Reebops Nursery (gender-inclusive independent assortment)

Adapted to be more inclusive from slides created by Laura Funk (staff profile page) by modifying “mom” to egg-giver and “dad” to sperm-giver, and adding UDL supports for students with cognitive differences.

Instructional note: I find it best to give these to students without explanation, so that they must derive what the components of the Reebops model are. Also, HS students are unusually protective over their Reebops. In-person, I put their completed models into plastic slips with their “birth certificate” ie. worksheet.

See steps below and the questions for the assessment at the end.

NGSS Works towards HS-LS3-1. Follow up with meiosis and HS-LS3-2.

Step 1: Flip a coin and highlight the capital or lowercase letter for that row.

Step 2: Combine the results from Step 1 to create a genotype (two letters).

Step 3: Use the third slide to decode the phenotype.

Step 4: Build the reebop based on the phenotype.

Assessment: Answer the questions in the Google Form.

0. Attach completed Reebops Nursery from your Drive.

1. Name your Reebop

2. What do you think each letter represents in the model?

3. What do you think combining the letters represents in the model?

4. All models are wrong. Some models are useful. What are some things missing from this model? List as many as you can think of.

5. Gametes (egg & sperm cells) contain 1 pair of chromosomes (n = haploid), the other body cells contain 2 pairs of chromosomes (2n=diploid). Is your baby reebop haploid or diploid?

Lesson (2x): Forensic Entomology

What these files add:

• abridged (optional) background readings w/ checks for understanding

• editable Slides w/ enhanced, labeled, enlarged images of important evidence

• re-orders agenda for more student discussion & asking questions

• cards for scaffolding asking questions about evidence

• videos for discussion

• reflection exit ticket

Task: Using climatological data, forensic insect evidence collected from deceased human, experimental entomology data, and research on blow fly life cycles, estimate the time of death for a homicide victim.

General question: If entomologists study insects, how does their research help us estimate time of death?

Major concepts: Science as inquiry & modeling, evidence & inference, all organisms must be able to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce, and maintain stable internal conditions, energy as heat.

Real historical events: This uses a real homicide case from 1986 and incorporates scans of the forensic examiner’s notebook, the news articles, letters among investigators, experiments performed by the entomologist, and photographs of the insects collected.

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Agendas

I. Blow Fly Life Cycle & Accumulated Degree Hours

1. Introduction

a) Do Now - murder trial

b) Turn & Talk: Sample of ____? collected from body as evidence (good opportunity for realia)

c) Request from State of Connecticut

2. The Life Cycle of a Blow Fly

a) Document: Forensic Examiner’s Report

b) Worksheet: Blow Fly Life Cycle

3. How Weather Affects Blow Fly Life Cycle

a) Document: Preliminary Climatological Report

b) Worksheet: Accumulated Degree Hours & weather data

II. Experimental Design for Time of Death

4. Designing an Entomology Experiment to Solve a Problem

a) Card Sort & Reveal: Asking the Right Questions

optional: Rear flies on raw liver!

b) Document: Entomology Case Experiments

c) Discussion & Worksheet: Entomology Case

5. Videos About Forensic Examination

a) Career: A Day in the Life of a Forensic Pathologist

b) Career: Forensic Examiner without the Mess…Camila the Cryptanalyst

6. Exit Ticket: Reflection on Media Coverage

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Setup Decisions: “Asking the Right Questions Activity”

Decision 1:

Option a) Print double-sided.

Option b) Print single-sided and staple on top of each other.

Decision 2:

Option a) Ss flip over all the cards and make a conclusion together.

Option b) Ss flip over a few cards at a time and revise their explanation.

Option c) Ss flip over only X number of cards, chosen by group agreement, and make conclusions based on the answers. Compare class answers.

Sources

• NIH, Visible Proofs: exhibition of the history of forensic anthropology (answer keys on website & on file by request)

• William Krinsky, Yale University School of Medicine

• Henry Lee, Connecticut State Police Forensic Laboratory