Asexual Reproduction Lesson Plan: Charades

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8

In this lesson plan, adaptable for grades 5-8, students watch the BrainPOP movie Asexual Reproduction to investigate how some living things come from  a single organism, and inherit the genes of that parent only. They will learn about different forms of asexual reproduction including mitosis, binary fission, budding, and a special type called regeneration. After, they will play a charades game in which they give clues about one of the forms of asexual reproduction, and their peers have to guess which it is based on their description.

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Students will:

  1. Brainstorm what they know about asexual reproduction.
  2. Use the Make-a-Map tool to identify different forms of asexual reproduction.
  3. Show what they know about asexual reproduction by playing a charades game.

Materials:

  • Internet access for BrainPOP
  • Interactive whiteboard

Vocabulary:

identical, clone, offspring, fertilize, unique, replicate, independent, regenerate

Preparation:

  • Preview the movie Asexual Reproduction to plan for adaptations.
  • Assign the Asexual Reproduction Make-a-Map using Assignment Builder.
  • On small scraps of paper, write down the various forms of asexual reproduction described in the movie include mitosis, binary fission, budding, and regeneration. Make a set for each small group of students.

    • Lesson Procedure:

    1. Ask students what they know about clones. Make sure they understand that clones are living things that share the same genetic information. Explain that in asexual reproduction, the offspring comes from just one parent, and has its exact genetic information. Remind them that in sexual reproduction, offspring have genetic information from both parents, making it unique from either of them.
    2. Tell students that today they will watch a movie about asexual reproduction--what it is, different types, how it differs from sexual reproduction, and organisms that reproduce this way. Explain that after, they will play charades with a small group in which they have to challenge each other to figure out what form of asexual reproduction they’re describing.
    3. Show the movie Asexual Reproduction on the whiteboard to the whole class with the closed caption option to aid in comprehension. Pause during the movie to explain points that may be complicated and/or to review key concepts and vocabulary.
    4. After watching the movie once through, have students independently open the Make-a-Map assignment on their own devices or computers. Instruct them to use a Structure Map template to identify and describe the various forms of asexual reproduction as they watch the movie again. Remind them that they can incorporate clips from the movie into their maps.
    5. Now divide the class into small groups of no more than four students. Provide each group with a small bag containing the set of folded scrap papers with the different types of asexual reproduction featured in the movie: mitosis, binary fission, budding, and regeneration (see Preparation). Have them play charades by taking turns giving clues to describe the form of asexual reproduction they choose from the bag. Explain that they can either act or use verbal clues but they cannot say the type of reproduction. For example, a clue might be the name of an organism that uses that form of asexual reproduction.
    6. Everyone should take a turn. When the game is over, they can play again using other key concepts and vocabulary from the movie.

    Related:

      Filed as:  3-5, 6-8, Asexual Reproduction, BrainPOP, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.1, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.4, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.1, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.4, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.5, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.5, Lesson Plan, Science