Download “Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you are going

Name: _____________
Exploring Cells and Analogies
“Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you are going to get.” Forest Gump said it best.
When Forest Gump compares life and a box of chocolates, he is pointing out the similarities between
the surprises in life and surprises in the kinds of chocolate that is packaged inside the box. Other than
the surprises that come in both life and chocolates, the two do not have much in common.
This comparison of similarity between two normally non-similar things is called an analogy.
Analogies are helpful in understanding new topics, and they also show a high level of understanding
when compared to an academic topic, such as the CELL!
Eukaryotic Cells, Prokaryotic Cells, and Viruses: Answer the following questions
using complete sentences.
1. What is larger? A Eukaryotic Cell, a Prokaryotic Cell, or a Virus.
2. What is more complex? A Eukaryotic Cell, a Prokaryotic Cell, or a Virus.
2. Of the three choices (Eukaryotic Cells, Prokaryotic Cells, and Viruses) which
one(s) have organelles.
In the following box, explain through brainstorming, mind-mapping, idea-dumping, or
writing sentences, how your city, school, or factory is different and more complex than
Prokaryotic city/school/factory and Viral city/school/factory.
Name: _____________
Drawing your conclusions: Draw arrows showing which direction the water should
move in each situation. No dots indicates pure water, many dots indicates water with
many impurities.
Water
Tube
In each situation, why does water enter the dialysis tube?
In the following box, explain how water enters your city, school, or factory. The way you
choose water to enter should show your understanding of osmosis, by being analogous
to how osmosis brings water into cells.
Name: _____________
In the chart below, choose a part of a city, factory, or school that the given cell part is analogous to.
Additionally, explain why you believe the two parts are analogous.
First, circle what you are comparing the cell to:
Part/Characteristic What is it
Explanation
Of Cell
analogous to?
Nucleus
Cell Membrane
Enzymes
Endoplasmic
Reticulum
Golgi Apparatus
Chloroplast
Mitochondria
Assembly of
Macromolecules
City
Factory
School
Name: _____________
The Central Dogma: Complete the following sentences:
________ is a molecule that contains information in all living things. In the cell,
information (________) is stored in _____________________. Converting the DNA to
__________ is a process called _______________. Once ______________ is
completed, information is taken outside the _____________ by ___________ to the
________________. Here, the information is converted into “protipups” by a process
called ____________. Once created, the ___________ are sent to the
__________________ or the post office of the cell where they are modified, packaged,
and sent on to do their jobs.
Putting it all together: In the following box, explain through brainstorming, mindmapping, idea-dumping, or writing sentences, how information in your city, school, or
factory flows from one place to another and how it is analogous to how information
flows in the central dogma.