How it works
This cell cycle graphic organizer sets the phases of a dividing cell in order, one box each, so a student can say what happens in a phase and what comes before and after it.
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Three parts in six boxes
Box 1 is interphase, where a cell spends most of its time: it grows, copies its DNA and gets ready to divide. Boxes 2 to 5 are mitosis, which separates the copied chromosomes into two new nuclei. Box 6 is cytokinesis, the division of the rest of the cell. For sketches, print the cell cycle diagram graphic organizer, which has a drawing space in every box.
- Some courses name a prometaphase between prophase and metaphase. Add it by hand if yours does.
- The DNA is copied in S, the middle part of interphase.
Questions and answers
What are the phases of the cell cycle in order?
Interphase comes first, in three parts: G1, S and G2. Then comes the M phase, which is mitosis followed by cytokinesis. Mitosis itself runs through prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase.
What happens in each stage of mitosis?
In prophase the chromosomes condense. In metaphase they line up along the middle of the cell. In anaphase the sister chromatids are pulled to opposite ends. In telophase each set gets a new nuclear envelope around it.
Is cytokinesis part of mitosis?
No. Mitosis divides the nucleus, and cytokinesis is a separate process that divides the rest of the cell.
How is cytokinesis different in plant and animal cells?
In an animal cell the membrane pinches inward between the two new nuclei until the cell is split. In a plant cell a cell plate forms between the nuclei and develops into a cell wall.