Download As a group, make a rough draft blueprint of your cell city

NAME: ____________________________________DATE:________________PER:________
HOW IS THE CELL LIKE A CITY?
MISSION: To compare the functions of cell organelles to the parts of a city in order to help
students remember how cell organelles function!
INSTRUCTIONS: Please read instructions CAREFULLY!!
I. On a large sheet of construction paper, draw an ANIMAL cell and all of the following
organelles. Label the organelles. You may look at pictures from the internet, your
textbook or your notes to find out what these structures look like. The starred organelles are
only found in Plant Cells, so you will need to draw a small plant cell in the bottom right
hand corner of your construction paper in order to label these cell organelles.
1) Nucleus
2) Cell Membrane
3) Mitochondria
4) Endoplasmic Reticulum (Smooth and Rough)
5) Ribosome
6) Lysosome
7) Golgi Apparatus (AKA Golgi Bodies)
8) Chromatin
9) Cytosol
10) Spindle fibers (Only visible during Mitosis/Meiosis (cell division))
11) Vacuole (Plant Cell Only)**
12) Chloroplast (Plant Cell Only)**
II. On a sheet of notebook paper, write the functions of all of the organelles drawn in your
picture. You may use your textbook on CD, the textbook on the student shared drive, the
internet, or your notes to find these functions. Staple this piece of paper to the front of the
construction paper. (The side on which you have drawn your animal cell).
III. On the back of the large sheet of construction paper, draw a city, making sure to include all
of the following city structures, buildings, institutions, etc.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Power Plant (i.e. Georgia Power)
City Hall
Infrastructure (i.e. highway, roads, interstate systems)
Factories (Production plants with assembly lines)
Demolition Company (For tearing down old, unused buildings), Police Dept, OR
Recycling facility
6) Water and Sewage Management/Storage facility
7) Electronic Database Company for storage of information, (i.e. Credit Bureau)
8) UPS, Fed Ex, or some other packaging and shipping company
9) Companies that specialize in the movement of information, (i.e. internet
providers, phone companies, etc.)
10) A house or building with solar panels on the roof, which absorb energy from the
sun, and provide an alternative power source, (instead of using energy supplied by
the Power company).
11) A Wall, Gate, or Moat, which surrounds your city to keep it safe. (Think of
Medieval Times where kingdoms were protected by Walls, Moats, or Gates!)
12) Remember: Your city should also have an “atmosphere” which bathes the city
with fresh air and Restaurants all around the city that provide the people with
nourishment
IV. On a sheet of notebook paper, write the functions of each of these city “parts”. You may
use the internet, media center, social studies books, or you may ask other teachers for this
information. Staple this sheet of paper to the back of your construction paper, (the side on
which you have drawn your city).
V. CONCLUSION: TYPE a conclusion to what you have learned. Your conclusion must
include the following information:
1) How do you think each cell organelle functions like the parts of a city. You must
compare the “role” of each cell organelle to the “role” of a particular city
structure, institution, etc. Make sure you remember to include the organelles
found in plant cells also, (chloroplast and vacuole).
2) Also include why you think each city structure, institution, etc. listed is “vital” for
the smooth operation of a city and tell why each cell organelle is “vital” to the
survival of the cell.
 In order to adequately explain the requested information, the conclusion will need to be at
least two typed pages.
A worksheet to help organize the information
is on the next page. This worksheet does not
have to be turned in. It is to help you in
gathering information you will need before
beginning your drawings!!
Organelle
What part of the city
has a similar job to the
organelle?
Where in your model
will this city structure
be located?
What will this
structure look like on
your cell city model?
NUCLEUS
LYSOSOME
MITOCHONDRIA
ENDOPLASMIC
RETICULUM
(Smooth and Rough)
VACUOLE
RIBOSOMES
CHLOROPLAST
CELL
MEMBRANE
CYTOPLASM
(CYTOSOL)
Organelle
What part of the city
has a similar job to the
organelle?
Where in your model
will this city structure
be located?
What will this
structure look like on
your cell city model?
GOLGI
APPARATUS
CHROMATIN
SPINDLE FIBERS
(hint: only visible
during cell
division)