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Cell-ebrations in Science (Grades 5-6)

Master Teacher

Rebecca H. McCraw

Time Allotment

Three-four 40-minute class sessions

Overview

All living things are made up of cells. Cells are microscopic and are made up of organelle with specific functions. Much like a modern factory, the organelle within the cell, complete these specific functions to maintain the life of the organism. Plant cells and animal cells have similar organelle. In animals, specific cells form tissue, which in turn form organs and systems to support the life of the organism. Plants have unique structures called chloroplasts that allow plants to manufacture their own food in a process called photosynthesis.

The cell of both plants and animals are comprised of the nucleus (which is the control center of the cell), a cell membrane, a cell wall (in plants) mitochondria, vacuoles, ribosomes, lysosomes, and chloroplasts (in plants). In this lesson, students will watch the video in order to recognize that cells are microscopic and that all living things are made up of cells, investigate the similarities and differences of plant and animal cells, and identify the basic function of the organelle within the cell. Students will also participate in an interactive Web site as their Culminating Activity.

Subject Matter

Life Science

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

recognize that all living things are made up of cells
recognize that cells cannot easily be seen by the naked eye, and become familiar with the use of microscopes as a tool for investigation
recognize that plant and animal cells are similar with two exceptions (cell wall, and chloroplasts in plants)
identify and label the major organelle of the plant and animal cell
identify the function of the major organelle of the cell

South Carolina Standards

These Standards can be found online at Office of Curriculum Standards.

Grade 5 II Life Science

A. Structure and Function in Living Systems

1. All organisms are composed of cells, the fundamental unit of life. Most organisms are single cells. Other organisms, including humans, are multicellular.

a. Recognize that animals and plants are made of cells.

b. Observe, identify, and distinguish among plant and animal cell parts: nucleus, cytoplasm, vacuole, cell membrane, cell wall and chloroplasts.

Grade 6: Life Science

Unit of Study: Fungi and Plants

A. Structure and Function in Fungi and Plant Systems

1. Important levels of organization for structure and function include cells and whole organisms. All organisms are composed of cells—the fundamental unit of life.

a. Identify and explain the function of plant cell parts (e.g., vacuoles, nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane, cell wall, and chloroplasts).

b. Distinguish between and illustrate plant and animal cells (e.g., cell wall, chloroplasts and nucleus.)

Media Components

Video

The World of Living Organisms, Lesson 1: "The Cell"

The Human Body, Lesson 3: "What Are Cells Like?"

Web Sites

Brainpop.com Cells and Basics offers information about the cell and is the primary link to the pop quiz and movie. In addition it offers facts and suggestions for future investigations. You do have to load the Plug-in Shockwave

Also located at the Cells and Basics site, this page has an interactive pop quiz that will extend the learning process beyond mere identification of the organelle of the cell. Students can take a pop quiz with corrective feedback and see cartoon-like movie about cells. Requires Shockwave plug-in.

Materials

1 sheet per team: "What Do These Things Have in Common?"(Activity Sheet 1)

Styrofoam—one piece for each group of two students

Hand lenses

1 sheet per student: "Draw a Plant and Animal Cell" observation sheet for investigation (Activity Sheet 2)

1 sheet per student: "Functions of Organelle" chart (Activity Sheet 3)

1 sheet per student of picture of plant and animal cells to label (teacher created or print worksheets from: Drawing an Animal Cell and Drawing a Plant Cell.

Pocket chart

Tag board for vocabulary (flashcards)

Clear transparencies for interactive drawing and labeling during video

Materials listed for The Incredible, Edible Cell. At the site, click "View this Activity."

Microscopes set up in stations so that groups have access to viewing onion skin cell and cheek cell of human (this will include slides, covers, onion skin and scraping from the inside of cheek.)

Observation sheet for microscope investigation

Prep for Teachers

Place students in teams of four or five students.

Preview all videos and locate clips to be viewed.

Make copies of all Activity Sheets.

Prepare slides and set up microscope stations for investigation.

Install Macromedia Flash Player.

Bookmark Web sites:

Place several pieces of Styrofoam and enough hand lenses for each student in a basket.

Make vocabulary flash cards.

When using media, provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of other video segments, Web sites, or other multimedia elements.

Introductory Activity

Step 1: Give each team a copy of Activity Sheet 1, "What Do These Things Have in Common?" Have students work to determine some of the things these all have in common. After a few minutes ask for volunteers to share.

Step 2: Share with students that all living things are made up of cells. Demonstrate how something can be made up of smaller parts by looking at a piece of Styrofoam through a hand lens. Give each group a piece of Styrofoam and enough hand lenses for each member. Have students investigate using the hand lenses. Ask them what they noticed. Have students pick apart a small piece of the Styrofoam to further investigate how it is put together. Tell them that living things are put together with small building blocks much like this piece of Styrofoam. Those building blocks are called cells. These cells go together to make up the tissue and organs of living things. Tell them that in this lesson they will be learning about the parts of cells and how these parts function to keep an organism alive.

Step 3: Ask students to look at the skin on their hands with the hand lens. Ask, "Can you see your cells?" Tell students that most cells are really too small to be seen with the naked eye. Tell students they are going to watch a video clip to learn more about how scientists can view cells. Insert the Lesson 1 from The World of Living Organisms.

Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking students "Watch to see what we must use to see the cell." Have students raise hands when they see the tool scientists use to look at cells. START the clip where the commentator says, "Making the invisible world visible." STOP the video when the picture changes to the picture of the electron microscope and a lab worker working at the large white microscope.

Step 4: Ask students if they have ever had an opportunity to look at things through a microscope. Tell students that we can magnify things many times their normal size by looking into a microscope. We don't have an electron microscope because they are extremely expensive, but we do have one similar to the one shown in the clip that we are going to use to investigate cells.

Learning Activity

Step 1: Activate prior knowledge of photosynthesis by asking if anyone knows how plants get energy. Lead students in a brief discussion about photosynthesis. Ask students, "Why do you think plants can make their own food but animals can't?" Lead students to realize that plants have special parts, or organelle, within their cells that allow them to manufacture food. Tell students that today they are going to investigate the differences between plant and animal cells and identify the organelle inside a cell and what job each organelle has inside the cell.

Step 2: Introduce vocabulary: cell membrane, cell wall, cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondria, vacuoles, chromosomes, ribosomes, lysosomes, golgi bodies. As words are introduced, place them on a chart or in a pocket chart for future reference.

Step 3: Tell students they are going to have an opportunity to look at a plant cell and an animal cell under the microscope. Give the students Activity Sheet 2 and tell students that they will be drawing on the activity sheet exactly what they see under the microscope. Send students to micro-scope stations to make observations of onion skin and cheek cell. Set timer for 5 minutes and then have students return to groups to discuss what they observed and drew on Activity Sheet 2.

(Note to Teacher: Remind students that they don't have an electron microscope, so they won't be able to see all the parts of a cell. Discuss the shape of the onion skin and cheek cell. How were they similar? How were they different?)

Using an overhead, lead students to identify the cell membrane on both drawings they have made. If students were able to see the dark center of the cell, have them label this part as the nucleus

(found in the center of the cell). Then have them label the inside of the cell as the cytoplasm. Review vocabulary and these three organelles.

Tell students that tomorrow they will learn more about the organelle that can be found inside the cell.

Day 2 - Learning Activity

Step 1: Ask students the following questions and let them answer as a group.

Yesterday we learned that all living things are made up of ? (cells)

We also found that plant cells and animal cells look? (different)

We learned that the outside of the cell is called? (cell membrane)

Plants have a rigid? (cell wall)

The "brain" of the cell is called? (the nucleus)

Now tell students that today they are going to be learning about other organelle within the cell. Pass out enlarged pictures of the plant and animal cells that you created or printed off the Web. Then tell students they are going to be watching a video clip about the parts of the cell. Insert in the VCR, The Human Body, Lesson 3: "What are Cells Like?" START the video when commentator says, "What is that blob?" and there is a picture of a cell under an electron microscope.

Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by having students watch and listen for the identification of the cell wall, cell membrane, nucleus, and cytoplasm. Freeze the frames as each organelle is identified and have students come to the TV to identify the parts. Using an overhead transparency on the TV, allow students to trace the cell membrane, nucleus and color in the cytoplasm within the cell. Students are to label the picture they have as students provide answers.

STOP the video when commentator says,

". . . all cells contain some of the same basic components." There will be a picture of a cell under the microscope. Remind students that not all cells look the same, but all have some of the same basic components, or parts.

Step 2: Direct students to health or science textbooks to locate pictures of different kinds of cells such as skin, nerve, and muscle cells. Discuss how they look different.

Step 3: Tell students that they are going to continue to identify the other organelle within the cell. Still watching Our Human Body, "What Are Cells Like?," START where there is a picture of a cell under the microscope and a girl's voice saying, "I didn't know there were. . . . " STOP tape when the last words say, "Stored in small pockets called mitochondria. . . . "

Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by having students listen and watch for as many different organelles as they can. They are to label the organelle if they can identify it. Students are also to listen to what organelle plant cells have that animal cells do not have.

Using the overhead and the photo (printed from Web site) they have for labeling, have students label the remainder of the cell parts. (Note to Teacher: This will act as a study guide for students.)

Step 5: In cooperative groups, have students use their textbook or reference materials to identify the function of each of the organelle. Have them record the information on Activity Sheet 3, labeled "Functions of an Organelle." While students work in groups on this task, the teacher can call groups to come build their "Incredible, Edible Cell" (Instructions can be printed from the Web site.). As students identify the parts of the cell, they may then "eat their science!"

Day 3 - Culminating Activity/ Assessment

Step 1: Tell students: " Now that you have investigated the cell, we are going to do some further investigation on the Internet." (Note to Teacher: If a lab is unavailable, you could lead this from a Dukane or an AverKey in the classroom as long as you have access to the Internet.)

Step 2: Students are to take an interactive test on the cell and watch a movie about the cell. Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by having students answer the following questions: "How many cells are in the human body?" and "How can cells reproduce?" Go to theBrainpop.com Cells and Basics Web site and click on the "Now" button. This will lead you to the interactive portion of the site.

Step 3: After students view the movie, ask them some fascinating facts they learned from the Web site. Students may then explore other aspects of the site. As students complete the Internet activity, they could complete a teacher-made study guide adopted from their textbook and which serves as formal assessment the following day. (See Activity Sheet 4.)

Day 4 - Assessment

Students will be able to label the organelle of the cells and identify the major functions. Students will be able to compare and contrast plant and animal cells using a Venn diagram.

Cross-Curricular Extensions

Technology/Social Studies: Students can research the development of the microscope and then chart the developments on a timeline.

Writing Block: Students can work in cooperative groups to write a story from the perspective of a cell using vocabulary from the science lesson.

Students could write an acrostic poem from the letters in CELLS.

Guided Reading: Students will develop content area vocabulary and develop reading strategies for content area reading as they investigate the function of the organelle within the cell. Students will compare and contrast using Venn diagrams and other graphic organizers.

Art: Students will draw and label a plant and animal cell.

Science: Extend this investigation into how viruses and bacteria affect basic cell function. Investigate why some cells become cancerous.

Community Connections

Have students write letters to local doctors telling all they have learned about the cell.

Invite a parent who might be a nurse, doctor, or health care worker to discuss the importance of cell function.

Invite a cytologist from a local hospital or university to tell about the history of cell research.

Take a field trip to a hospital to see an electron microscope and to discuss how it is used in the health care field.

Student Materials

1 sheet per team: "What Do These Things Have in Common?"(Activity Sheet 1)
Styrofoam—one piece for each group of two students
Hand lenses
1 sheet per student: "Draw a Plant and Animal Cell" observation sheet for investigation (Activity Sheet 2)
1 sheet per student: "Functions of Organelle" chart (Activity Sheet 3)
1 sheet per student of picture of plant and animal cells to label