Science activities are fun and engaging for students, but with concepts like mitosis and meiosis, we must ensure that our students remain engaged and understand these more difficult concepts as well. Students often confuse mitosis and meiosis, as well as the cell cycle. The activities below will help kids learn the difference between the two cell division processes and help them bind the content to memory. Check out the following 17 activities to teach mitosis in a fun way!
1. Mitosis Web Quest
Sending kids onto the internet to do their own research is a great way to introduce mitosis and concepts related to the cell. Each website on this web quest explores mitosis using animations, pictures, and easy-to-read descriptions.
Learn More: Biology Corner
2. Compare Mitosis Between Plant and Animal Cells
Mitosis occurs differently between plant and animal cells. For students to thoroughly understand mitosis, they should observe the process in both plants and animals. They can then compare the process using a Venn diagram or a t-chart.
Learn More: Knowledge Carolina
3. Mitosis and Meiosis Flip Books
Students will benefit any time they can make a visual aid to help them study. Mitosis and Meiosis flipbooks allow students to see the similarities and differences between each process as well as provide a visual image for each.
Learn More: NClark.net
4. Paper Plate Mitosis Craft
This craft activity uses paper plates and pipe cleaners to demonstrate mitosis. Students will use several paper plates to show each stage of mitosis. For each stage, they will create a visual for that step of the process using pipe cleaners.
Learn More: Science Sparks
5. Mitosis Puzzle Activity
In this fun, interactive activity, students will cut out puzzle pieces and then paste them together to demonstrate the appropriate steps of the mitosis process. This activity requires metacognition and helps students think about the cell process in a hands-on way!
Learn More: Common Core Material
6. Mitosis Models
For this activity, students will create their own models of the process of mitosis using household items. Students will use strings, beads, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, and marbles to create the mitosis model. As an added bonus, the models can be displayed in the classroom throughout the unit.
Learn More: Perkins.org
7. Melons, Mitosis, and Meiosis
In this activity, students will use watermelons to explore mitosis and meiosis. They will model the mitosis process using dried beans and play dough. In addition to the activity, this website also provides slides and graphic organizers to help students organize their thinking.
Learn More: AG Classroom
8. Mitosis Matching Activity
For this activity, students will work in small groups to match a visual representation of mitosis with its description. This activity helps students process mitotic progression and understand how mitosis differs from meiosis.
Learn More: Kesler Science
9. Draw a Visual Representation
One of the best ways for students to understand a process is to draw it. In this activity, students will draw a visual representation of each stage of mitosis. They should use colorful depictions and label each step of the process.
Learn More: Kesler Science
10. Get Hands-On!
This hands-on classroom activity requires pipe cleaners, string, beads, and plastic baggies to recreate the mitotic progression. Students will recreate the mitotic figures and discuss the mitotic cells and how they follow the cell cycle.
Learn More: Science Prof Online
11. Mitosis Bingo
Review and repetition are key to learning any new concept- mitosis is no different! To help kids remember this complex concept, play mitosis Bingo! Kids will love the review game, and they will love the friendly competition in the classroom.
Learn More: Learning Hypothesis
12. Mitosis Worksheets
Worksheets sound boring and mundane, but using a variety of worksheets to explain mitosis can help kids remember and internalize the mitosis process. Each worksheet is unique, and teachers can mix it up by having students complete the worksheets in different groups.
Learn More: Learning Hypothesis
13. Mitosis Felt Board
Felt boards are great manipulatives for kids to use to visualize difficult concepts. Mitosis felt boards help students learn each mitosis process step with colorful pieces depicting each mitotic phase.
Learn More: Etsy
14. Mitosis and Meiosis Foldable
This activity is hands-on, creative, and fun. The foldable is part of an interactive notebook. Students use the foldable template to create the mitosis visual and they take notes directly on the foldable.
Learn More: Common Core Material
15. Mitosis vs. Meiosis Interactive Notebook
This interactive notebook idea helps students learn the difference between where and when mitosis and meiosis happen in the human body. Kids draw, color, take notes, and label the parts of both cell processes.
Learn More: Mrs. G Classroom Of Ideas
16. Assign a Project
Projects are the perfect extended assignments to support and promote student learning. These projects can be brochures, cell process foldables, dioramas, or 3D representations of the cell cycle. The best part is you can display your students’ work around the classroom upon completion!
Learn More: Cards And Cardigans
17. Get Up and Dance
This mitosis and meiosis dance is the best way to get your kids up and moving while learning about mitosis and meiosis. The dance starts with making rope chromosomes for kids to use during their dance. Then, they dance out the mitosis process!
Learn More: Engaging Science Labs
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