Stop (Motion) in the Name of Cell Division

Michelle Taliaferro’s AP Biology students created stop motion movies to visually demonstrate mitosis and meiosis. Cell division and reproduction is a highly tested concept on the AP Biology exam, which students will take this spring. To help master of these concepts, students wanted to make a tangible, visual model of how cells behave in the phases of mitosis and meiosis. Over the span of several days, two student teams filmed their colored play-doh “cells” frame by frame to create a stop motion video.

AP Biology students filming their stop motion videos.

Meiosis is a special type of cell division of germ cells and apicomplexans in sexually-reproducing organisms that produces the gametes, the sperm or egg cells. It involves two rounds of division that ultimately result in four cells, each with only one copy of each chromosome. Mitosis is a part of the cell cycle in which replicated chromosomes are separated into two new nuclei. Cell division by mitosis is an equational division which gives rise to genetically identical cells in which the total number of chromosomes is maintained.

AP Biology is one of 30 honors and AP classes offered at the high school level. Advanced Placement (AP) courses are college-level classes that challenge students to master concepts and push themselves. As a college preparatory institution, Saint James School has a robust AP and honors curriculum and provides professional development and support for the faculty who teach these courses. #wearesaintjamesschool