Teacher Portal
Adaptation
CELL Guide
CELL Guide
Adaptation
LabLearner’s 3-D Approach to Scientific Inquiry
Phase 1 – Defined Understanding
The defined boundaries of this phase provide a framework for engaging parents and identifying students’ current knowledge of the key topic(s) explored in this CELL.
Phase 2 – Dynamic Understanding
Change, activity, and progress characterize the dynamic phase. Its design will enable you to enhance students’ existing skills, interests, and understanding, as well as meaningfully build new ones.
Phase 3 – Deeper Understanding
By this point, students have moved through powerful and purposeful tasks that had them actively and intentionally construct an understanding of concepts. In this final phase, students will consolidate knowledge and make deeper connections among ideas.
Phase 1 – Defined Understanding
► Questions to Investigate in this CELL
- Why do individuals of a species have different traits?
- What is the relationship between the survival of the individuals of a species and genetic variations?
- How does genetic variation affect the type of traits or adaptations in the individuals of a species?
- What is the relationship between genetic variation and natural selection?
- How can an environmental change affect a population?
► Parent Newsletter
Encourage parents to connect to their child’s learning by providing them with a framework of the CELL. Use this link to access and share the Parent Newsletter.
► Baseline Assessment
Assess students’ current knowledge of the topic(s) being explored then set instructional and student learning goals. Use this link to schedule then invite students to take the Pre-test for the CELL.
Phase 2 – Dynamic Understanding
► Introduction and Fun Facts
Enhance your conceptual understanding by reading the student-level research on the topic(s) being explored. Use this link to access the research.
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► Links to Investigations
Go directly to the Investigation you are working on by clicking on a link below:
► Investigation 1
► Investigation 2
► Investigation 3
► CELL Vocabulary
Investigation 1:
- Species: A group of organisms that possess similar genes and traits which no other group possesses
- Trait: One form of a visible characteristic or behavior determined by a particular allele
- Genetic Variation: Slight differences in an organism’s traits that are considered normal
- Adaptation: An increase in the proportion of the individuals of a species that possess a necessary trait, allowing the species to survive a change in an environmental factor
- Environment: An organism’s physical surroundings, such as food supply, soil, weather, water, trees, and mountains
- Allele: Different forms of the same gene that contain slightly different genetic information for slightly different traits
- Dominant: An allele that will produce a trait that masks another (recessive) trait for the same characteristic
- Recessive: An allele that produces a trait that is masked by a dominant trait
- Genotype: The genes that determine an organism’s phenotype
- Phenotype: The physical appearance, behavior, or trait of an organism
- Homozygous: When two alleles are the same (either both are dominant or both are recessive), the genotype is said to be homozygous
- Heterozygous: When two alleles are different (one is dominant and one is recessive), the genotype is said to be heterozygous.
Investigation 2:
- Environmental Pressure: A change in an organism’s environment that selects for organisms with slight differences in a trait that give that organism a survival or reproductive advantage
- Natural Selection: Sometimes called “Survival of the Fittest” Environmental pressures often give an organism with a favorable trait an advantage over other organisms without the trait. The organism with the trait is selected by the pressures and is able to survive and reproduce, but the organism without the trait cannot and is eventually forced into extinction
Investigation 3:
- Fossil: The remains of an organism, often its bones that are left after it has died.
- Paleontologist: A scientist who uses fossils to study organisms that once existed but are now extinct.
- Extinct: When all individual organisms of a species have died.
► Access Scoring Rubric
Examine the scoring rubric for this CELL so that you know what your teacher is looking for in terms of performance.
Tips for Success:
Google Classroom
Phase 3 – Deeper Understanding
►Deep Analysis Classroom Discussion
These questions can be used to elicit in-depth discussions based on the lab experience. Teachers may use any or all of these discussion points depending on the time available. All Investigations‘ Deep Analysis questions as well as the Comprehension Check for the entire CELL are found on this link.
► Summative Assessment
Evaluate student learning at the end of the CELL by comparing the Summative Assessment to students’ Baseline Assessments. Use this link to schedule then invite students to take the Post-test for the CELL.