Download Organism and Cells Notes (Class Set)

Name: Class Set
Quiz Date: Oct. 6th Per:
(Edited 10-4-16)
This material can be found in the Cell Structure and Function book (pages 3-38) and in your
ScienceSaurus (topics 76-78).
Good BrainPOP videos to watch on this topic include: Cells, Cell Structures, Cell Specialization,
Protists, Protozoa, Bacteria and Viruses.
There are also PowerPoint presentations (including the Life Science “Visual Glossary”) on our
website in the Helpful Resources section on the bottom of the main Life Science Web Page.
Think about the main ideas or concepts that we learned about in each of our labs/lessons.
Use words, diagrams, sketches, phrases, bullets, etc. to record the main ideas in the boxes
below. Make the information meaningful for YOUR BRAIN (think about how you learn best).
What is Life:
Focus Question: What makes something a living thing (organism)?
We took a look at what makes something living vs. non-living and for our purposes here is what we
came up with: Living things (organisms). . .
-are made of a cell or cells with DNA (genetic material).
-grow and develop.
-need energy (food/nutrients) and water.
-respond to a stimulus.
-reproduce.
-adapt to their environment.
Viruses share some characteristics of living things and non-living things so scientists still aren’t quite
sure if viruses are living or not.
Outbreak! – Activity 1:
Focus Question: What makes us sick?
We learned that there are a variety of things that can make us sick including:
-infectious agents (germs) such as viruses, bacteria, fungus, protist and some small animals.
-environmental factors such as irritants, allergies, carcinogens and toxins.
-genetic factors such as Sickle Cell Anemia and Cystic Fibrosis.
Then we discussed that an infectious disease can spread through
-direct contact for example a high five or a hug.
-bodily fluids for example sharing a drink or kissing.
-by air for example breathing the air near an infected person.
-indirect contact for example touching an infected door handle.
-vectors or parasites for example mosquitoes, ticks and fleas.
And finally we followed in the footsteps of an epidemiologist to find the source of the infectious
agent (germ) that caused an epidemic/outbreak and figured out how to stop people from getting
sick. We also discussed the trade-offs of our plan. Most of us said we would close the lake, but
that would make people mad since they can’t swim. Some other options were to install outdoor
showers or make pools, but those options would cost a lot of money.
Infectious Disease Report – Activity 2:
Focus Question: What makes us sick?
-Each group got to research a different disease. Here is some vocabulary we used.
-An Infectious Agent is a germ or a living organism that makes us sick. Examples include ringworm,
cold virus and E. coli bacteria.
-A vector is something that transmits or spreads an infectious agent (germ). Examples include
mosquitoes, ticks and fleas.
-The incubation period is the time from when you are introduced to the infectious agent until you
start to feel sick.
Observing Animal and Plant Cells – Activity 3:
Focus Question: What are the similarities and differences between animal and plant cells?
-We looked at human cheek cells, onion skin cells and elodea (green plant) cells and noticed they all
had a dot in the middle.
-We also noticed that the plant cells looked like they had very solid ridged edges whereas the animal
cell had softer looking edges. The solid edges of the plant cells gave them a rectangular shape.
A Closer Look at Animal and Plant Cells and the Cell Drawing – Activity 4:
Focus Question: What are the similarities and differences between animal and plant cells and what
are cells made of?
-We learned that the dot in the middle of the cells is called the nucleus. The solid edge of the plant
cells is the cell wall. The plant cells have a cell wall, but the animal cells do not.
-Then we started looking at the organelles (parts of a cell) and their function (job). Here are some
of the basics:
-The nucleus is found toward the middle of the cell and has three main functions. To control the
cell’s activities, to hold the genetic material (DNA) and to control reproduction of the cell.
-The cell membrane is the outer part of the cell that allows good things to come and go, but tries to
keep harmful things from entering the cell.
-The cell wall is only found in plant cells and provides structure for the cell. The cell wall also gives
plant cells a more rectangular shape.
-The cytoplasm is the jelly-like substance that holds the other organelles and gives shape to the cell.
-The chloroplasts are also found in the plant cells. They are the organelles that hold the green
chlorophyll and this is where photosynthesis happens (the plant makes its own food).
-The mitochondria use oxygen to burn nutrients and create energy for the cell.
-There are a handful of other organelles that can be found in your ScienceSaurus (pages 76-78).
Observing Single-celled Organisms – Activity 5:
Focus Question: What are the similarities and differences between protists and bacteria?
-We looked at paramecium, amoeba and euglena (all protists) and saw a dot in the middle. We knew
this dot was the nucleus. The bacteria were too small to see if it had a dot or not.
-The protists had different ways to move around. The paramecium had little hairs (cilia) on its edge
and the amoeba had “blobby arms” (pseudopods) that it used to move.
Microbes: Anticipation Guide and Venn Diagram – Activity 6:
Focus Question: What are the similarities, differences and importance of protists and bacteria and
viruses?
-We learned that organisms with a nucleus are called Eukaryotes and that organisms with no
nucleus are called Prokaryotes. Animals, Plants and Protists all had nuclei and so they are
Eukaryotes. The bacteria do not have a nucleus so they are Prokaryotes.
-We couldn’t use the word microorganism to study these microscopic things because viruses don’t
quite fit our current definition of living things. As a result scientists call this group microbes.
-Protists are mostly single-celled organisms that live in water or moist conditions and are eukaryotic.
-Bacteria are single-celled organisms that are the most common on earth and are prokaryotic.
-Viruses are incredibly small and have to invade other organisms’ cells to reproduce.
-All three of these microbes do have genetic material (DNA or RNA).
-All three of these microbes can make you sick, but it is only a few of each type that makes you
sick, most are beneficial or harmless.
Culturing Bacteria – Activity 7:
Focus Question: Do bacteria need nutrients to grow?
-In order to test if bacteria need nutrients to grow we cultured (grew) some bacteria in a petri dish
with plain agar and some in a petri dish with nutrient agar. We hypothesized that the bacteria
would grow better in the nutrient agar. After a few days we looked at and analyzed our results.
Bacteria grow better in nutrient agar because they are a living organism and living organisms need
nutrients to survive.
Hint, Hint, Wink, Wink Question: What are 3 things we can do to either prevent or treat a
bacterial infection like strep throat?
-We can make sure we keep our areas clean and disinfected, we can wash our hands on a
regular basis and if we do get strep throat we can go to the doctor to get antibiotics to kill
the bacteria.