# 03060584
1. Instructional Context: The Biology class used in this component is a class of 29 students in grades 9-11, ranging in age from 14-16. This class is required for graduation coving topics from cells, DNA, genetics, photosynthesis, evolution, and ecology. In this section there were 16 girls and 13 boys. There are 17 freshmen, 11 sophomores and one junior. Twenty four students are Caucasian, four students are African American, and one students is Hispanic. Two students spoke a second language at home (Igbo and Arabic). Two students are on 504 plans. There was one student in a wheelchair that has a full time para with her. Student reading ability scores range from fourth grade to above twelfth grade; eighteen students are reading at or above grade level, eleven students are below grade level with six students reading at a 6th grade or lower level. The math scores ranged from 5th grade above twelfth; seven students are below grade level and 22 students are at or above grade level. Based on District Star Assessment results, two students are receiving additional reading help …show more content…
Students began the unit by defining and labeling cells. In Activity 1, students wrote a cell analogy describing the working parts of a cell. Scaffolding off of their prior knowledge of the cell and its cell parts, the students first analyzed an exemplar of a cell as a city and identified the parts from the analogy. In part two, the students had to write their own, using anything but a city. This activity is harder than just defining the parts of the cell because the students had to know the definition in order to make it fit in their analogy. I gave a few ideas of a school or a house, but many of the students would come up with their own. The next day, before we handed them in, I asked if anyone would like to share their analogy and then we would try and figure out a few of the