Lesson Title: Making a Meiosis tutorial
Objectives/Purpose: This activity allows students to explain the steps and components of meiosis as
they prepare a simple video that can be viewed as a tutorial by other students. In order to explain the
steps they must understand the process. As students plan and prepare the presentation they are
reinforcing the concepts can often be confusing. I have used this activity in my advanced biology
courses, so students have already learned the basics of meiosis and mitosis, but need to work with the
information to increase understanding. This activity can also be modified to address mitosis or the
more basic concepts of meiosis without emphasis on vocabulary terms.
Materials/Teacher Prep Required:
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Run off student instructions
Collect materials (listed below)
Check to see if you want to show an example video (link provided below)
Be sure cameras can do video recording and that batteries and memory cards are ready to go
Materials:
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Meiosis Tutorial Student Instructions (attached)
Student Reflections Questions (attached)
Project rubric (attached)
Colored paper
Yarn
Scissors
Tape
Cameras or video recorders
The main objective of this activity is to increase the understanding of meiosis, not to make an awardwinning movie. The props are simple and the style can resemble a movie made by In Plain English. I
showed one of these to my students, so they could understand the type of video they were going to
make. An example of such a video can be viewed at:
http://streaming.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?title=Wikis_in_Plain_English&video_id=6538 (you
have to watch a short commercial first.)
The only materials required for this project are string, colored paper and scissors.
Decide what format you will use for filming. In my experience, the quickest way to do this is to film
and show with no time for editing. The benefit of this is that students don’t spend a lot of time
splicing and cutting, the drawback is that they sometimes need to re-film several times to correct
errors and deal with laughing and other interruptions. I have also had students use Movie Maker or
iMovie. This works well if students are familiar with the software and does allow for editing.
Procedures/ Activities/ Extensions/ Time Frame:
1. I usually introduce this activity toward the end of a period. I put students in groups of 4 or 5
and have them make their chromosomes. (No more than 3 pair or it gets quite cumbersome.)
2. Prior to implementation, decide:
a. Whether you will work with 2 or 3 pair of chromosomes
b. Whether you want to distinguish between maternal and paternal chromosomes
c. Whether you want to have students mark “genes” on the chromosome to better
represent the process of crossing over
3. I provide 1 full day for planning. Students use the Meiosis Tutorial sheet to be sure they are
including required steps and terms.
4. I provide 1 day for filming.
5. I usually give students 3 or 4 days for work outside of class for re-dos, editing, etc.
6. I upload the videos to a website so that all students can view the videos and discuss them
online. We use Moodle at our school. As an alternative, students can view the videos in class –
for example, watch one video a day. Another option for viewing the videos is to have
students introduce their work and pause to correct any errors that might have worked their
way into the production. If sound quality is a problem, students could video the movement of
chromosomes and narrate the video as the class watches.
Day 1 Introduction (at least half of a class period)
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Students placed in groups of 4 students.
Introduce activity by showing an “In Plain English” video from Teacher Tube
Tell students to make 2 or 3 pair of chromosomes out of construction paper.
Tell students they will be starting with a diploid cell and will be producing 4 gametes.
The example below shows 3 pair of chromosomes with genes
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Review Questions
o How are the homologous pairs similar?
Size, shape, type of genetic information
o
How are they different?
They aren’t genetically identical
One is maternal, one is paternal
o
Why is it necessary for chromosomes to
duplicate before meiosis?
In order to have enough genetic material
for 4 gametes
o
When will this duplication occur?
During the Synthesis phase of the cell cycle
o
What will these chromosomes look like after synthesis has occurred?
They will be two identical chromatids joined at the centromere.
o
What do we need to make in order to have enough chromosomes for this process?
Another set of chromosomes so that sister chromatids can be made.
 The picture on the right is what the chromosomes might look like right before crossing over in
Prophase I
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Have students find a resource – text book, online or both to decide what will happen to these
chromosomes in order to complete meiosis and follow the instructions in the student
instructions.
Have students make enough chromosomes to complete their presentation.
Day 2 – Planning the script
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Handout instructions and rubric.
Tell students they will be writing their script and practicing movement of their chromosomes
and yarn to show meiosis. Remind them to pay close attention to their rubric and instructions as
they do this.
Make yarn and tape available.
If cameras are available, encourage students to practice filming parts of their skit and viewing
how it looks.
Day 3 – Filming
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Help students find a quiet filming location. Give them a time frame for filming and uploading to
a computer.
This is often when students find mistakes in their script and a few re-dos are helpful and
important to recognize misunderstandings. It is helpful for the teacher to circulate among
groups and offer assistance.
Direct students to the program they will be using to make movies. I have done this in several
ways – providing time for students to work with iMovie and/or Moviemaker, or just uploading
the videos to the computer and leaving it up to the students to “fix” the movies on their own
time. As long as they know whether or not they can edit after filming, either way works.
Viewing and discussion
It depends on whether all videos will be watched in class, or whether the videos will be uploaded to a
website where students can watch as homework how this is worked into class. It is important to decide
on a way to address mistakes so that students aren’t watching videos with incorrect information.
Suggestions for this are listed in Step 6 above. Students should know how errors will be handled prior to
filming so that they won’t be surprised or embarrassed if mistakes need to be addressed.
Assessment:
1. Rubric is provided.
2. Reflection questions are provided.
3. Informal assessment can be achieved by watching and listening to students plan their script. If
there is a lot of confusion, students can be required to submit their script prior to videotaping.
4. Classroom discussion can also be used to assess progress through understanding. Be sure to
discuss the ways that the project serves as a model and why models are helpful in
understanding concepts.
STUDENT INSTRUCTIONS: A meiosis tutorial
A way for future generations to learn about the important process of making gametes!
Your task is to make a video tutorial about mitosis. You will be using a camera to record, your voices to
narrate and paper chromosomes, yarn, paper and markers for props. If you want to add more “bells and
whistles” you are welcome to do so.
Information that must be covered – IN YOUR OWN WORDS! NO CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN FOR READING
FROM THE TEXT!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
An explanation of why meiosis is a necessary process to living things.
An explanation of the the main events in the 8 parts of meiosis. Many of these can be very brief!
Names of each step.
An explanation of the important structures involved with meiosis (see the list below)
An explanation of how the daughter cells compare to the parent cell
An explanation of how meiosis is different from mitosis?
TERMS TO COVER
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Synapsis
Tetrad
Crossing over
Genetic recombination
Independent assortment
Homologous pair
Spindle fibers
Equatorial plate
Poles
Haploid
Diploid
Gametes
STUDENT REFLECTIONS
Reflecting on your Meiosis Tutorial Video project:
1. What are three things you learned by doing this project? (At least two of these should be about
meiosis!)
2. What are three things about the process of meiosis that you now understand better?
3. Write two or three sentences to introduce your video.
4. How does the use of model chromosomes and cells help people better understand a process
that occurs at the microscopic level?
5. What is the strongest feature of your video as a teaching tool?
6. What is the weak spot of your video? If you were to re-do it, how would you make this part
better?
7. Should your video be uploaded to You Tube? Why or why not?
Good start!
2 points
Information
provided is
correct, concise,
interesting, easy
to remember
and in your own
words.
Information
provided is
correct and
clearly stated
and in your
own words.
Information
provided is
mostly correct
and in your
own words, but
not clearly
stated.
Information
provided is
either very
sketchy or
mostly
incorrect
No work to
assess.
Brief
explanation of
steps
Information
provided is
correct, concise,
interesting, easy
to remember
and in your own
words.
Information
provided is
correct, concise,
interesting, easy
to remember
and in your own
words.
Information
provided is
correct, concise,
interesting, easy
to remember
and in your own
words.
Each term on
the list is
included in the
video.
Information
provided is
correct and
clearly stated
and in your
own words.
Information
provided is
either very
sketchy or
mostly
incorrect
No work to
assess.
Information
provided is
either very
sketchy or
mostly
incorrect
No work to
assess.
Information
provided is
either very
sketchy or
mostly
incorrect
No work to
assess.
Three or more
terms are not
included in the
video.
None of the
terms are
included in
the video.
Terms are used
in context. Use
of terms is
correct, concise,
engaging and in
your own words.
Terms are used
in context. Use
of terms is
correct and in
your own
words.
Information
provided is
mostly correct
and in your
own words, but
not clearly
stated.
Information
provided is
mostly correct
and in your
own words, but
not clearly
stated.
Information
provided is
mostly correct
and in your
own words, but
not clearly
stated.
All but two
terms on the
list are
included in the
video.
Terms are
mostly used in
context and in
your own
words..
Most terms are
not used in
context.
No work to
assess.
Comparison of
daughter cells
to parent cells
Comparison of
meiosis to
mitosis
All terms
included
Use of terms
Information
provided is
correct and
clearly stated
and in your
own words.
Information
provided is
correct and
clearly stated
and in your
own words.
All but one
term on the list
is included in
the video.
No work
provided
No points
Good work!
3 points
Explanation of
why meiosis is
a necessary
process
Needs
work!
1 point
Outstanding
work!
4 points
MEIOSIS VIDEO RUBRIC