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Lesson 2: Looking at animal cells
Summary:
Students learn to label each part of an animal cell and describe the
functions of each part.
Coverage:
NC 2014 KS3: Structure and function of living organisms: Cells and
organisation: the functions of the cell wall, cell membrane, cytoplasm,
nucleus, vacuole, mitochondria and chloroplasts.
Lesson objective:
Lesson outcomes:
To identify the parts of an animal cell and describe their functions
Students correctly label an animal cell; they can describe the functions
of the main parts and recognise unfamiliar cells as animal cells.
Working Scientifically
outcomes:
Pay attention to objectivity and concern for accuracy, precision,
repeatability and reproducibility; Interpret observations and data,
including identifying patterns and using observations, measurements
and data to draw conclusions.
Progress criteria
Learning
Mastering
Expanding
Students can:
 label an animal cell
 describe the functions of the
cell membrane, cytoplasm,
nucleus and mitochondria.
Students can:
 apply their understanding of
the functions of the parts of
a cell to create a model
 apply their knowledge of cell
structure to recognise the
structures in unfamiliar cells.
Students can:
 evaluate models of cells
 create more complex cell
models.
Literacy
Maths and data handling
STEM
Spoken language: (Main)
Students discuss cells in
groups and work together to
create their own cell models.
Students calculate the
diameter of a cell and convert
units (mm to µm).
Students make their own
3D models of cells using
materials of their choice.
Skills opportunities
Introduce a model of an animal cell. Tell the class that an animal cell is a bit like a chocolate factory:
the nucleus is the office where the recipe is kept and where the factory is controlled from; the factory
floor is like the cytoplasm as this is where the chocolate is made and packaged and the doors
through which ingredients enter the factory and chocolate leaves are like the cell membrane.
Ask students to discuss this in small groups and come up with their own model. They should explain
what each part of their model represents in a real cell and why their idea is a good model. Suitable
examples from the real world are a large building containing machinery and people to perform
different functions, or a school.
Plenary
(5 mins)
Show the class some images of other animal cells. Some suitable examples can be found here:
http://www.smart-learning.co.uk/ss/th1/biol/t1/L2. Ask them to point out any structures they can see
and any differences from the cheek cells they have studied.
Tackling common misconceptions
Many students imagine from seeing diagrams and thin microscope slides that cells are twodimensional; it is important for students to understand that cells are three-dimensional structures. You
may wish to make a simple model of a cell to show the class by placing a marble inside a clear plastic
bag and filling it with wallpaper paste. You could ask the more able students to evaluate this model
and develop it further; for instance, how could they model substances moving into and out of the cell?
Students sometimes think that all animal cells look the same. The plenary activity should show them
that they come in all shapes and sizes depending on their function.
Differentiation
Support
Extend
Rather than ask students to draw the more
detailed animal cell in the Student’s Book,
supply them with an unlabelled diagram for
them to label.
Students only need to label and add functions
of the cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus and
mitochondria.
In the starter, ask students to calculate the size
of their cells in µm.
Ask students to evaluate each group's model to
reflect how well they model a cell.
Homework or Extension activities
Resources
Learning
Mastering
Expanding
Student’s Book:
Answers to Student’s
Book questions:
Ask students to make their
own model cells. This can be
done using paper or modelling
clay.
Students choose one example
of a specialised animal cell
and describe how its structural
adaptations relate to its
function.
Students can expand the
factory model or their own cell
model to see how many of the
other parts of the cell they can
incorporate into it.
Unit 1, page 14 (What are cells like?)
Unit 1: B1.7
Preparation for lesson
SMART SCIENCE
You may wish to prepare a model cell for which you will need a marble, a clear plastic bag and
wallpaper paste (see Tackling common misconceptions). You may also need a simple unlabelled
diagram to support some students.
Starter
(5 mins)
Remind students that they are made up of billions of units called cells. Tell them 30 of their skin cells
side by side would only take up 1 mm. Ask them to calculate the diameter of one skin cell. Ensure that
an appropriate risk assessment has been carried out for any activities.
Main
(45–50 mins)
1
Inform the students that, as they are animals, their cheek cells are a type of animal cell. Ask them to
refer back to the drawing of their cheek cells that they made last lesson. They work in pairs and use
page 14 of the Student’s Book to discuss what parts of the cell they can see on their drawings. Gather
ideas from the class. They should understand that the only parts they could see clearly were the cell
membrane, nucleus and cytoplasm as the other structures are too small to be seen using a light
microscope. The students should then draw another more detailed diagram of an animal cell using the
diagram on page 14 of the Student’s Book, adding the functions of each part.
How to move your students on…
Learning
Mastering
Expanding
Students describe how cells
divide in order to replicate.
They explain why this is
important for growth and
repair. They use the word
'organelle' for the parts of
the cell.
Students discuss why the
invention of electron
microscopes helped scientists
to discover much more about
the parts of a cell.
Students explain the functions
of the animal cells shown in
the plenary activity. They
discuss how structure is
related to function.