Two female teens and two male teens were asked for their favorite colors.Their choices were:

Girls: pink, purple Boys: blue, brown

What can we conclude in regards to color preference of female and male teens? Explain.

J1

(Sample question – Please answer)

“Writing Student-Focused Questions.”

Michal Danin-Kreiselman, Ph.D.Biology Teacher

John F. Kennedy High-SchoolGranada Hills, CA (LAUSD)

michalkreiselman@gmail.comhttp://tinyurl.com/KreiselmanJournals

Journal questions fit into any part of the instructional process:

I. Teaching a New Concept

II. Formative Assessment

III. Responding to Students’ Thinking.

I. Teaching a New Concept(Creating a contextual framework)

Figure Analysis(picture, video diagram, graph)

Refer to previous experiences

Discrepant event

Respond to

Analogies

Two female teens and two male teens were asked for their favorite colors.Their choices were:

Girls: pink, purple Boys: blue, brown

What can we conclude in regards to color preference of female and male teens? Explain.

J1

I. Teaching a New Concept

Discrepant Event

1) What is the best way to store a fresh salad - With or without the dressing? Why?

2) What happens to fresh strawberry with it is covered with sugar? J4

I. Teaching a New Concept

Refer to previous experiences

1) What is common to all of these structures?

Lock, Key

Enzyme, Substrate

J5I. Teaching a New Concept

Figure Analysis

2) What is common to all of these structures?

I. Teaching a New Concept

Figure Analysis

II. Formative Assessment:Exposing misconceptions / errors

Scenarios from lab/activity

Review and Practice skills

Conceptual drawing

Organizing vocabulary

x40

1)Which magnification should you start with – small or large? Why?

2) About how many cells can you see on the right picture?

3) Is the picture taken from a prokaryote or eukaryote? Explain.

x1000

J2II. Formative Assessment

Scenario from lab,Figure analysis

Respond Yes/No. Explain.•Should we measure all conditions at the same time, or one at a time?

•Should the discs be de-gassed by one student or by several students?

•Should we use discs from the same area in the leaf or from various areas in the leaf?

J3II. Formative Assessment

Scenario from lab

III. Responding to student’s thinking:

Addressingstudents’ errors

Personal reflections

Analyze previous activity / lab

Review and practice skills

Sunlight Sunlight

Earth

EarthOR?

IMAGE A IMAGE BIII. Responding to students’ thinking

Addressing students’ errors

Draw the two images of Earth and sunlight.1. Describe the differences

between the two images.2. Which of the two images, do

you think, is correct?(Remember that the sun is far

away!)3. Explain your choice.

Journal: J6

A.

B.

C. D.

Which satellite is slowest,

faster, fastest?

J7III. Responding to students’ thinking

Analyzing a previous activity

General TipsI. Text:-Fits into ONE SLIDE-Recommended: 44 bold-Sharp color contrast -Recommended: Light on darkII. Content: - Two-three questions:1.Describe… 2.Explain… 3.Predict…III. Organization: - Date-slides

11.08.14

NOW, YOU TRY!

Take about 10 minutes and write a question for one concept that you choose, apply one of the scenarios in your packet.

More examples…

Draw the following cell:

1) How many chromosomes? 2) How many types of chromosomes (N=?)?3) Is this a diploid or a haploid cell? Explain.

Plant (Elodea):

5 micrometers5 micrometers

1)Draw the images, simply.2)Estimate: How many cells are

in the red frames? Explain.3) What can be learned here?

Bacteria:

1.The English language contains hundreds of thousand words. But it uses only 26 letters. How come?

2. Proteins are made of just 20 types of amino acids. How, then do we get so many types of proteins and their functions?

1.Draw a graph that shows the relative changes in your mood during the course of a school day.

Include: An hour scale of one day; Title your graph.

2. Describe your graph in words.

J

I: A frog changed its skin in response to the background and passed the color to its offspring.

Which statement is better? Explain your reasoning.

II: A frog happened to have the blending skin color survived and raised offspring with the same skin color.

Copy the following DNA strand: A G G T C C T A T

G-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --A. What would be the order of

nucleotides in the opposite strand (blanks)?

B. How many nucleotides are in each strand? C. How many phosphates and sugars are on each side of this DNA?

Human Gene

Plasmid DNA

Human proteinCompleted

file!

++

1.What is one major function of your saliva?

2.What is starch made of? 3. Accordingly, what do you expect

would happen if you mixed saliva with starch?

4. How will you check that this actually happened?

Journal Entry: Answer in complete sentences!

“During pregnancy, a woman was tested for the amount of glucose in her blood. The results were surprising: The test showed zero blood glucose.

What could be the reasons (at least 2) for such results?

Is the women in trouble? Explain.”

* Students’ usual response: “The woman is in trouble”, “The Baby takes up her food”; * Correct answer: • Zero sugar is impossible

considering that the woman is alive. The problem is with the test itself.

• One cannot conclude regarding her health.

More tips:• Concrete examples.• Record evidence (graphs,

diagrams, drawings) in notebook.

• Short (one slide).• Large Font (i.e. Ariel 40-44)• Light text on dark background.

Dissection of the sample question:Step ONE –Learning objectives:Eukaryotic cells contain organelles that resemble prokaryotic cells.Step TWO –Misconceptions, Errors: Cells are circular; Every membrane is a cell membrane;Step THREE –Discrepant images:Elodea Chloroplasts side by side with similarly looking bacteria.

Step FOUR –Students know / understand:* to count, estimate numbers.* that a cell is the basic living unit.* initial exposure (notes) to prokaryotes versus eukaryotes. * Plants are green, chloroplasts are for pho

Plant (Elodea):

5 micrometers5 micrometers

1)Draw the images, simply.2)Estimate: How many cells are

in the red frames? Explain.3) What can be learned here?

Bacteria:

* Students’ expected response: 2) “I see about 30-70 cells in

both pictures.”* Correct answer: 2) There are about 70 bacteria cells

and only ONE plant cellThe green circles are chloroplasts. 3) Learned: Organelles, such as

chloroplasts resemble bacteria;Eukaryotes are larger than prokar’.

Case 2: A man with diabetes bought a

sugar-free drink. To be sure, he tested the drink for sugar.

Diet drink Non-Diet Drink

20 gr / liter 40 gr / liter

Should he buy the diet drink? Explain.

Water

20 gr / liter

Sand

Bread

Glass

Plastic

Iron Frames

Divide the following list into two groups according to how they respond to fire. What is common to each group?

Grass Margarine

Paper Clips

Egg Shell

Rubber

Bone Salt

Pepper

Sugar

Hair

Dried Milk

Honey Water

1) Divide the following list to infectious and non-infectious diseases:Flu HIV/AIDSArthritis CancerPneumonia Food PoisoningAlzheimer Lead PoisoningSickle Cell Anemia Athlete Foot Alcoholism Malaria2) What is common to all infectious diseases?

1)Draw the chromosomes in a diploid cell of an organism where N=3.

2) How many combinations of haploid (eggs or sperm) cells are possible if N=2, N=3? Draw the possible combinations.

If N=2:

2N:

1. Enzyme action on the substrate is compared to a lock and a key.

a. Why?b. Which do you think is the key

and which the lock? Explain.

Observe the following slide and:

1) Explain what is occurring on the right side and then on the left side.

2) What might be the purpose of doing the process on the left?

The relationship between genotype and phenotype is compared to thought and action of a person.

1.What is the relationship between thought and action?

2.How can this be compared to genotype-phenotype?

Consider the two urine samples.

1) How are they different?

2) Which sample came from a man in the hot desert? Which came from a man in the city on an average day?

Explain your answer.

Two eggs two solutions:

The eggs you are looking at were de-shelled with vinegar. They were then dipped overnight – one in syrup and one in water.

1.Draw what you see. 2.Which egg was dipped in

syrup/water? How can you tell?3.Why did this happen in terms of

osmosis?

1.What is the purpose of using fertilizers?

2. Fertilizers are mostly made of nitrogen compounds, and barely any carbon compounds. Why?

It is relatively common that two brown-eyed parents have a blue-eyed child, but it is rare that two blue-eyed parents have a brown eyed- child.

Why? Explain, using the terms: homozygote, heterozygote, dominant recessive.

Which, on average, has larger cells, an ant or an elephant? A daisy or an oak tree?

Explain your answer.

Checking Preconceptions in Evolution

Are you Red or Blue?

michalkreiselman@gmail.net

2009

Activity written by: Michal Kreiselman, Ph.D.

I: A frog changed its skin in response to the background and passed the color to its offspring.

Which statement is better? Explain your reasoning.

II: A frog happened to have the blending skin color survived and raised offspring with the same skin color.

I: A frog changed its skin in response to the background and passed the color to its offspring.

Which statement is better? Explain your reasoning.

II: A frog happened to have the blending skin color survived and raised offspring with the same skin color.

Red: Birds developed wings because they needed to fly in order escape predators.

Blue: Birds were accidentally born with wings, and it turned out to be helpful in escaping predators.

Red: If you practice a lot, your children will be born athletic.

Blue: Even if you practice well, your children will need to practice themselves to be athletic.

Red: Cheetahs learned to run faster and passed it on to their offspring.

Blue: Cheetahs that happen to be were born fast-runners, survived and passed it on to their offspring.

Red: Cheetahs learned to run faster and passed it on to their offspring.

Blue: Cheetahs that were accidentally born fast-runners, survived and passed it on to their offspring.

Red: The environment can target specific genes and cause them to change.

Blue: The environment cannot directly target and change genes. Genes change on their own.

Red: The environment can target specific genes and cause them to change.

Blue: The environment cannot directly target and change genes. Genes change on their own.

Red: Genetic variability does not matter for the survival of the species.

Blue: Genetic variability is essential for survival of the species.

Red: Jean Baptiste’s Lamark

Adaptation occurs by selective use or disuse of organs within the life of the organism.

Blue: Charles Darwin

Adaptation by Natural Selection: The struggle for survival selects from pre-existing genetic variations.

  Period 1   Period 3   Period 4   Period 5   Period 6  

Statement / Example Red Blue Red Blue Red Blue Red Blue Red Blue

Frog 10 19 14 18 9 30 8 24 26 3

Bird 19 8 9 23 22 16 6 27 6 18

Athlete 9 20 2 31 4 33 0 35 1 23

Cheetahs 10 18 5 26 14 19 3 32 16 12

Genetic Changes 17 11 19 13 3 28 11 24 6 17

Genetic Variaion 1 28 5 25 5 27 3 32 4 22