Download let`s talk about cells

LET'S TALK ABOUT CELLS
prof.ssa BARBERA MARIA, IPSEOA BERTI, Verona
This lesson plan is addressed to a second class of a secondary school, with a B1 level in English.
It is briefly outlined the cell theory, as well as the importance of technological innovation for research (light
and electron microscopes). Then, cell structure and some cell functions (such as photosynthesis and
transport of water) are presented.
The lesson is delivered through Cooperative Learning methodology.
CONTENT
The cell theory
Microscopes
Cell structure and organelles functions (photosynthesis- transport of
water through the cell membrane)
TEACHING AIMS
To introduce the learners to the structure and some cell's functions.
To make the learners aware of the progress of biological research.
To make the learners aware that cells are the basic components of all
organisms.
To make the learners aware of physical and chemical processes involved
in some biological phenomena, some of which can be commonly observed
To highlight the importance of photosynthesis for plants and other living
beings.
LEARNING OUTCOME
TO KNOW:
-the origins of the cell theory
-light and electron microscopes
-the structure of eukaryotic cells (plant and animal cells)
-the chemical formula of glucose
-the global equation of photosynthesis
-the osmosis process
TO BE ABLE TO:
-compare plant and animal cells, finding similarities and differences
-highlight the role of the sun as a source of energy for living organisms
-describe the general process of photosynthesis
-predict the flow direction of water in different osmotic conditions
-use a light microscope
-guess from the context (e.g. deducing the formula of glucose from its
structural formula)
- process Knowledge (to understand the process of osmosis by observing
lettuce leaves or potato slices shrinking and swelling in different
conditions)
-find information (skimming, scanning)
-transform and organize information (e.g. transforming a labelled picture
into a simple text)
TO BE AWARE OF:
-the importance of cells as basic components of all living beings
-the importance of technology innovation in order to develop new
instruments for biological studies
-the importance of photosynthesis
-the importance of the osmotic equilibrium for cells
-the importance of carrying out a fair test
COMMUNICATION
AT LEVEL OF WORDS:
-Subject- specific and general vocabulary; high and medium frequency
words (adverbs, conjunctions...)
AT LEVEL OF SENTENCES:
-Present tense, to describe objects and processes
-Past tense, to tell the origin of the cell theory
-Passive form, to describe the cell structure.
- Interrogative form; short and long answers.
-First conditional, e.g. to predict the behavior of the cell in different
osmotic conditions or the reaction of the plant to darkness or salinity
Comparing and
contrasting
Activities:
...Tell us the origins of the cell theory...
...identify the cell organelles in the picture and match their respective
roles in a chart...
Oral and written production: what is a cell? Define and describe briefly
the processes of photosynthesis and osmosis...
Find similarities and differences between these two pictures (images of
prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, or animal and plant cells) ...
Observing with senses,
processing Knowledge
Experimental activity: What are the consequences of adding salt to, or
plunging in water, a piece of food?
Reasoning/Predicting/
hypothesizing/
using knowledge
Experimental activities: The importance of sunlight and soil osmotic
environment for plants- what will happen if we let a plant grow in a dark
box or on a salty soil? Why are the leaves of a pale green? Why is the
plant getting withered?
Enquiry
Before cooking aubergines, it is usual to plunge them, in slices or in small
cubes, into salt water. Why? Students carry out a research to find
information about solanine and its effects on the human body.
Evaluating
Experimental activities: Has something happened unexpected? Why?
COGNITION
Remembering
Identifying
Defining
Would our experiment have been differently carried out to verify our
hypothesis? What should we change?
Do we think that this activity has been important for us? What new have
we learnt?
How good has our group worked? Is there anything that we should have
done better?
RESOURCES
- Interactive Whiteboard - Internet
-Worksheets with texts, drawings, pictures; cards or jigsaw images Common use materials for a simple lab (leaves, salt, bowls, little plants,
soil, to verify the process of osmosis and photosynthesis).
-If the case, differentiated worksheets for less able students
PROCEDURE
Whole class: activating prior Knowledge (brainstorming, revising useful
vocabulary for the topic)
Cooperative learning: learners do most activities in pairs and in small
groups - labelling pictures, filling charts, experiments- or individually, and
then share their work (recording observations, writing simple answers,
summaries).
ASSESSMENT
Activities are each revised through IWB, in plenary, as groups complete
their work.
Whole class, in groups: write three most interesting/clear and one less/
interesting/clear things about the topic you studied.
Knowledge and cognitive skills can be assessed during experimental
activities (worksheets)
(oral /written test)
Do students Know….
-subject specific terms? (e.g. cell, organelles, photosynthesis, osmosis,
hypotonic, hypertonic, isotonic…)
- subject compatible terms? (shrink, swell, wilt, turgid, store, energy)
- high and medium frequency words? (dark-light; thin-thick; crunchylimp)
-how to give short answers? (Do plants need energy to grow? Yes, ….do)
comprehension/ written
production test
-How to skim /scan a text.
-How to collect information to write a summary
written production test
-How to conduct a fair experiment
-How to write a simple report of an experiment.
... IN MORE DETAIL
TITLE OF ACTIVITY/
MATERIAL
1
YouTube Video :
INTRODUCTION TO CELLS
https://youtu.be/gFuEo2c
cTPA 2':55"
2
Text: ORIGINS OF CELL
THEORY (from New Focus on
Science- Martelli, CreekMinerva Scuola)
(adapted)
TEACHING AIMS
Raising motivation/
Activation
Eliciting ST
Making students aware
that progress in biological
research is ensured by
technological innovation
LEARNING OUTCOMES
(COGNITIVE/LEARNING SKILLS)
ACTIVITY
Communication:
to be able to express simple ideas about an
introductive video about the cell
To be able to communicate in group properly ( in
turns, quietly)
Students in groups brainstorm after
watching the video; then share their
main idea with the class
CL structure: Sharearound
Cognitive skills
Ordering the main steps of research about cell in a
timeline
Defining the cell and the cell theory
Comparing the different types of microscope and
their respective utility
Think/ pair/ share -roundtable
-Students rapidly read the text and
write down its key ideas (fill in the gap
exercise)
-Students read again in search of the
new words. (Exercise: match new
words with their meaning)
-Students put the key events,
described with sentences, into a time
line, in order to get a frame to
summarize the text
Introducing the cell theory
Learning skills
Cooperating with others
Skimming
Scanning
Summarizing
Carrying out investigations
Locating information
Communication skills
At level of words
Learning content specific and compatible vocabulary
At level of sentences
Past tense, passive form
At level of genre
Summarizing a text using a frame
-Students in group carry on a research
on the Internet about Robert Hooke
and his contribute to Science
3
TITLE OF ACTIVITY/
TEACHING AIMS
LEARNING OUTCOMES
(COGNITIVE/LEARNING SKILLS)
ACTIVITY
YouTube Video: The cellHigh School Biology
www.youtube.com/watch?
v=URUJD5NEXC8
Introducing learners to the
cell structure
Cognitive skills
Comparing and contrasting eukaryotic and prokaryotic
cells, plant and animal cells.
Identifying cell's organelles
Defining organelles' functions
Activation:
Students in pair read the cloze related
to the video, to create expectations
and get the key ideas of the content
1st Task:
-Students watch and listen to the
video, then fill in the gap sentences
-Students in pair and group share and
compare their work
-Students listen again.
Plenary revision (numbered heads
together)
Learning skills
Cooperating with others
Guessing from the context
2nd task
Students read the transcript and find
the words they do not know.
Roundtable
Students in turn try to guess the
meaning of unknown words and write
it them beside each term
Trade a problem groups share their
lists and ask each other for a help.
Plenary revision with teacher's guide.
Post task: students match images of
organelles, different kind of cells...
with their name /function
3
TITLE OF ACTIVITY/
MATERIAL
TEACHING AIMS
LEARNING OUTCOMES
(COGNITIVE/LEARNING SKILLS)
METHODOLOGY /ACTIVITY
Working on
photosynthesis through
work sheets
To highlight the
importance of
photosynthesis for plants
and other living beings.
Cognitive skills
Defining photosynthesis
Transforming information (a text into a labelled
picture)
Ordering (put the name of reactants and products in
the photosynthesis equation)
Guess from the context (the rough formula of glucose
from its structural formula)
Students in group do exercise 1-6
(think/pair/share and simultaneous
numbered heads together) and 6croundtable.
Bartella De CiccoNatural Science.CLIL Zanichelli
Communication skills:
Giving short answers
Learning some linking words
4
Osmosis in the kitchen
(experimental activity)
Bartella De Cicco- Natural
Science. CLIL- Zanichelli
To make the learners
aware of physical and
chemical processes
involved in some
biological phenomena,
some of which can be
commonly observed
Cognitive skills
Identifying different osmotic conditions
Predicting the results of an experiment
Hypothesising, Reasoning
Learning skills
Cooperating with others
Observing using senses
Processing knowledge
Interpreting information
Using knowledge to decide the best way of salting
cooking meat
Students learn the "prelexis" (pictures
or objects to define)
Group discussion and round robin to
do exercise n° 6a
Groups make experiment shown on
page 5 to verify their predictions.
Groups do exercise n° 6b(think/pair/share and simultaneous
numbered heads together) and 6croundtable.