• Subject: Agriculture Biology/Animal or Plant Science
• Topic:  Cytology (Cell Biology)
• Grade Level: 10-12
• Student Lesson name and URL:  Cell Organelles  ctap295.ctaponline.org/~rtitus/student/

1. Fundamental life processes of plants and animals depend on a variety of chemical reactions that are carried out in specialized areas of the organism's cells.

As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
a. cells are enclosed within semi permeable membranes that regulate their interaction with their surroundings. 

c. how prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells (including those from plants and animals), and viruses differ in 
   complexity and general structure. 

e. the role of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus in secretion of proteins.

f. usable energy is captured from sunlight by chloroplasts, and stored via the synthesis of sugar from carbon
  dioxide.

g. the role of the mitochondria in making stored chemical bond energy available to cells by completing the
   breakdown of glucose to carbon dioxide.

h. most macromolecules (polysaccharides, nucleic acids, proteins, lipids) in cells and organisms are
   synthesized from a small collection of simple precursors. 

j. how eukaryotic cells are given shape and internal organization by a cytoskeleton and/or cell wall. 

Instructional Objectives
*Students will be able to name the various cell organelles and explain their
functions. (parts a, c, e, f, g, h, and j)

*Students will be able to draw and label the various cell organelles in both plant
and animal cells. (parts a, c, e, f, g, h, and j)

*Students will be able to distinguish between plant and animal cells using a 
microscope. (parts c, f, h and j)

*Students will be able to explain how prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells (including those from plants and animals), and viruses differ in complexity and general structure. (part c)

*Students will be able to explain why viruses do not meet the standard definition of "life". (part c)

*Students will be able to explain why animal cells and plant cells have similar 
yet different organelles and how those differing organelles function. (part f)
 

Student Activities

Introductory Activities
 

Activity 1
1.  Students will read the online article What is Life by Brig Klyse located at http://www.panspermia.org/whatis2.htm .  Students will print out the article off the web and read together in groups of three using the "Radio Reading" technique where students read in the group taking turns.  Each group will come up with one interesting area of discussion for the class to discuss as a whole.  If the students want to, use Brig Klyse web page to find out more about who he is.  Does this investigation lower Mr. Klyse's credibility?  Does it make this particular article less accurate

2.  Next, students are to look up the definition of the word VIRUS in the Dictionary of Cell Biology located at http://www.mblab.gla.ac.uk/~julian/Dict.html.  They can also use a standard dictionary.  Discuss how these definitions differ from the one in Mr. Klyse's article.

3.  Teacher starts the discussion by explaining what scientist say life is and by explaining how viruses work.  What do the students think: Are viruses alive or not?  What about artificial intelligence?  Show clip from the one of the Star Trek movies with the character Data.  Is Data alive?

4.  Students need to keep a journal of these activities and turn them in at the end of this part of the lesson.
 
 

 Enabling Activities

Activity 1
1.  Students will access an online MS Word document that is a question and answer work sheet dealing with the basics of cell science.  Students can either print out the document and answer by hand or type in the document using MS Word.  In this document, students will define basic terms and answer questions dealing with basics of cell science.  Click here for the worksheet.

2.  Students will answer the questions using the MIT Textbook Of Cell Biology located online at http://esg-www.mit.edu:8001/esgbio/cb/cellbasics.html.

3.  Assignment will be corrected in class during a class discussion.
 

Activity 2
1.  Students will divided into 10 groups.  Each group will draw out of a hat a specific cell organelle from the Culminating Activity.  Each group will research their cell organelle.  The write up will include details on the function and what type of cell it is located in. They will also draw a picture of that cell organelle.  The web sites to be used are Journey into the Cell at http://biology.about.com/science/biology/msubjourneycell.htm ,  The Structure and Function of Organelles at http://esg-www.mit.edu:8001/bio/cb/organelles.html and  The Virtual Cell at http://ampere.scale.uiuc.edu/~m-lexa/cell/cell.html.

2.  Each group will write five multiple choice quiz questions and answers for their organelle.

3.  The groups will then report to the class on what they have found and the class will review the questions and answers along with the teacher.

Activity 3

 Students will access an online web site that has review activities.  They will participate in each activity.  When they are successful with that activity, have them raise their hand and review what they have accomplished and check off that particular activity.  Each quiz activity is worth an assigned number of points when completed.  This will help students review for the final quiz on this unit, so encouraged a little extra to learn a lot more!  Access the web site at http://www.quia.com/jg/2744.html.
 

Culminating Activity

Using available computer drawing program, students are to draw and label the organelles of animal and plant cells.  Drawings must include the following organelles where applicable: cell wall, cell membrane, Golgi Apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes, lysosomes, chloroplasts, mitochondria, cytoskeleton and nucleus or students can build a model of a cell using food, junk or what ever.  It depends on how much time you want to spend. 
Use the web sites Journey into the Cell at http://biology.about.com/science/biology/msubjourneycell.htm ,  The Structure and Function of Organelles at http://esg-www.mit.edu:8001/bio/cb/organelles.html and  The Virtual Cell at http://ampere.scale.uiuc.edu/~m-lexa/cell/cell.html.

Assessment
1.  Click below to link to the assessment rubric for the culminating activity.  It is a MS Word 97 document.
Rubric for Culminating Activity

2.  The students will create the final quiz for this lesson as part of enabling activity 2.

Results
After implementing your lesson (sometime between January & March), insert a chart of your pre-test, post-test, and culminating assessment data.
 
 
 

Web Resources & Supplementary Materials

Introductory Activity
http://www.panspermia.org/whatis2.htm : This web site is authored by Brig Klyse. His main site deals with philosophy and some new age religion type stuff.  The article on "What is Life" is scientifically accurate, but if students go ahead and look at his home page, they may question his reliability.  This is a good thing!   They should learn not accept everything on the web as fact.  They should investigate the author of each site and define the level of credibility  associated with that author. 

http://www.mblab.gla.ac.uk/~julian/Dict.html  : The Dictionary of Cell Biology is a great source for definitions on cellular biology.  Access to it may be limited, however.
 

Enabling Activity
http://esg-www.mit.edu:8001/esgbio/cb/cellbasics.html. : The MIT Textbook Of Cell Biology   sounds intimidating, but it is actually very understandable and well written.  Do not be intimidated, it is a great online resource.

http://biology.about.com/science/biology/msubjourneycell.htm  :Journey into the Cell is a good source of information.   Lots of sites, lots of places to visit. 

http://esg-www.mit.edu:8001/bio/cb/organelles.html  : The Structure and Function of Organelles has some specific information on cell organelles.

http://ampere.scale.uiuc.edu/~m-lexa/cell/cell.html : The Virtual Cell is really cool when you what kids to draw and understand the shapes of individual organelles.  However, you, the teacher, need to practice with this site a little and follow directions on the site.  Do this before you use it in class.
 

Culminating Activity

http://esg-www.mit.edu:8001/esgbio/cb/cellbasics.html. : The MIT Textbook Of Cell Biology   sounds intimidating, but it is actually very understandable and well written.  Do not be intimidated, it is a great online resource.

http://biology.about.com/science/biology/msubjourneycell.htm  :Journey into the Cell is a good source of information.   Lots of sites, lots of places to visit. 

http://esg-www.mit.edu:8001/bio/cb/organelles.html  : The Structure and Function Organelles has some specific information on cell organelles.

http://ampere.scale.uiuc.edu/~m-lexa/cell/cell.html : The Virtual Cell is really cool when you what kids to draw and understand the shapes of individual organelles.  However, you the teacher need to practice with this site a little and follow directions on the site.  Do this before you use it in class.

North Valley High School
Anderson, CA
Richard Titus     rtitus@anderson.k12
Last Revised: 07/27/2000