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Life Sciences:
Cell Structure & Function
Grade Level & Duration: 10th Grade. One 50 Minute Class Period
Subject: Analyzing the Structure of Plant & Animal Cells (as a prelude to Cell Division)
Overview & Purpose (STEMcinnati theme)
What will be learned and why it is useful:
The goal of the lesson is to solidify the understanding that all living things are composed of
cells, that they are the basic units of structure and function in living things and thus lay a
foundation for the fact that new cells are the products of existing cells (cell division). Many
analogies are made about cells being like factories/cities and the different components being
the different attributes of the cell; this lesson uses this concept and enhances it by using the
school to represent the cell and the teachers, staff and students as the constituents of the cell.
Students investigate and explore the structure and functions of eukaryotes and prokaryotes in
this engaging, interactive lesson that caters to multiple learning styles; visual-spatial,
interpersonal, bodily-kinesthetic and logical-mathematical.
The statement, ‘a cell is divided into two major parts ~ the nucleus and cytoplasm’ sometimes
leads to misconceptions and misunderstanding when it is not immediately followed by an
exploration of the organelles present within that cytoplasm. The common misconception and
mental image that arises is that the cytoplasm is just static/inactive ‘material’ enclosed in the
cell along with the nucleus. This lesson hopes to drive home the fact that the cytoplasm is host
to a myriad of organelles that are crucial to the life of the cell.
Applications to the real world & Societal Impact : This subject matter provides a context for
authentic learning as students make direct connections between actual cells and their school
environment. By using the analogy, ‘a cell is like a school’, we look at the important role that
education plays in society and how specialized cells (such as Aiken University with its
Environmental Studies Focus) are an integral part of the organism as a whole (society).
Career Connections: It is important for not only biologists and professionals in the medical field
to understand this basic unit of all forms of life but to be effective informed workers, the
concluding activity of the lesson, ‘Let’s take a look at chloroplasts’ addresses how nursery
workers need to know the biology behind plants to answer specific questions that customers
might have, such as why leaves sometimes turn yellow.
Prepared by: Fee Mtshiya
Education Standards Addressed
What state/county education standards that this lesson
satisfies.
The State of Ohio. Hamilton County ~ Cincinnati Public
Schools.
Specific State of OHIO Science Academic
Education Standards Addressed.
Life Sciences, 9-10 program 1b:
Explain that living cells are the basic unit of structure
and function of all living things.
Life Sciences, 9-10 program 2:
Compare the structure, function and inter-relatedness if
cell organelles in eukaryotic cells (e.g., nucleus,
chromosome, mitochondria, cell membrane, cell wall,
chloroplast, cilia, flagella) and prokaryotic cells.
Scientific Inquiry, 9-10 program 4:
Draw conclusions from inquiries based on scientific
knowledge and principles, the use of logic and evidence
(data) from investigations.
Teacher Guide
Select Goals and Objectives
Goals and
Objectives
(Specify skills/information that
will be learned.)
The Goal or Overall Aching Idea is to have the students understand that all living things
are composed of cells and that they are the basic units of structure and function in
organisms. It is also crucial to have them learn/appreciate the role of each structure within
the eukaryote.
Describe what a cell is (in terms of being the basic unit of life). Be able to not only recite the
different structures in the cell but state what role each one plays in the overall functioning of
the cell. Highlighted terms are under ‘Knowledge’ in Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Explain how the different cell structures relate to each other. Be prepared to discuss the
difference between rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and the relationship between
Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum. Students should be able to illustrate the
eukaryotic cell. Highlighted terms are under ‘Comprehension’ in Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Analyze eukaryotes and prokaryotes and be able to deduce which is which and what makes
them different (based on a knowledge of the fact that one type contains a nucleus and the
other does not and the fact that one is generally less complicated than the other).
Highlighted terms are under ‘Analysis’ in Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Select Instructional Strategies
Lecture/Discussion & Group Activities
Information
(Give and/or demonstrate
necessary information)
(The lesson format is going to be interactive group discovery learning with teacher-guided
discussion using power-point illustrations)
Catch
Popping Bacteria and Fungi! (approx 4 minutes)
2 balloons are brought in to illustrate the difference between bacteria (prokaryotes) and fungi
(eukaryotes). The blown up balloons contain twisted sections of pipe cleaners (small enough
to illustrate the point but not big enough to be too heavy). The pipe cleaners represent
genetic material; in the fungi they are densely twisted around each other forming a little ball
representing the nucleus and in the bacteria they are lightly twisted around each other (just
enough to still be linked but not enough to form a discernible ball). The teacher lets the
students know that one of the balls represents bacteria and the other represents fungi and
that we are going to pop them to find out which is which based on how their genetic material
is ‘put together’ . Two volunteers come up to pop them on a cleared surface up front and the
class then identifies the two using probing questions and the textbook if necessary.
Materials Needed
 Stationery
 Note cards
 Sheets of Construction
Paper (according to how
many groups of students
there are)
 Scissors (according to
how many groups there
are)
 Glue (according to how
many groups there
are/can also be shared)
 Tape
 Balloons
 Small Sections of Pipe
Cleaners
 Worksheets (attached to
lesson)
 Plant that shows both
‘green’ as well as ‘yellow’
coloring to show
dominance of chlorophyll
versus carotene
respectively
Utilize Technology
 Power point
presentation, (attached
to lesson)
 Creative fly ins for the
different cell components
and their labels
Other Resources
(e.g. Text books, Biology,
Prentice Hall by Kenneth
Miller and Joseph Levine.)
Require Learner Participation
In Class Pre-Assessment Quiz; (approx 7 minutes)
Activity
(Describe the independent activity to reinforce this lesson)
Questions handed out by instructor with the help of students. Students work
individually and answer questions to the best of their ability. One word answers.
Fellow student volunteer collects papers once quiz is completed.
PRE-ASSESMENT Questions:
1) Answer the following with a True or False.
Prokaryotic Cells have genetic material that is not contained in a nucleus
2) There is a name for the portion of the cell outside the nucleus enclosed
within the cell membrane. What is that name?
3) Multiple Choice: Which of the following statements is correct?

Human cells have chloroplasts

Proteins are assembled on ribosomes

Some living things don’t have any cells
4) Fill in the Blank.
___ are small organelles filled with enzymes in the cell.
5) The _________ is a thin flexible barrier that surrounds the cell regulating
what enters and leaves the cell. This structure also provides protection and
support. What structure is this?



Mitochondria
Golgi Apparatus
Cell Membrane
Interactive group discovery learning; (approx 25 minutes);
The students are split into groups based on seating arrangements. The teacher
lays the foundation for the activity using a PowerPoint presentation.
The teacher reiterates the difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes
referencing the ‘Catch’ and explains that this lesson is going to be focused on
Eukaryotic Cell Structure.
The teacher pulls up a slide with a clearly labeled animal cell and verbally
states what the different structures are, pointing them out on the slide at the
same time. The teacher then moves onto the next slide where the concept of
‘analogies’ is discussed. The teacher uses the analogy ‘A cell is like a home’.
The teacher does not cover all the cell structures but goes over enough to
illustrate the point and show the students what they are going to be doing in the
activity. The Power point slide shows different components of the home;
the front door and wall,

The kitchen,

The parents,


A teenager wearing gloves and holding cleaning materials and
A storage closet.
The teacher hands out 4 of the note cards, each with one of the following four
structure definitions written on it;
Mitochondria

Nucleus

Lysosomes

Vacuoles
One of the students read out each on of the structures and the teacher uses
probing questions to elicit responses to match each one with a structure in the
home, clearly illustrating what the connection is and why the following analogies
work.
Mitochondria – Kitchen
Nucleus - Parents
Lysosomes - The ‘teenager’ doing the cleaning
Vacuoles – The storage closet
The next step is the distribution of the construction sheets that go along with the
Cell Analogy exercise. The students are provided with scissors, glue and note
cards with names and definitions of the cell structures. The point of the exercise
is to have the students match aspects of the school with different cell structures.
The main cell analogy activity proceeds in virtually the same manner as the
home example with the teacher showing the students 4 aspects of the school
up on a power point slide and having the students write out each one on the
construction paper and match it to a cell structure (the teacher will hand out 4
corresponding note cards to each of the groups). The teacher lets the students
know that at the end of the lesson they will have 12 analogies so they should be
conservative yet clear when they write out the aspects of the school to match
the cell structures. A group recorder writes down the correct analogies after
each ‘class revision’.
Here is an example of how the scene would play out when the teacher presents
4 (of 12) school aspects to the groups.
4 ‘school aspects’ are pulled up on a power-point slide:
The Cafeteria
The walls of the buildings
The Main Office
The Principal
Students write these out on their poster boards and as a group they discuss
which cell structures each one of these could represent. The teacher helps the
groups narrow down their choices by handing out the 4 correct cell structures
(on note cards) and having the groups critically decide on the correct matches.
Once everyone is done, the teacher then goes through each school aspect and
a representative from each group stands and states/shows what they got. The
teacher uses this time to explain the correct analogy. A worksheet given to each
group is used to record the correct findings, thus each group also has a
recorder. The teacher also has the option of keeping track of which group gets
most correct to give the activity a competitive edge. Scores can be shown on
the board.
The Cafeteria - Mitochondria
The walls of the buildings – Cell Membrane
The Main Office - Nucleus
The Principal - Nucleolus
The ‘discovery learning process’ is repeated for Ribosomes, Endoplasmic
Reticulum, Golgi Apparatus, Lysosomes, Vacuoles, Cytoskeleton and Cell Wall.
Concluding Activity
Career Connection & Real-Life Applications: Let’s take a look at Chloroplasts
The plant brought in should have both ‘green’ and ‘yellow’ leaves. Students are
asked again what cell structure could be related to leaf color. Once it is
established that the answer is chloroplasts, the teacher invites students to come
up and take a closer look. The green pigment is chlorophyll that is the most
common while the yellow pigment is carotene and they are both produced in the
chloroplasts. Chlorophyll is not as stable as carotene; bright sunlight causes it
to decompose. The chloroplasts in plants have to make it continually for
photosynthesis to occur. The synthesis of chlorophyll in plants requires sunlight
and warm temperatures.
The teacher explains that the yellowing of plants that normally green is referred
to as chlorosis which is caused by changes in the plant’s environment (light
conditions) /addition of herbicides/insects such as aphids, mealy bugs and
scale /nitrogen deficiencies or too much/too little water. It is pointed out that it is
difficult to ascertain which is the causative factor at face value.
People who work at nurseries are often asked by clients why this phenomenon
occurs in plants and so they need to be able to not only give them ideas as on
what to do but also explain from a ‘cellular level’ what is happening. Knowing
and understanding this information is generally useful for careers in botany,
agriculture, conservation, ecology, environmental science and even medicine.
Evaluate (Assessment)
(Steps to check for student understanding)
The Post-Assessment and the Review (Essential Questions) are next.
In Class Post-Assessment Quiz; (approx 5 minutes)
Questions handed out by instructor with the help of students. Students work
individually and answer questions to the best of their ability. One word answers.
Teacher collects papers once quiz is completed.
The Post-Assessment is the same as the Pre-Assessment. The questions are
just re-arranged.
REVIEW: (approx 4 minutes)
All living things are composed of cells.
Cells are the basic units of structure and function in living things.
Cells are made up of various organelles and structures that are crucial to the
functioning of the cell. 11 are covered in this lesson:
Nucleus, Nucleolus, Ribosomes, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Golgi Apparatus,
Lysosomes, Vacuoles, Mitochondria, Cytoskeleton, Cell Membrane and Cell
Wall.
Eukaryotic Cells contain a nucleus in which their genetic material is separated
from the rest of the cell.
Prokaryotic Cells have genetic material that is not contained in a nucleus.
New cells are produced from existing things.
Approximate lesson Time: 50 minutes