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To engage students in lesson I conduct a class survey where I ask students to raise their hand if they have family members who have or have had diabetes or heart disease.

I follow this up by asking students the following question:

I end this section of lesson by asking students if they have any ideas why they believe Hispanics are 2 times more likely to have diabetes? Possible answers can be environment such as food and attitudes towards exercise, as well as genetics.

This approach of using diabetes as the lesson entry point applies to all students. Current statistics compiled by the American Diabetes Association are disturbing. June 2014 data shows 9.3% of the U.S population has diabetes. That's almost 1 out of every 10 people. It gets scarier. In 2012, 86 million Americans age 20 and older had prediabetes; this is up from 79 million in 2010.

Many people do not realize how serious diabetes is. The tendency is to think of it as inconvenient - you have to take insulin shots and watch what you eat. The truth is far more sobering. Diabetes causes blindness, strokes, amputations, heart disease and much more.

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Pick the Risk: "Does It Run in Your Family?"

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To engage students in lesson I conduct a class survey where I ask students to raise their hand if they have family members who have or have had diabetes or heart disease. I follow this up by asking students the following question: I end this section of lesson by asking students if they have any ideas why they believe Hispanics are 2 times more likely to have diabetes?

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The purpose of this section is to help students understand the differences between sexual and asexual reproduction.

This is a very simple mini-lecture I do using a document camera and a blank piece of paper. The students take notes in their notebooks for easy access at later points.

Instead of getting into chromosomes, mitosis, meiosis, and other complex content, I keep it very simple using shapes for the chromosomes. This might not fit your state standards. We used to be responsible for teaching the difference between mitosis and meiosis in Colorado, but now our standard is simply to teach the difference between sexual and asexual reproduction. Be sure to read the state standards where you are teaching so that you will be able to adjust to the level of complexity necessary.

During the lesson I stop and ask students questions asking that they can summarize information I have given them or predict what will happen. A video of the lesson is below.

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The purpose of this section is to help students understand the differences between sexual and asexual reproduction. This is a very simple mini-lecture I do using a document camera and a blank piece of paper. The students take notes in their notebooks for easy access at later points.

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In this section of lesson I engage students by showing students the video below.

The video is used to spark a discussion with students about what it means to be at risk, health family history and why it is important. The movie also acts as a teaser to excite student interest before doing the Risk Continuum (Explore section) and Pick The Risk activities.

Questions addressed in Discussion:

1) What does it mean to be "at risk" for developing a disease?

2) Do you believe it is important to make healthy choices and take good card of your body?

3) Are you aware of the health history of your family?

4) Why is it important to know your family health history?
Teacher Notes: As both a science and health teacher this lesson allows me to address both since this is prevalent issue is a cross between health and science. In addition, the students in video resemble the student population at my school (EL learners) which makes content relevant to their daily lives. The rise of diabetes in the Hispanic community is alarming and I hope through lessons like this students across the nation will understand what it means to be at risk and make wise decisions about their personal health choices.

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Using Family History to Improve Your Health

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In this section of lesson I engage students by showing students the video below. The video is used to spark a discussion with students about what it means to be at risk, health family history and why it is important.

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Once we have reviewed the phases of meiosis, and I am confident that the students have a basic understanding of the changes that occur in the cell during each phase, I have the students open the Comparing Meiosis and Mitosis worksheet. I review the initial website with the students and explain that they will be reviewing the phases of mitosis and meiosis in order to compare and contrast the two. I also explain that the students will begin by creating a Venn diagram based on what they view in the comparative slides. In the second section of the activity, the students need to carefully read the information on each of the slides in order to complete the chart. The final section requires the students to generate a response by reviewing the information from the first two sections.

As the students work, I circulate through the room. For the students, the most difficult part of the first activity is the creation of a Venn diagram using Google Docs. In order to avoid this difficulty, I tell the students they can write their diagram on paper. In this student sample, the student used an online tool to make his graphic organizer. I also try to emphasize that at this point in the activity I want them to write about the items they see in the diagrams, while the next section will require them to read carefully. When the students are working on the second activity, I ask them questions about the information they are writing and double check that they are carefully reading the information presented on the website. Once the students begin working on the third section, I refer them back to the information they wrote in the previous two sections. While reading for information and generating a final summary of similarities and differences between mitosis and meiosis, the students are addressing CCSS RST.6-8.2, RST.6-8.10, and WHST.6-8.2d.

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Once we have reviewed the phases of meiosis, and I am confident that the students have a basic understanding of the changes that occur in the cell during each phase, I have the students open the Comparing Meiosis and Mitosis worksheet.

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In this activity students apply all the concepts they have learned in the genetic unit by completing a group project.

Introduce project by showing students Sesame Street Genetics PowerPoint which introduces students to assignment. ( MS-LS3-2 - Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation/ SP2 - Developing and Using Models/SP3-Planning and Carrying out Investigations)

Guiding Questions

What if Zoe and Elmo fell in love, got married and had a baby? What would their baby look like? Why do children look like their parents? Why do children have some traits of each parent?

What exactly do parents pass to their children? How do parents pass traits to their children?

1) Ask students to study the different characters and write down all of the traits that couldbe passed from parent to child.

2) Write all observations on the board and distinguish between a trait and specific forms oftrait. E.g. body color is a trait that may be passed down, but there are six different forms orcolors of this trait.

Student Requirements

1) Observation Of genetic characteristics

2) Answers on Sesame Questions About Genetic Characteristics

3) Going to the Chapel ( Sesame Street Couples)

4) Sesame Street Punnett Squares

5) Create Two Monster children

6) Students draw family portraits and pedigree charts.

7) Present Family Portrait. Students should be able to write a brief introduction on theirassigned family heredity.

Cocncepts Covered:

2. Genotype

3. Phenotype

4. Types of Inheritance

5. Punnett Squares

6. Pedigree Analysis

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In this activity students apply all the concepts they have learned in the genetic unit by completing a group project. Introduce project by showing students Sesame Street Genetics PowerPoint which introduces students to assignment.

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Students have just completed Genetics - Tour of the Basics Web Quest. So I begin this lesson by asking some key questions to active knowledge for review.

What is DNA? DNA is where instructions are stored for building and operating all living things.

Where can we find DNA? DNA is found in the nucleus of our cells.

When mitosis occurs where is the DNA? The DNA is wound tightly within each of the 23 pairs of chromosomes.

DNA is a molecule composed of 4 types of chemical bases. They are adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine. You will typically see each of these bases represented by the first letters: A, T, C and G. The bases form pairs with A always pairing with T and C always pairing with G. What makes us unique is the order of the base pairs. Each of us has a unique pattern of pairs.

How did we discover DNA? In this short video we will take a look at the discovery, DNA Double Helix Structure, narrated by Bill Nye.

I am in awe that this discovery happened in the 1950's and has been called the greatest biological discovery of the last 100 years.

Take a look at your instructions for Have Your DNA and Eat it Too! We read the short paragraph at the top making sure students understand the twisted ladder shape is called a double helix.

What you are building today is an edible model of the DNA molecule.

As students work, I circulate throughout the room making sure they are attending to details. This lesson helps students visualize the DNA we so often reference in conversations about genetics.

In this video, you will see students in action as they learn more about the mysterious DNA we often refer to but do not explain.

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Students have just completed Genetics - Tour of the Basics Web Quest. So I begin this lesson by asking some key questions to active knowledge for review. What is DNA? DNA is where instructions are stored for building and operating all living things. Where can we find DNA?

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This lesson builds on the foundational knowledge that students will need to know in order to address the following inheritance and variation standards:

MS-LS3-1. Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on chromosomes may affect proteins and may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the organism.

MS-LS3-2. Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.

Knowledge of the structure and as a result the function (transcription, translation) of DNA is required knowledge to understand both effects of genetic mutations, asexual, and sexual reproduction.

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This lesson builds on the foundational knowledge that students will need to know in order to address the following inheritance and variation standards: MS-LS3-1. Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on chromosomes may affect proteins and may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the organism.

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This lesson is part of a unit that addresses the following Life Science Disciplinary Core Idea:
LS3 - Heredity: Inheritance and variations
The performance expectations in LS3 help students formulate an answer to the question, "How do living organisms pass traits from one generation to the next?"

This lesson introduces students to genetic traits. This lesson will give students the foundational knowledge to be able to successfully complete the following performance expectation and cross cutting concept:

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This lesson is part of a unit that addresses the following Life Science Disciplinary Core Idea: LS3 - Heredity: Inheritance and variations The performance expectations in LS3 help students formulate an answer to the question, "How do living organisms pass traits from one generation to the next?"

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Students in this section explore the The Mating Game PBS Learning media web activity in pairs. The objective of this activity is for students to see the elaborate and at times costly reproductive strategies of various species. (MS-LS3-2 Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation/SP2 Developing and Using Models)

It is recommended that students play two rounds of the game and then choose four of the species highlighted in the activity's Dating and Mating Gallery. Ask students to take notes on the information provided about each species, focusing on the reproductive similarities and differences among them. Have pairs of students present their findings to the class while you record the various reproductive strategies on the board.

Ask the class to rank the reproductive strategies on the board in order of relative difficulty, or "expense," to the animal. For example, the tube sponge's strategy of casting out clouds of sperm or egg cells into the open water is relatively less expensive than the bowerbird's efforts to attract a mate by building an elaborate bower. Ask students:

What are some of the things that animals can't do when they're focusing so much time and energy on finding or attracting a mate?

What proportion of each parent's genetic material would the offspring of any of these species have?

Ask students to consider why some species might have evolved reproductive strategies that require a lot of energy and that allow individual organisms to pass only half of their genes on to their offspring. Ask students what benefits they think sexual selection might have.

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Why Sex? Sexual Reproduction and Genetic Diversity

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Students in this section explore the The Mating Game PBS Learning media web activity in pairs. The objective of this activity is for students to see the elaborate and at times costly reproductive strategies of various species.

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In this section of lesson students complete a Reproductive Strategies Lab. (MS-LS3-2 Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation./SP2 Developing and using Models/CCC Cause and Effect)

Students work in pairs to compare five aspects of an organism that reproduces sexually with one that reproduces asexually. As a class, students share their comparisons and generate a list of general characteristics for each mode of reproduction, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Learning Objectives

There are two modes of reproduction; sexual and asexual.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both sexual and asexual reproduction.

Classroom Implementation

1. Divide students into pairs.

2. Hand each pair:

The Investigating Reproductive Strategies worksheet (page S-1).

Two organism descriptions - one for an organism that reproduces sexually and one for an organism that reproduces either asexually or using both strategies (see chart below).

Reproductive strategies used by organisms described in this activity:
3. Instruct each pair to read about their assigned organisms and complete the comparison table on the Investigating Reproductive Strategies worksheet.

4. When all pairs have completed the comparison table, have them post their tables around the room.

5. Ask students to walk around the room and read the comparison tables with the goal of creating a list of general characteristics for organisms that reproduce sexually and one for organisms that reproduce asexually.

6. As a class, compile lists of general characteristics for organisms that reproduce sexually and asexually on the board. Learning objectives and discussion points for each category on the Investigating Reproductive Strategies worksheet are listed on pages 2-4 to help you guide the discussion.

7. Ask students to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each mode of reproduction in their pairs. Have them prepared to support their reasoning.

8. Add advantages and disadvantages to the list of general characteristics for each mode of reproduction.

9. Lead a discussion on the types of situations or conditions in which each mode of reproduction would be most advantageous or disadvantageous. Do students think one reproductive mode is generally better? Why?

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In this section of lesson students complete a Reproductive Strategies Lab. (MS-LS3-2 Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation./SP2 Developing and using Models/CCC Cause and Effect) Students work in pairs to compare five aspects of an organism that reproduces sexually with one that reproduces asexually.

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To start this lesson I ask students to add the post-its they generated at the close of the previous lesson to their concept maps and create the phrases that link these concepts together. I expect them to add alleles, homozygous and heterozygous, genotype and phenotype.

In order for the students to be successful in today's lesson, I review the following concepts by writing the terms on the board, and having students provide me with the definitions.

Homozygous: Trait made up of two of the same allele (XX or xx).

Heterozygous: Trait made up of two different alleles (Xx).

Dominant trait: Trait that needs only one allele to be shown (XX or Xx)

Recessive trait: Trait that needs both copies of the allele to be shown (xx)

Phenotype: Traits that we see (brown hair, rolling tongue, freckles)

Genotype: Combination of alleles that code for a trait.

I invite you to read my " In their Own Words" reflection to gain insight into what students can do with this simple exercise.

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To start this lesson I ask students to add the post-its they generated at the close of the previous lesson to their concept maps and create the phrases that link these concepts together. I expect them to add alleles, homozygous and heterozygous, genotype and phenotype.

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To engage the students in the lesson, I created an Animoto video.

After I show the video clip once, I move the slider to 0:15 (image of the different dog coats), and ask, "What are you observing? If we follow Mendel's inheritance, should we not have just two colors of dog?". I tell the students to have a brief discussion with an elbow partner ( SP7), and to be ready to share out. After about one minute, I use popsicle sticks to choose a couple of students to share their ideas, and write "incomplete dominance" on the board. At this point, ideas range from "there are different alleles for each of the shades" to "it must be because of the environment". A few came up with the idea of selective breeding, but quickly became unconvinced as a peer asked, "How did it come about in the first place?"

I repeat the procedure stopping at 0:30 (image of a spotted cow), writing "co-dominance" on the board at the end of the discussion. As before, the predominant idea from the students in response to this was "there is a specific allele for spots vs. no spots".

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To engage the students in the lesson, I created an Animoto video. After I show the video clip once, I move the slider to 0:15 (image of the different dog coats), and ask, "What are you observing? If we follow Mendel's inheritance, should we not have just two colors of dog?".

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To engage students I begin the lesson by explaining that all living things have the following characteristics in common:

made of cells

use energy

grow and develop

respond to their surroundings

Then ask students to name one other characteristic that all organisms have in common. (All organisms reproduce, for example.) Following this brainstorm, focus the rest of the discussion on reproduction, reminding students that one of the most important things an organism can do is reproduce. Ask:

What is the result of reproduction?

Why do organisms bother to reproduce? Why don't they just live forever?

What would eventually happen to a species if every member suddenly lost its ability to reproduce?

Since the focus of this lesson is asexual reproduction I show the following two videos.

The first video, Cell division of E. coli with continuous media flow, shows the asexual reproduction of E. coli. The second video is a clip of the movie Multiplicity, which shows how the main character of the movie, Michael Keaton, has been cloned.

The objective of showing both of these videos is to communicate the idea that asexual reproduction leads to genetically identical offspring, which can have both positive and negative results.(- Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation/- Cause and Effect - Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural systems.)

To guide students in seeing this relationship between both videos I have students answer the following questions:
1. Describe what is occurring in the first video. 2. Does this type of reproduction occur quickly? What can be advantage of this type of reproduction? 3. In this type of reproduction the off spring are genetically identical. Do you think this is a benefit or a detriment to the organism? Please explain. 4. What do you notice about the characters in the second video? 5. What is the relationship between the first video and second? 6. What would be some positive or negative outcomes if humans reproduced this way, in other words if were all genetically identical?

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To engage students I begin the lesson by explaining that all living things have the following characteristics in common: made of cells use energy grow and develop respond to their surroundings Then ask students to name one other characteristic that all organisms have in common. (All organisms reproduce, for example.)

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I tell the students that today they will play an online game to practice creating Punnett squares and identifying specific "desirable" traits. I distribute the Furry Family Genetics worksheet and instruct the students to visit the Furry Family website from The Vital Lab (Ohio University).

I prefer that the students complete the mini-game and review questions individually. However, once they are done, I ask that they check their answers to the review questions with each other, engaging in scientific discussions with peers, as they evaluate the findings of others ( SP8). I tell the students this is not about a "What did you write for # 2?", but rather about explaining their answers to each other and learning to defend their explanations ( SP7). I model the conversation that I expect from them:
"I see we disagree on the probability for the recessive in the cross between a homozygous dominant and a heterozygous. Why do you think it is 75%?"
In order to foster this type of interaction, I tell the students that as I walk the room I will be giving out patriot bucks (school-wide incentive) to students who perform this type of conversation.

Watch as a student walks through the activity and then listen to a couple of students explain what they thought about it.

Did you catch the last student's change in attitude?

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I tell the students that today they will play an online game to practice creating Punnett squares and identifying specific "desirable" traits. I distribute the Furry Family Genetics worksheet and instruct the students to visit the Furry Family website from The Vital Lab (Ohio University).

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I ask the class, "Does SpongeBob looks exactly like one of his parents? Do you look exactly like your Mom or Dad? Why?". I proceed to explain that the inheritance of traits is almost like flipping a coin and introduce the term probability as the likeliness of some event occurring. I bring out a coin, and ask, "What is the probability of flipping and the coin landing heads up? What if I do it twice, does that increase my chances?" Finally, I ask, "What does flipping a coin and talking about probability have to do with the inheritance of traits? Think for a minute and then tell your neighbor what you think (Turn and Talk). After the turn and talk, I ask for a couple of volunteer pairs to share their conversation with the class.

I tell the class that today they will become parents to some monsters. Their job is to determine the genotype and phenotype of their offspring. I distribute the Monster Factory sheet and one coin for each set of "parents". If you have an uneven number of students, you can have the odd student do the activity on his/her own, but I'd suggest that he/she join a partnership and use their own flips and the "partner data".

Some important information and tips for teaching this lesson are covered in this screencast.

Once students have created the genotypes for their offspring, they move on to drawing pictures of them (phenotypes). I tell the students to make sure that their drawings are based on the data they obtained because they might be called upon to defend their explanations ( SP7) during Student Exhibition Nights.

Watch as a couple of students explain the activity and their work. The video also includes several monster phenotypes with their corresponding genotypes. I would love to hear what you think about them.

Students satisfied with their drawings can navigate to the Genetic Breeder activity and attempt to produce specific combinations of traits in 8 generations or less, or even create a sibling for their monster.

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I ask the class, "Does SpongeBob looks exactly like one of his parents? Do you look exactly like your Mom or Dad? Why?". I proceed to explain that the inheritance of traits is almost like flipping a coin and introduce the term probability as the likeliness of some event occurring.

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Students complete the rest of the Pedigree sheet with a partner (student work). This allows the students to collaborate with each other searching for the best explanation ( SP7), and analyze pedigree charts ( SP4). Through the work and conversation, the students are engaging in using the pedigree charts (models) to understand and predict behaviors of biological systems ( CCC Systems and System Models Models are limited in that they only represent certain aspects of the system under study).

Watch as I work with a struggling student.

Note: This student will need extra practice to be able to do this confidently on his own. Read my reflection on Practice Towards Mastery to see how I find resources when this happens.

If students are done early, they may create a pedigree chart that tracks one of the traits in their Monster Family.

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Students complete the rest of the Pedigree sheet with a partner (student work). This allows the students to collaborate with each other searching for the best explanation ( SP7), and analyze pedigree charts ( SP4).

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The day before presentations, I create a Padlet wall.

Padlet is an online collaboration tool that allows the user to create a virtual bulletin board. More information about how to use Padlet is available in the reflection Padlet - The Online Bulletin Board.

I explain that today we will listen to all presentations. There will be no questions or comments made aloud for any team, but that instead, all questions and comments will be written down on Padlet. The questions and comments made on Padlet will then be addressed during a panel discussion which will take place after presentations. I give students the Padlet URL for the discussion, and allow a couple of minutes for them to get the electronic device of their choice and navigate to the Padlet URL.

If your students have never used Padlet, I suggest a brief tutorial and opportunity to get all the "Hi" and "Johnny here" out of the way. This will cut down on the random posts aimed at getting attention from their classmates.

I ask for a volunteer team to begin presentations. I access their audiovisual support from Edmodo, and begin. After the first team is done, I remind students to post to the Padlet wall, display it on the screen and give students a couple of minutes to post. In order to encourage students to write high quality questions ( SP1 Ask questions that challenge the premise(s) of an argument or the interpretation of a data set). In this case about the topic being presented ) or ideas ( SP6 Constructing explanations and evaluating information), I often reward the students with a Patriot buck (school-wide incentive).

We continue in this format until all presentations are done, and then give students an opportunity to post any final thoughts or areas they would like discussed in the panel. Click on this link - questions for panel discussion if you would like to see all their questions compiled. I have this document handy during the panel discussion to help me moderate the panel.

As you can see in this video, we are still working on presentation skills (body language, eye contact, etc.). To make matters worse, on this particular day we had a group of teachers from another district visiting our program. However, I am glad to see that students were relying on their own notes during the presentations instead of attempting to read from the slides and giving their back to the audience, as they have been known to do that before.

To close presentation day, I ask each team to decide which member will form part of the panel discussion. I remind students that even though they might not be chosen as panelists, as audience members they will be the ones posing questions and providing additional support to their panelists answers (this means they are the ones with the paper trail that leads to their panelists views).

Note to teachers: I actually try not to have all teams present in one day, saving one or two teams for a second day. This allows us to conclude the presentations with time "left over" in the class period. The students use this extra time to go over the items posted on the Padlet wall and prepare for the panel discussion. This is what the students had to say about that "extra time".

Students who are presenting are gaining experience in SP8 - Communicating findings clearly and persuasively, while the audience is engaged in examining their own understanding in light of evidence ( SP7). Throughout the presentations students can explore causal relationships to predict phenomena in natural systems ( CCC - Cause and Effect).

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Controversies in Genetics - Presentations and Panel Discussion

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The day before presentations, I create a Padlet wall. Padlet is an online collaboration tool that allows the user to create a virtual bulletin board. More information about how to use Padlet is available in the reflection Padlet - The Online Bulletin Board. I explain that today we will listen to all presentations.

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Today we begin the process of making claymation videos of Mitosis.

To inspire my students, I share this stop motion animation featuring a Robot Elephant created in a biology notebook.

For reference, we use a page from the student textbook showing a colorful image of the mitosis process. There is one image per phase beginning with interphase, moving to prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase and cytokinesis.

In order to create a video that show the cell division process in action, we need to imagine what small steps occur between each phase. We want the claymation video to show movement over time. To do that it would be best to create 10 steps between each phase. You should have no less than 50 images in you video.

We have a few cameras to share. You may also use your phones as long as you have a way to extract pictures and place them on your computer.

You may select clay as follows:

One color the size of a ping-pong ball for your cytoplasm

One color the size of a shooter marble for your nucleus

Five additional colors the size of a regular marble for your chromosomes, spindle fibers, chromatids, chromatin and centrioles

Setup a location to take your photos. We want the photos to be as consistent in location as possible.

Use the same location each day

Keep the camera in the same location for each photo taken

Make note of the lighting to be sure it is the same each day

Decide whether or not to use the flash - which ever you decide, it should be the same each day

This group of future engineers created a stand for the camera

This group used a ruler for each shot

Create a folder on your computer to store the photos. At the end of each day store a copy of the folder in you Google Drive. If you are working with a partner, be sure to share the folder. You will be taking 50 or more photos after you painstakingly manipulate your claymation. We do not want to risk loosing your hard work.

We will be using Microsoft Movie Maker to create our animated film.

This short video explains how to use the basic functions of Movie Maker.

Below you will see three different approaches to the assignment.
Sample Student Mitosis Videos

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Today we begin the process of making claymation videos of Mitosis. To inspire my students, I share this stop motion animation featuring a Robot Elephant created in a biology notebook. For reference, we use a page from the student textbook showing a colorful image of the mitosis process.

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Once we are all clear on the expectations, I tell the students to have a quick conversation regarding which of the topics interests them personally, and to assign the topics within their group. This is the time when, if a student is particularly unhappy with his/her topic assignment you could have him/her switch to another team with a similar issue. I make it clear, however, that there cannot be switches mid-project as this would create an imbalance in the information available to a team preventing them from making an informed decision.

In this video, students explain why they chose a particular topic to become experts on. As you can see, some of them have a higher degree of previous knowledge than others, however getting to the point where they can have a knowledgeable conversation is what the project is all about.

At this point, the students and I work as a whole group to develop the project timetable (which remains posted throughout the project and is used to count down the days until presentation day). This usually looks something like:

Day 1: Individuals research the "what and how" of their topic.

Day 2: Individuals research pros and cons of their topic.

Watch this video, where you can see where students are on Day 2, and how they take ownership by committing to continue the work at home.

Day 3:Same topic groups of no more than 4 meet to share and clarify information. See what students had to say about their expert meeting.

Day 4: Two experts share with their team (20 min each). Ideas shared are mapped to aid in the decision making process.

Day 5: Other two experts share with their team (20 min each). Ideas shared are mapped to aid in the decision making process.

Day 6: Clarification questions are asked for all topics. Vote on the area which should receive funding. Once agreed, decide on the most compelling arguments in favor and against. Decide on presentation format.

Day 7-9: Using each other as a resource, develop the oral and visual presentation to be made to the legislature. Once the formal presentation is complete, work on the highlight reel that will be used to introduce your panelist during the panel discussions.

As students work on presentations, they discover new ideas, and learn from each other. Watch what the students had to say about this.

Day 10: Practice, practice, practice.

Day 11: Present your work. As you are listening to others present their work, write down your questions/ideas for the panelists.

Day 12: Panel discussion.

I find that when doing a heavy research project, students need guidelines for what they are supposed to be doing, especially when there are so may avenues to explore. The timeline becomes a lifeline that prevents the students from getting mired in, "I'm still doing research". It also helps instill a sense of urgency to the work. Students realize that the project will not go on forever. The key is defining with the students how long the project will last (I suggest no more than 13 class periods), and what the daily workload looks like.

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Controversies in Genetics - Multiday Project

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Once we are all clear on the expectations, I tell the students to have a quick conversation regarding which of the topics interests them personally, and to assign the topics within their group. This is the time when, if a student is particularly unhappy with his/her topic assignment you could have him/her switch to another team with a similar issue.

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MS-LS3-2: Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.