outline: animating cellular mitosis - k12northstar.org · outline: animating cellular mitosis ......

David Brannan – January, 2011

Outline: Animating Cellular Mitosis

Overview This lesson is designed to teach students mitosis (a basic biological process) by having them create a stop animation illustrating its five stages: interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Students’ animation will diagram the required cellular parts and functions as they morph between stages through cytokinesis.

Grades and Subject Areas • Recommended for 7th grade Life Science.

Objectives • Students will demonstrate the different stages of mitosis using stop animation. • Students will learn that mitosis creates identical daughter cells from existing parent cells. • Students will learn the importance of depicting scientific data through charts, graphs, and

animations.

I Can Statements • I can explain and animate the different stages of cellular mitosis. • I can plan my movie through storyboarding, scripting, and collaborative planning. • I can export and share my movie with others.

Curriculum Connections

FNSBSD Core Standards Life Science Describe the process of cell division and its role in reproduction and multicellular organisms [11] SC1.1


Alaska Content Standards

Science C. Concepts of Life Science

A student should be able to apply the concepts, models, theories, facts, evidence, systems, and processes of life science. A student who meets the content standard should:

2) Develop an understanding of the structure, function, behavior, development, life cycles,

and diversity of living organisms;

Technology A. A student should be able to operate technology-based tools.

2) Use technological tools for learning, communications, and productivity. Use technological tools for learning, communications, and productivity.

C. A student should be able to use technology to explore ideas, solve problems, and derive meaning. 1) Use technologies to observe, analyze, interpret, and draw conclusions.

3) Create new knowledge by evaluating, combining, or extending information using multiple technologies.

D. A student should be able to use technology to express ideas and exchange information. 1) Convey ideas to a variety of audiences using publishing, multi- media, and communications tools;

ISTE Student Standards (2007)

1. Creativity and Innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:

b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression. c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.

2. Communication and Collaboration Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:

b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats. d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.


ISTE Teacher Standards (2008)

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:

a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:

a. demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.

b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

Technology Integration

Hardware and Software Needs 1. Whiteboard and dry erase markers or various colors. 2. Tripod and a digital camera, or 3. Apple laptop with a web camera, along with the applications Photo Booth, iPhoto, and

iMovie.

Tips and tricks 1. It is very important to support the camera or place it so that it is sitting steadily and

cannot shake as you take the photos. Otherwise, the end result will appear chaotic and lack continuity. Equally important that the dry erase board remain stationary.

2. You can put dots on the four corners of the marker board to help you align the camera with the writing surface. If the board is kept the same distance from the camera the dots can help you position the whiteboard almost exactly between drawings.

3. Keep in mind that the more photos, the smoother the video results.

4. In single frame, 24 pictures equal one second of film.

5. Moving photos from PhotoBooth > iPhoto > iMovie sometimes requires a restart of iMovie before they are visible for import.


Resources

Handouts or Downloads 1. Outline: Animating Cellular Mitosis 2. Lesson: Animating Cellular Mitosis 3. Rubric: Animating Cellular Mitosis 4. Storyboard: Animating Cellular Mitosis

Web resources 1. http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Stop-Motion-Animation


Lesson: Animating Cellular Mitosis

Overview This lesson will introduce students to the five basic phases of cellular mitosis (interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase) through the process of creating a 2-minute stop animation.

Preparation Time 35 minutes if materials are on hand.

Background Knowledge Students should understand that mitosis is the process of producing two genetically identical cells from a single parent cell, and is extremely accurate (in a biological sense). It ensures that each of the two “daughter cells” produced gets a genetically identical set of chromosomes.

Prior to Lesson You will need to spend a bit of time gathering materials for this lesson, namely:

1. Dry erase markers and erasers. 2. Portable 2’ x 3’ dry erase white boards (optional if classroom whiteboards are available). 3. Laptops with a web camera (web camera’s are optional if digital still cameras are available). 4. Laptops should have software for taking web camera pictures such as Photo Booth, photo-

editing software such as iPhoto, and video editing software such as iMovie. 5. Extra copies of storyboard templates. 6. You will also have had taught the concept of mitosis to students. They should have firm

grasp of the concept.

Time Needed for Lesson At least two 50-minute periods recommended.

Directions


Storyboarding Storyboards are visual maps of the story you will be telling with a comic book, video or movie. Each frame should advance the story, using a sketch of the basic action and only a few words.

1. Distribute storyboard template to students. 2. Have students develop their framework

a. Begin by asking students the steps necessary to animate cellular mitosis. Ask students what will happen during their video, how and when the action will unfold, and how they can best to illustrate the process.

b. Have students outline the five phases required for their animation. Remind them to look at their textbook to get a general idea of the steps involved, how to illustrate these steps, and the objects they’ll wish to use and develop.

c. Encourage students to write a brief script. Before students can draw out the action, they will need to write what will be said that describes cellular mitosis as it transitions between stages.

3. Have students draw their storyboards

a. Have students draw a frame on the first storyboard template illustrating interphase (period of stable cellular growth in preparation for mitosis). The frame size and shape can vary; depending on how much action must take place in the frame.

b. Remind students the positions the cellular objects (membranes, nucleus, centrioles) in the frame will take. Remind them to leave room in the frame for the dialogue that accompanies the action.

c. Students should write a brief description of the phases they are illustrating in the scene. These notes will help them keep their place in the narrative as they move forward.

d. Encourage students to keep their drawings simple at this stage. Storyboards are only a mid-process guide to help them keep organized as they develop their story.

e. Have students create one frame for each action in their script. Remember, students are animating the cell as it moves between cellular phases.

f. Review the entire storyboard of frames once students finish. Ask students whether this storyboard would explain cellular mitosis well to someone else.

g. Have students repeat steps above for prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Encourage students to pay particular attention to the placement, transition, and changes in various cellular organelles. Be sure to have them illustrate the changes with the nuclear membrane, chromosomes, centromeres, microtubules, spindle fibers, and the separation of the chromatids.

Setting Up the Studio There are many ways students could perform stop animation in a classroom. However, you will need to consider the materials you have on hand. The


following three ways have been tested and proven useful based on the availability of fixed whiteboards, hand-held whiteboards, and digital cameras:

1. Place a laptop with a web camera on a desk facing a dry erase white board on a wall. 2. Place a laptop with a web camera and a hand-held (2 ft. x 3 ft.) dry erase board. 3. Place a digital camera on a tripod facing a dry erase white board mounted on a wall.

Illustration by David Brannan

Setup 1: Laptop camera and a fixed white board

1. Launch an application that allows you to take pictures with your web camera, such as Apple’s Photo Booth.

2. Position your camera so that nothing but the whiteboard is in the frame. 3. Take a picture of the white board without any markings on it as a starting point. 4. Begin drawing your animation using short, small, and detailed steps while taking two snaps

per frame. Photo Booth is excellent for this because the count down timer allows all participants to get clear with their hands between shots. Also, you can step forwards and backwards between shots with the keyboard arrow keys to preview the animation.

5. Continue with your animation shot by shot until you’ve detailed all 5 stages of cellular mitosis.

Setup 2: Laptop camera on a hand held white board 1. Launch an application that allows you to take pictures with your web camera, such as Apple’s

Photo Booth. 2. Position the hand-held whiteboard so the base is up against the front of the laptop. This will

ensure that the whiteboard is always the same distance from the camera.

3. Stand the whiteboard up vertically and draw 4 dots in each corner at the maximum edges of what is viewable with the camera. This will help


you quickly position the whiteboard in the same place and distance from the computer’s camera.

4. Take a picture of the white board without any markings on it as a starting point. 5. Begin drawing your animation using short, small, and detailed steps while taking two snaps

per frame. Photo Booth is excellent for this because the count down timer allows all participants to get clear with their hands between shots. Also, you can step forwards and backwards between shots with the keyboard arrow keys to preview the animation.

6. Continue with your animation shot by shot until you’ve detailed all 5 stages of cellular mitosis.

Setup 3: Using a Digital camera

1. Adjust the white balance on you camera against the white of the dry erase board. 2. Position your camera so that nothing but the whiteboard is in the frame. 3. Take a picture of the white board without any markings on it as a starting point. 4. Begin drawing your animation using short, small, and detailed steps while taking two snaps

per frame. 5. Continue with your animation step by step, shot by shot until your camera’s memory card fills

up and/or your animation is complete.

Stop Animation Tips and Tricks Even though there are different ways to setup stop animation, some universal truths hold true:

1. The dry erase board and camera must remain still throughout the entire process. If you bump either the camera or dry erase board your illustrations may appear to jump around, grow or shrink in size unpredictably, or be misaligned between frames.

2. Lighting should remain constant while students are animating. Be sure all lights in the classroom are on and that curtains remain open for maximum light.

3. Lighting may come from many directions possibly causing shadows to obscure the white board while students are animating. Be careful those who are snapping the shots, illustrating, or just watching the process do not project shadows.

4. Bear in mind that the more pictures you take throughout the process the smoother your animation will be. There are 24 frames per second in standard film, so taking 2 shots per frame is recommended to help eliminate the jerkiness of the start / stop motion.


Export / Import Photos It is now time for students to export the digital photos from their camera, memory card, or application that they used to take the stop animation stills.

Camera or Memory Card 1. Have students attached the camera and/or insert your memory card into the computer. 2. Launch the photo management software. 3. Import the photos. 4. Do not rename your photos – the camera should already name them numerically. 5. Group photos into an event or category then export them into a folder.

Photo Booth

1. In Apple’s Photo Booth application simply select all the desired photos and click on the iPhoto button to export them.

2. Do not rename the photos – the camera should already name them numerically. 3. Quit iPhoto.

Importing into Movie Editor Now it is time for students to begin animating photos using your standard video editing software.

1. Launch the movie editing application, such as iMovie and begin and save a new project. 2. Find the import menu option and then navigate to the folder with the photos for import, or

look the media integration link to the photo management software. 3. Select all the relevant photos and drag them to the timeline. 4. Adjust the duration that each photo will be displayed. For instance, most applications show

each photo 4 seconds as default, but for animation to 0.1 or 0.2 seconds is ideal. 5. Add titles with the movie software, unless students have animated those as well. 6. Add voice-over to the video describing the five steps of cellular mitosis. 7. Export the movie as a file that can be shared, uploaded, or handed-in to the teacher.

Movie Editing Tips and Tricks If you are using Apple’s iMovie turn off the Ken Burns effect (zooming and panning) before importing your photos to the timeline.

Extension Activity Advanced students could repeat the process for cellular meiosis.


Teacher Resources 1. http://www.ehow.com/how_2052418_draw-storyboards.html 2. http://www.ehow.com/how_2080972_make-stop-motion-animation.html

David Brannan – January, 2012 !!

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Category Excellent (4pts.) Good (3pts.) Fair (2pts.) Needs Work (1pt.)

Storyboard Storyboard is complete before camerawork: full of pictures and words to guide filming.

Storyboard is mostly complete before camerawork: some pictures and/or words missing before filming.

Storyboard is sketchy before camerawork: a significant amount of pictures and/or words are missing before filming.

Storyboard either not available for filming or minimal work completed before filming.

Purpose Establishes a purpose early on and maintains a clear focus throughout all stages of cellular mitosis.

Establishes a purpose early on and maintains focus for most of the stages of cellular mitosis.

There are a few lapses in focus, causing the purpose to be questionable for some stages of cellular mitosis.

It is difficult to figure out the purpose of the presentation and does not focus on all stages of cellular mitosis.

Consistency Voice quality is clear and consistently audible throughout the presentation.

Voice quality is clear and consistently audible throughout the majority of the presentation.

Voice quality is clear and consistently audible through some of the presentation.

Voice quality needs more attention.

Pacing The pace (rhythm and voice punctuation) fits the story line and helps the audience really “get into” and understand cellular mitosis.

The pacing (rhythm and voice punctuation) is relatively engaging. Occasionally speaks too fast or too slowly to understand cellular mitosis.

Tries to use pacing (rhythm and voice punctuation), but is often noticeable that the pacing does not sell the audience to the concept of cellular mitosis.

No attempt to match the pace of the presentation to the information delivered. Audience was left confused by the pacing and did not grasp the concept of cellular mitosis.

Economy The story is told with exactly the right amount of detail throughout. Length of presentation was 2 minutes.

The story composition is typically good, though it seems to drag somewhat or need slightly ore detail in one or two sections. Length of presentation was 1.5 minutes.

The story seems to need more editing. It is noticeably too long or too short in more than one section. Length of presentation was 1 minute.

The story needs extensive editing. It is too long or too short to be interesting. Presentation was less than 1 minute or longer than 2 minutes.

Images Images teach the concept accurately and without confusion.

A few images used can be interpreted incorrectly.

Some images used can be interpreted incorrectly.

Majority of images used can be interpreted incorrectly.

Scientific Accuracy All information (words and images) in video is scientifically accurate.

A few pieces of minor inaccurate information (words and/or images) in video.

One major piece of information (words and/or images) is inaccurate in video.

Too many inaccurate words or images in video. This could be numerous minor or two or more major inaccuracies.

outline: animating cellular mitosis - k12northstar.org · outline: animating cellular mitosis ......

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