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Why and How Your Body Makes Millions of Red Blood Cells Every Minute

In this analysis and discussion activity, students learn about stem cells, cell differentiation, and how epigenetic changes and transcription factors contribute to cell differentiation. These concepts are introduced as students learn how the body makes red blood cells.

During this activity, students review transcription and translation, as well as some information about mitosis and the functions of organelles.

The Student Handout is available in the first two attached files and as a Google doc, designed for use in online instruction and distance learning. (For additional instructions, see https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/bioactivities/Googledocs, especially item 7.) The Teacher Notes, available in the last two attached files, provide instructional suggestions and background information and explain how this activity is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.

AttachmentSize
red blood cells SHO.docx19.66 MB
red blood cells SHO.pdf222.02 KB
red blood cells TN.docx3.93 MB
red blood cells TN.pdf289.63 KB
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Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To preserve the value of these learning activities for other teachers, please do not post keys for any questions from any of these activities!

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Authors

Dr. Ingrid Waldron is Professor Emerita in the Biology Department at the University of Pennsylvania. Co-authors include Dr. Jennifer Doherty, who is an Assistant Professor in the Physiology Department at Michigan State University, and Dr. Lori Spindler, who is a Lecturer in the Biology Department at the University of Pennsylvania. They have developed these activities in collaboration with colleagues at Penn and middle school and high school teachers in the Philadelphia area. We are grateful to Craig Douglas for his generous help with graphics.

 

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