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Which Cell Parts Can You See With the Microscope?
Introduction: Living things are made of cells. All cells have parts that do certain jobs. Cells have an outer covering called the cell
(plasma) membrane. The cell membrane controls what enter/exits a cell. The clear jellylike material inside the cell is the
cytoplasm. The nucleus is the control center of the cell. Plant cells have a thick outer covering called the cell wall. It is found on
the outside of the cell membrane.
Cell parts can be studied by making wet mounts slides. A wet mount slide is a temporary slide. It is not made to last a long time.
You can make wet mount slides of living and once living materials to study cell parts.
Materials:
Glass slides
Cover slips
Microscopes
Droppers
Forceps
Elodea leaf
Onion skin
Various prepared slides
50 ml beaker
Procedures: Making a Wet Mount Using Water
Identify Microscope Parts: Read page R8 of your textbook and label the microscope picture below.
1. Which two parts do you think should
be held when carrying a microscope?
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2. Which microscope part:
a. Adjusts the amount of light that
enters the microscope?
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b. Focuses the image under high
power?
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c. Holds and turns the objective
lenses?
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Specimen #1: Prepare a wet mount of onion cells.
A. Obtain a clean slide and place a drop of iodine in the middle of the slide.
B. Peel a thin layer of cells from the inside of an onion as seen in the picture to the
right. If the onion layer is not thin, peel another layer.
C. Place the onion peel in the drop of iodine. Be sure the onion is flat.
D. Add a cover slip over your onion.
E. Find the onion cells with low power, but draw the onion under medium and high
power using a pencil.
F. Find and label the Cell wall, Nucleus, Cytoplasm. Perhaps you can find the
nucleolus also.
Onion Analysis: Best Writing Skills (complete sentences)
1.
Onion cells (and skin cells) are flat and seem to overlap. Explain why this arrangement is beneficial.
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Specimen #2: Prepare a wet mount of Elodea cells.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Obtain a clean slide and place a drop of water in the middle of the slide.
Pluck a leaf from the Elodea plant and place the leaf in the drop of water. Make sure the leaf is flat.
Add a cover slip over your elodea cell.
Find the elodea cells with low power, but draw the elodea under medium and high power using a pencil.
Be sure to find and label the Cell wall, Chloroplast, and the Cytoplasm.
Elodea Analysis: Best Writing Skills (complete sentences)
2.
In what particular process do the chloroplasts function?
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3.
Why do you think it is important to have plants like Elodea in a balanced aquarium?
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Specimen #3: Examine a prepared slide of mixed Protozoa.
A. Obtain a prepared slide of mixed Protozoa from your teacher.
B. Find the cells with low power, but draw the cheek cells under medium and high power using a pencil.
C. Label the parts you can see.
Cheek Analysis: Best Writing Skills (complete sentences)
4.
Review your drawing of an elodea cell. What differences do you notice between an animal cell and a plant cell that can
carry on photosynthesis?
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General Analysis: Best Writing Skills (complete sentences)
5.
When first viewing an object under the microscope, explain why you should always find it under the lowest power
available.
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6.
Why do cells have different shapes?
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