Simmons College

Programs in Special Education

Lesson Plan Format
(Moderate)
Practicum Student: Molly Dugdale Date: March 4, 2015
Subject/Skills: Biology
Grade Level: 9/10
Number of Learner(s): 6
Time of Lesson: Period 5 (12:01- 12:51)
Length of Lesson: 50 min.
Curriculum Frameworks:
Grade Level: 9/10
Subject: Science
Strand: Biology
Common Core State Standard for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6-12:
RST Grades 9-10: 2.
Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the texts explanation or depiction of
a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.
Page Number: 75
Publication Date: March 2011

1.

Purpose/Objective/Function

a. As a result of this lesson, students will be able to understand why cells have to reproduce, and
they will understand that different types of cells reproduce differently. Specifically, students will
be able to understand that body cells (skin cells, blood cells, bone cells, etc) reproduce via the
process of mitosis. Students will be able to accurately arrange and explain the steps of mitosis
through a variety of multisensory activities.
b. This lesson intentionally follows a series of lessons about cell structure and function.
Specifically, students explicitly learned that cells have a nucleus that contains all of the genetic
information for the cell. Also, students learned that DNA is a macromolecule that contains genes,
which determine the traits of living things. Genes are bundled into packages called
chromosomes, and every human body cell has 46 chromosomes (23 from each parent). This
lesson is relevant because students must understand that all living things undergo reproduction in
order to survive, and therefore reproduction is a characteristic of life. Also, the lesson will
provide students with specific strategies for organizing and expressing information in writing, as
well as provide students with an opportunity to become more familiar with a variety of study

skills (active listening, note taking, etc). This lesson will be followed by subsequent lessons in
which students will explicitly learn how sex cells reproduce through the process of meiosis, and
students will compare and contrast the two types of cell reproduction. Also, students will
explicitly learn how cell reproduction determines what traits living organisms inherit from their
parents.
c.

By providing students with a variety of multisensory opportunities to understand the complex,

multi-step process of mitosis, students will be able to understand how cell reproduction is
essential for the passing of traits from parent to offspring.
2.

Pre-requisite skills/knowledge

a. In order to complete the lesson successfully, students need to be able to listen attentively to oral
directions, and with teacher-generated templates, record notes from the whiteboard. Also,
students need to be able to draw an accurate picture to represent each step of mitosis. Lastly, they
need to be able to correctly sequence/sort the steps of mitosis by using their class notes as a
reference.
b. During the first week of school, all students in the class were assessed with informal diagnostics
in which they were asked to describe a process that involved multiple steps. Most of the students
had difficulty providing adequate detail and order to their descriptions, and many students were
prompted to use explicit templates in order to express ideas clearly in writing. As a result, it was
decided that students could practice depicting the steps of a multi-step process by accurately
sequencing the steps of cell reproduction, and using their resources to summarize the process as a
whole.
3.

Schedule and Pacing

Schedule and Pacing

Agenda/Purpose
(1 min)
-Inform students about the agenda
for the class, as well as the purpose
of the lesson (Post agenda on board)

Materials

Accomodations

Specially Designed
Instruction
(Modifications)

White board

Student #1: provide

clear expectations,
make student aware of
overall goals for units
presented,

Student #1
The methodology of
the general
curriculum will be
modified through the
use of metacognitive
approaches to
explain the purpose
of a task

Dry erase
marker

Warm-up (5 min)
-Students will view a series of
pictures that are projected on the
board and brainstorm how the
pictures are related to the concept of
cell reproduction (Students will
record their responses on a teachergenerated template)
-Afterwards, class will have a brief
discussion to share their ideas and
the teacher will collect the templates

Class Notes
(5 min)
-Students will orally review that
there are two types of cells, body
cells and sex cells, which undergo
different types of cell transport
-Teacher will explain that today, the
class will explicitly learn how body
cells reproduce through the process
of mitosis
-Teacher will outline each step of
mitosis using a template generated
on the whiteboard, and students will
listen actively and record
notes/draw pictures of each step

Cell
Reproduction
warm-up
template (x6)

-mitosis notes
template (x6)

Student #1:
Supplement oral
presentations with
visuals, link instruction
in new areas to familiar
skills and material
Student #2: Pair oral
information/
content/instruction with
visual supplementation

Student #1 and #2:

The methodology of
the general
curriculum will be
modified through the
provision of small
group instruction and
teacher modeling

Student #1
supply a practice
example before
assigning independent
work,
Student #1 and #2: Pair
oral information/
content/instruction with
visual supplementation,
present lengthy material
in small, manageable
segments with frequent
review

Student #1 and #2:

The content of the
general curriculum
will be modified
through provision of
key details and
elimination of
extraneous detail.
Student #1:
Methodology
modifications
include the provision
of a multimodal and
multi-sensory
approach.

Student #1:
collaborative
approach for
brainstorming ideas
in advance to hear
others points of
view

Kinesthetic Card Sord

(25-30 minutes)
-After students record a drawing for
each step of mitosis, they will cut
the drawings off of their notes
template and scramble them on their
desk.
-Then, they will attempt to match
the correct drawing to the correct
step of mitosis written on the notes
template.

Video Assessment ( 3 min)

-Teacher will project a brief video
on the whiteboard that animates the
process of mitosis. The video will
periodically pause, ask the students
a comprehension question, and
allow the student adequate time to
respond appropriately. The
questions will assess whether or not
the students understand what
happens at each step of mitosis.
-Students will respond to the
questions on a teacher-generated
template, and the teacher will
collect the responses afterwards.
Assign Homework
(2 min)
Write assignment on the white
board, and check each students
agenda book to ensure that it says,
Create flapper for mitosis that
includes written description and
drawing.
-Provide a model for students so
that they can successfully complete

Scissors (x 6)

Student #1 and #2: Pair

oral information/
content/instruction with
visual supplementation

Student #1
Methodology
modifications
include the provision
of a multimodal and
multi-sensory
approach.
Student #2:
Methodology
modifications
include the provision
of a kinesthetic
techniques, and
provision of graphic
organizers

Student #1 and #2:

Mitosis Video present lengthy material
assessment
in small, manageable
template (x6)
segments, Supplement
oral presentations with
visuals,

Student #1
Performance criteria
modifications
include the provision
of a multimodal and
multi-sensory
approach, and having
a familiar test
administer read the
questions orally in
order to decrease the
students anxiety
Student #2:
Performance criteria
modification include
teacher-generated
assessments

Student #1 Supply a
practice example before
-Pre-cut
assigning independent
flappers made work, provide clear
of colored
expectations
construction
Student #1 and Student
paper (x6)
#2:
-Colored
markers
present lengthy material
in small, manageable
segments

Student #1
Methodology
modifications
include the provision
of a multimodal and
multi-sensory
approach.
Student #2:
Methodology
modifications

the assignment independently.

Exit Ticket
(1 min)

Student #2: Daily

explicit guidance and
checking that student
appropriately uses an
assignment notebook
and assignments are
written clearly, structure
assignments to aid in
the organization of
information, provide
success-oriented
homework that student
can do independently

include provision of
visual models and a
highly structured
approach

Student #1 provide
clear expectations

Students label each flap of their

flapper (step 1, Step 2, etc) and
draw a circle for each step so they
are best prepared to initiate their
homework task independently.

4.
Materials
White board, Dry erase marker, Cell Reproduction warm-up template (x6), Mitosis notes template (x6),
Scissors (x 6), Mitosis Video assessment template (x6), Pre-cut flappers made of colored construction
paper (x6, Colored markers
5.

IEP Goals/Objectives/Benchmarks

Student #1
Student #1 will apply study skills in content material written at the 7th- 9th grade reading levels in
structured, collaborative, and independent exercises.

Rewrite:
When provided with an explicit template and direct cueing from the teacher, Student #1 will use
class notes to independently create an interactive and manipulative study guide that includes
targeted vocabulary and corresponding diagrams 100% of the time on 4 out of 5 occasions during
the spring semester.

Student #2
When provided with a template, Jack will copy written notes from the board with decreasing
prompting and redirection on all measured occasions.
Rewrite:
When the teacher provides an explicit template and direct cueing as well as a visual aid to
supplement oral instruction, Student #2 will record the steps of a complex scientific process from
the board 100% of the time on every 4 out of 5 measured occasions during the spring.

These students IEP goals and objectives directly align with the purpose of the biology lesson.

6.

Possible Problems and Solutions

Possible Problems

Potential Solution

Projector could break

Make sure to have dry erase markers in case

the lecture notes need to be written on the
board

Internet connection could be out of service

Be prepared to have students work offline

using Powerpoint Presentation

The website that plays the video may not be

accessible

Upload the video on youtube and prepare to

pause and ask comprehension questions orally

Students with expressive language difficulties

may not be able to independently discuss how
the warm-up pictures relate to cell
reproduction

Prompt students with direct cues and leading

questions in order to ensure that they
incorporate targeted vocab in their
presentation and accurately translate the
quantitative information

7. Assessment

At the end of the lesson, students will be informally assessed by actively watching a video that
demonstrates the steps of mitosis and responding to a series of corresponding comprehension
questions. The teacher will orally read the questions that will also be projected on the
whiteboard, and students will have adequate time to process the question and respond
appropriately and independently. The purpose of the assessment is to determine if the students
were able to understand the what happens during each step of mitosis, and to determine if
students were able to comprehend cells needs to copy their DNA and divide in order to form new
cells.

8. Extension of the Lesson

For homework, students will create a flapper that organizes and explains the steps of mitosis.
Students will use class notes, the video, and textbook as a resource to identify and draw the
various steps of the process. This activity will provide an opportunity for success for students
since it directly reinforces concepts and skills learned in class.