9 5/8" lengths. I used 3/4" and 5/8" widths in two colors, gray and orange. They are easily cut with scissors for the foam and wire cutters for the wire core. I cut them into 5 7/8" and 3 3/4" lengths for the longer and shorter chromatids. I used permanent markers to add the stripes and for the alleles. Sticky back Velcro circles attached the sister chromatids together. I was also able to make it possible to demonstrate cross over by cutting off portions of the chromatids and reattaching them with Velcro circles. I made two sets of model chromosomes out of two packages of rollers. With 4 packages you could make 5 sets.
thank you
Thank you very much for your very helpful, creative and practical suggestion.
Ingrid
August, 2011 Revision
The Teacher Preparation Notes now include instructions for making model chromosomes from swim noodles or socks. Sockosomes look like metaphase chromosomes in a karyotype and they are small enough for easy classroom use and storage, but they are relatively time-consuming to make. Chromonoodles are relatively easy to make, but they are larger (up to 8" long). If you want to make Chromonoodles, we recommend purchasing the needed swim noodles now during the summer swim season. We have also made modest improvements in some of the questions in the Student Handout. Also, a key is now available upon request to iwaldron@sas.upenn.edu
January 2011 revisions
The Student Handout has been revised and reorganized to focus more on the key learning goals, improve the logical flow, and reduce redundancy and the length of the handout. The Teacher Preparation Notes have also been revised, with additional information included.
January 2010 revisions
The Student Handout has been reformatted for greater ease of classroom use, and the Teacher Preparation Notes have been clarified with improved instructions for making the sockosomes and an expanded and improved section of instructional suggestions.
Revisions
I've used this student packet for three years now and I love it. It does a great job of highlighting what is important and getting the point accross visually. I really liked the revisions. Thanks a ton.
Maya Heissenbuttel
North Pines Middle School
Central Valley School District
Spokane Washington
May 2009 revision of this activity
Mitosis Meiosis different
Here is an article discussing the difference between Mitosis and Meiosis
http://www.differencebetween.net/science/difference-between-mitosis-and-meiosis/
Using sockosomes to assess understanding of mitosis and meiosis
A lively discussion group among Philadelphia high school biology teachers (http://groups.google.com/group/biology-pd/topics) has lots of helpful suggestions, including using sockosomes to have students make a stop-animation movie to demonstrate their understanding of mitosis and meiosis.
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