UNIT I: INTRODUCTION TO THE CELL Cell/Developmental Biology Group 4 Bryant Chase, Lloyd Epstein, Trisha Spears, Florida State University Jill Beyette and Brian Kinkle, University of Cincinnati Kathy Miller and Kathy Hafer, Washington University “The Bloom-ing Idiots”

Context First semester, introductory biology class for majors Large lecture format (> 100 students) The unit is designed to span 4-5 lectures The tidbit is designed to be used the first day of lecture

1. differences between living and non-living entities. 1a. list defining properties of a living entity 1b. evaluate evidence and decide if an entity is alive or not alive 2. the essential characteristics and defining properties of a cell. 2a. draw and label parts of a cell; 2b. describe the function of essential components of the cell; 2c. explain leading hypotheses on the origin of cells; 2d. explain the origin of extant cells. 3. an organism can be one cell or many cells. 4. not all the cells are the same. 3. name 3 types of uni- and multicellular organisms. 4a. list different types of cells (in a human). 4b. explain/suggest hypotheses for why some cells are different from others. 4c. compare & contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. 5. scientific knowledge is incomplete and subject to change. 5. evaluate the ability of our current definition of life to accommodate new scientific and technological innovations Understand: Be able to: At the end of the unit, students should…

1. differences between living and non-living entities. 1a. list defining properties of a living entity 1b. evaluate evidence and decide if an entity is alive or not alive 2. the essential characteristics and defining properties of a cell. 2a. draw and label parts of a cell; 2b. describe the function of essential components of the cell; 2c. explain leading hypotheses on the origin of cells; 2d. explain the origin of extant cells. 3. an organism can be one cell or many cells. 4. not all the cells are the same. 3. name 3 types of uni- and multicellular organisms. 4a. list different types of cells (in a human). 4b. explain/suggest hypotheses for why some cells are different from others. 4c. compare & contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. 5. scientific knowledge is incomplete and subject to change. 5. evaluate the ability of our current definition of life to accommodate new scientific and technological innovations Understand: Be able to: At the end of the unit, students should…

Learning Goals for this Tidbit 1. fundamental differences between living and non-living entities Students will understand:

Learning Goals for this Tidbit 1. fundamental differences between living and non-living entities 2. that scientific knowledge is dynamic – the body of knowledge is currently incomplete – new knowledge can cause us to change our theories about science Students will understand:

Learning Goals for this Tidbit 1. fundamental differences between living and non-living entities 2. that scientific knowledge is dynamic – the body of knowledge is incomplete – new knowledge can cause us to change our theories about science 3. categories and definitions that scientists use have limitations and may change over time Students will understand:

Learning Outcomes After completing this tidbit, students will be able to: – list defining properties of a living entity – analyze evidence and decide if an entity is alive – evaluate the ability of our current definition of life to accommodate new scientific and technological innovations

Have you met Aiko? YouTube video

Have you met Aiko? Is Aiko alive? A)Yes B)No C)I don’t have sufficient information Clicker activity:

What are the defining characteristics of life? On your own, take 1 minute and write down at least 3 characteristics of all living things. Assemble into groups of 4 and take 2 minutes to make a single combined list. Choose your top 3.

Defining characteristics of life Evolution Organization (cells) Growth (and development) Metabolism Reproduction (genetic material) Regulation (homeostasis) Response (to environment)

Try these: Which of these are living entities? 2 3 A: 1 B: 2 C: 3 D: 2 and 3 E: 1, 2 and 3 Clicker activity: 1

Now it gets harder. Which of these are living entities? 2 3 A: 1 B: 2 C: 3 D: 1 and 2 E: 1 and 3 1

Let’s imagine Aiko 10.0 real human skin solar-powered programmed to build Aiko 11.0, Ariko 1.0 (a boy)

Clicker question: Thinking about the list of defining characteristics of life, is Aiko 11.0 now alive? A) YesB) No

Clicker question: Thinking about the list of defining characteristics of life, is Aiko 11.0 now alive? A) YesB) No Food for thought: what would make Aiko 11.0 alive? Do we need to modify our list?

Homework assignment Venter Institute Scientists Create First Synthetic Bacterial Genome hetic-bacterial-genome/press-release/ Assignment: read the article and write a short paragraph evaluating whether Venter has successfully created new life

Learning Goals for the Entire Teachable Unit Students should understand the following: differences between living and non-living entities the essential characteristics and defining properties of a cell not all cells are the same an organism can be one cell or many cells scientific knowledge is incomplete and subject to change

Formative Assessments 1.Individual response clicker questions 2.Individual followed by group brainstorm 3.Group discussion 4.Repeat clicker question after evaluating new evidence

Summative Assessment Exam Question: Assume a Mars probe brought back a sample with the following properties: It moves toward light It responds to sound by repeating the sounds It can pick up small objects and internalize them The director of the Mars Study Group announces that life has been discovered on Mars. Do you agree? Explain your reasoning.

Addressing Diversity Our classroom activities accommodate different learning styles in the following ways: Visual (photographs) Auditory (group discussion and listening to instructor) Read/write (list and one minute paper homework assignment) Group work encourages diverse students to work together and share ideas We use a variety of universally recognizable images in our presentation