This page starts out with a brief look at the scope of cell sizes, including a comparison between cellular organelles. Then moves on to the basics of a prokaryote cell, as well as the differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. After that, things end with the specific details of the plant and animal type of eukaryotic cells.
INTRODUCTION
Relative Size of Cells
If you want students to get a real feel for the different cell sizes, these are a just couple of the available websites out there. Each of these sites has a little bit different way of presenting the material, and all of them offer slightly different things. It really depends on what details you are wanting students to know as to which site would work best.
* Cells Alive!
* Relative sizes and detection methods
* Cell Size and Scale
Also check out the Scientific Concepts page - The Power of 10 for some nice videos, websites, and images to introduce the sheer variation in size in some of the concepts being discussed. Helps to put into perspective how very small the objects are that are being examined.
* Cells Alive!
* Relative sizes and detection methods
* Cell Size and Scale
Also check out the Scientific Concepts page - The Power of 10 for some nice videos, websites, and images to introduce the sheer variation in size in some of the concepts being discussed. Helps to put into perspective how very small the objects are that are being examined.
Characteristics of Cells
A really nice image/chart comparison of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. I am not sure as to the (c) holder of the image.
This Univ. of Alberta website offers an interactive chart where students to test their ability to compare prokaryotic cells with eukaryotic cells. This is really nice to use as a review. Common features of all cells. Just a brief listing of the four common features shared by prokaryotes and eukaryotes. |
Interactive Biochemistry: Cell Structure This website offers a little bit of everything cell related. You can look at prokaryotes in depth. Then move on to an animal cell or a plant cell. Finish things off by constructing your own cell as a review.
PROKARYOTES
A brief look at prokaryotic cells
Identify the parts of a Prokaryote cell: A self-test for students to see if they can identify the 7 parts of the prokaryotic cell.
Identify the parts of a Prokaryote cell: A self-test for students to see if they can identify the 7 parts of the prokaryotic cell.
EUKARYOTES
Lectures and Websites
A basic PowerPoint lecture that I created on parts of a Eukaryotic Cell, specifically animal and plant cells. Lecture continues with Cell Boundaries part 1 and part 2 powerpoints. All were created from the Pearson Education: Biology textbook, however the information should be compatible with other textbooks since it is the basics of a Eukaryotic cell.
Two PowerPoint lectures from an unknown source. The first lecture gives details on cells and cellular organelles. It is broken into two parts because of the size of the file. Part 1 * Part 2 The second lecture focuses on cellular membranes. Each of these lectures has really nice images that you could copy and paste into your own tailor made lectures.
Another PowerPoint lecture on cells - again from an unknown source. It starts with a comparison on size and goes all the way through cellular organelles of plant and animal cells. Also includes a segment on cellular movement and the mechanisms by which it occurs, but doesn't touch as much on cellular membranes.
If you are wanting a PowerPoint that goes from cell theory all the way to the organization of cellular life, this is a really good one. It seems to follow the Pearson Education textbook, but I am not certain. Source of the PowerPoint is unknown. I have also broken it down into the various sections so you can grab just the part you might need: Cell Theory * Cell Types &Organelles * Cellular Life
Cells Alive: An interactive Plant and Animal Cell. Examine the differences, and the similarities, between plant and animal cells. This website is fairly rudimentary, so it isn't too complex for special ed learners.
Animal Cell Structure * Plant Cell Structure - Images are from Molecular Expressions, a really nice website with tons of information about cells. These particular images are diagrams of plant and animal cells that are done in a very detailed way. Really nice because that aren't "cartoony".
The Univ. of Alberta has a really nice "mix and match" activity for both plant cells and animal cells. In each of these activities, students attempt to match cell parts with their function. It also has a section for visual identification of the organelles, which is really nice to see.
Students can test their knowledge of the differences between plant and animal cells in this interactive review. They drag and drop cell parts in the appropriate cell. If they are still having trouble, they can take things back and step and look at this interactive tutorial about the various cell parts.
The Virtual Cell: This website allows you to get a 3-D view of cell organelles. The writers of the website say it best - "the intent of the activity is to provide the learner with a better feeling of the appearance/structure, function, and location of the organelles." There is also two versions of a worksheet (original and modified) that you can have students fill out while they navigate the website.
A Typical Animal Cell: An interactive website that uses flash. Students can roll the mouse over a part of the cell to find out more about it. Offered free by a website that also has a store for learning objects. Follow the Typical Animal Cell up with a tutorial on Identifying Eukaryotic Cell Parts. Also offered as a free resource for educators. Other free tutorials include those on Passive Transport Methods:
* Passive Transport - Diffusion
* Passive Transport - Osmosis
* Passive Transport - Filtration and Facilitated Diffusion
Construction of a Cell Membrane: A free interactive tutorial that is also provided by the group that offers the Typical Animal Cell learning object.
The Biology In Motion website has a really nice Organize It feature, that allows students to test their understanding on how various concepts are organized. If students follow the link and then select *Open* on the top menu, they are given a list of options. Under Cell Structures there are sections for both Plant cells and Animal cells.
Two PowerPoint lectures from an unknown source. The first lecture gives details on cells and cellular organelles. It is broken into two parts because of the size of the file. Part 1 * Part 2 The second lecture focuses on cellular membranes. Each of these lectures has really nice images that you could copy and paste into your own tailor made lectures.
Another PowerPoint lecture on cells - again from an unknown source. It starts with a comparison on size and goes all the way through cellular organelles of plant and animal cells. Also includes a segment on cellular movement and the mechanisms by which it occurs, but doesn't touch as much on cellular membranes.
If you are wanting a PowerPoint that goes from cell theory all the way to the organization of cellular life, this is a really good one. It seems to follow the Pearson Education textbook, but I am not certain. Source of the PowerPoint is unknown. I have also broken it down into the various sections so you can grab just the part you might need: Cell Theory * Cell Types &Organelles * Cellular Life
Cells Alive: An interactive Plant and Animal Cell. Examine the differences, and the similarities, between plant and animal cells. This website is fairly rudimentary, so it isn't too complex for special ed learners.
Animal Cell Structure * Plant Cell Structure - Images are from Molecular Expressions, a really nice website with tons of information about cells. These particular images are diagrams of plant and animal cells that are done in a very detailed way. Really nice because that aren't "cartoony".
The Univ. of Alberta has a really nice "mix and match" activity for both plant cells and animal cells. In each of these activities, students attempt to match cell parts with their function. It also has a section for visual identification of the organelles, which is really nice to see.
Students can test their knowledge of the differences between plant and animal cells in this interactive review. They drag and drop cell parts in the appropriate cell. If they are still having trouble, they can take things back and step and look at this interactive tutorial about the various cell parts.
The Virtual Cell: This website allows you to get a 3-D view of cell organelles. The writers of the website say it best - "the intent of the activity is to provide the learner with a better feeling of the appearance/structure, function, and location of the organelles." There is also two versions of a worksheet (original and modified) that you can have students fill out while they navigate the website.
A Typical Animal Cell: An interactive website that uses flash. Students can roll the mouse over a part of the cell to find out more about it. Offered free by a website that also has a store for learning objects. Follow the Typical Animal Cell up with a tutorial on Identifying Eukaryotic Cell Parts. Also offered as a free resource for educators. Other free tutorials include those on Passive Transport Methods:
* Passive Transport - Diffusion
* Passive Transport - Osmosis
* Passive Transport - Filtration and Facilitated Diffusion
Construction of a Cell Membrane: A free interactive tutorial that is also provided by the group that offers the Typical Animal Cell learning object.
The Biology In Motion website has a really nice Organize It feature, that allows students to test their understanding on how various concepts are organized. If students follow the link and then select *Open* on the top menu, they are given a list of options. Under Cell Structures there are sections for both Plant cells and Animal cells.
Cell Analogies
As educators, we are taught to draw parallels for students to aid in their understanding. a really good way to explain the cell is to create an analogy they can relate to, such as a Cell City Analogy.
Another option is to have students create a Cell As A Factory Diarama. This is a good activity for students that are a little more crafty and like hands-on activities.
There is also a Cell Factory website that you can have students visit. It takes students through the parts of the cell, relating them to jobs or features of a factory. There is also a worksheet that students can fill out as they tour the website. |
Videos and Tutorials
For the visual learners, there are a ton of small video clips out there on the topics of Eukaryotic Cell parts and processes. I have included a few that I like because they are short and easy to understand. Some were created by textbook companies as companions for their textbook, but should be compatible with almost all textbooks - since the material contained should be the same, just presented in different ways and in different chapters.
Watch Lysosomes perform their work.
This website offers a tutorial guide to Eukaryotic Cells. Then check out their Golgi Apparatus and Endoplasmic Reticulum tutorial. The same animators also have a Passive Transport and an Active Transport tutorial. What's really nice about these is the option of a self-guided animation or a narrated animation, and the follow-up "quiz" at the end.
From Pearson Education:
Diffusion and Osmosis * Osmosis * Passive Transport * Active Transport * Endocytosis and Exocytosis
Interactive Animation: Cellular Transport
Osmosis: Hypertonic, Hypotonic, and Isotonic solution YouTube video
From McGraw-Hill:
How Diffusion Works * How Osmosis Works * How Facilitated Diffusion Works * Lysosomes at work
Students can work their way through the various forms of transportation into and out of a cell in this BioCoach Activity. It offers brief explanations of the concepts, interactive practice options, and if needed - there are review sections to go back and cover concepts more in depth. Helps students to figure out what they know and what they need to spend a little more time on.
Watch Lysosomes perform their work.
This website offers a tutorial guide to Eukaryotic Cells. Then check out their Golgi Apparatus and Endoplasmic Reticulum tutorial. The same animators also have a Passive Transport and an Active Transport tutorial. What's really nice about these is the option of a self-guided animation or a narrated animation, and the follow-up "quiz" at the end.
From Pearson Education:
Diffusion and Osmosis * Osmosis * Passive Transport * Active Transport * Endocytosis and Exocytosis
Interactive Animation: Cellular Transport
Osmosis: Hypertonic, Hypotonic, and Isotonic solution YouTube video
From McGraw-Hill:
How Diffusion Works * How Osmosis Works * How Facilitated Diffusion Works * Lysosomes at work
Students can work their way through the various forms of transportation into and out of a cell in this BioCoach Activity. It offers brief explanations of the concepts, interactive practice options, and if needed - there are review sections to go back and cover concepts more in depth. Helps students to figure out what they know and what they need to spend a little more time on.
Labs and Activities
Cellular Adventure is a game that was created by Caroline D’Huyvetter at the University of Georgia. Everything from the game board to the questions to ask is provided in the PowerPoint. Teachers are allowed by the copyrights permissions to make modifications to the game, although I have not. Because this PowerPoint was given to me, I am uncertain if modifications were made by the teacher I received it from.
A Salty Situation is a lab where students can examine the effects of a hypertonic solution on cells. Also adds in an environmental impact to the activity, since in Missouri (which is where I am certified to teach) winter often requires the use of road salt to make it safe to drive. So students can see the impact the road salts can have on plants. There are a couple documents needed for this lab - the resource packet and the lab work packet. Also included is a modified lab form that I found from another source, which shows how the activity can be tweaked to fit your needs. The resource packet and original lab work packet, I am uncertain who the creator is. The lab work packet has been modified by K. Brelsford. The modified lab form is from Fernanda Kain.
Animal and Plant Cell Lab has students explore the differences between a plant leaf, a skin cell, onion bulb cells, a bacteria via a microscope. It also leads in well to the Exploring Cell Processes activity, where you use cheek cells and onion skin again.
Another activity to have students do is to look at osmosis on the cellular level. Using an Elodea leaf, get to actually go through the process of preparing a microscope slide, and then examine the shape of its cells. Then they introduce salt water to the specimen and see how the shape of the cells changes. For the visual learners, here is a nice animation of how to prepare a wet mount slide.
Building Cellular Organelles is lab activity using such simple things as pipe cleaners, wire, rubber bands, and fish tank tubing to create a cell. Students get to decide which item is the best for each cell part.
A Salty Situation is a lab where students can examine the effects of a hypertonic solution on cells. Also adds in an environmental impact to the activity, since in Missouri (which is where I am certified to teach) winter often requires the use of road salt to make it safe to drive. So students can see the impact the road salts can have on plants. There are a couple documents needed for this lab - the resource packet and the lab work packet. Also included is a modified lab form that I found from another source, which shows how the activity can be tweaked to fit your needs. The resource packet and original lab work packet, I am uncertain who the creator is. The lab work packet has been modified by K. Brelsford. The modified lab form is from Fernanda Kain.
Animal and Plant Cell Lab has students explore the differences between a plant leaf, a skin cell, onion bulb cells, a bacteria via a microscope. It also leads in well to the Exploring Cell Processes activity, where you use cheek cells and onion skin again.
Another activity to have students do is to look at osmosis on the cellular level. Using an Elodea leaf, get to actually go through the process of preparing a microscope slide, and then examine the shape of its cells. Then they introduce salt water to the specimen and see how the shape of the cells changes. For the visual learners, here is a nice animation of how to prepare a wet mount slide.
Building Cellular Organelles is lab activity using such simple things as pipe cleaners, wire, rubber bands, and fish tank tubing to create a cell. Students get to decide which item is the best for each cell part.
Exploring Cell Processes: This lab examines how animal and plant cells react to hypertonic and hypotonic solutions using a microscope. Animal cell is a cheek cell on a prepared slide. Plant cell used is from an onion. You can prepare the onion slide in advance, or have students make their own.
Because it can be difficult for students to see things well via a microscope, using a larger cell (namely an egg) is a really good way for the effects of hypertonic and hypotonic solutions on a cell. This activity does require small amounts of time for three days to perform the different aspects.
Because it can be difficult for students to see things well via a microscope, using a larger cell (namely an egg) is a really good way for the effects of hypertonic and hypotonic solutions on a cell. This activity does require small amounts of time for three days to perform the different aspects.
The next three labs I actually recommend doing during the same class period if you are working with block scheduling. If you start students off with the Cornstarch-Iodine lab, and then lead them to the Smelly Balloon lab, and then to the Gummy Bear lab, it gives the Cornstarch-Iodine solution time to react.
Cornstarch-Iodine lab: I've actually found that this activity works best if you have students do this in two sets - one set putting Iodine in a baggie and Cornstarch in a bowl of water, and also put Cornstarch water in a baggie and submerge it in a bowl of water with Iodine. This is a real good demonstration on osmosis and molecule movement across membranes.
Smelly Balloons: For this lab, I actually found that using balloons that are all the same color is best, since it can help reinforce the "keeping things constant" part of the scientific method. The best scents I have found are vanilla extract, mint extract, and cinnamon extract. This is a real good activity on selectively permeable membranes. The outside of the balloon isn't wet, yet we can smell what is inside the balloon.
To really demonstrate this, have on hand a colander with small holes in it, some corn kernels, and a little bit of white rice. Pour the corn and rice into the colander, and ask the students what they think will happen. If you picked the right size colander, the rice will fall through when you shake it, but the corn will not.
Gummy Bear Lab: This lab is a very vivid demonstrations of the effects of hypertonic and hypotonic solutions on "cells". The gummy bears swell and even start to break apart in water, with less dramatic results the higher the concentration of sugar in the water. In corn syrup, they actually start to shrink slightly. For best results, put the bears in the solutions about 6-12 hours before lab time.
If you decide to have students perform all of these activities on the same day, here is a good lab worksheet for students to use.
Cornstarch-Iodine lab: I've actually found that this activity works best if you have students do this in two sets - one set putting Iodine in a baggie and Cornstarch in a bowl of water, and also put Cornstarch water in a baggie and submerge it in a bowl of water with Iodine. This is a real good demonstration on osmosis and molecule movement across membranes.
Smelly Balloons: For this lab, I actually found that using balloons that are all the same color is best, since it can help reinforce the "keeping things constant" part of the scientific method. The best scents I have found are vanilla extract, mint extract, and cinnamon extract. This is a real good activity on selectively permeable membranes. The outside of the balloon isn't wet, yet we can smell what is inside the balloon.
To really demonstrate this, have on hand a colander with small holes in it, some corn kernels, and a little bit of white rice. Pour the corn and rice into the colander, and ask the students what they think will happen. If you picked the right size colander, the rice will fall through when you shake it, but the corn will not.
Gummy Bear Lab: This lab is a very vivid demonstrations of the effects of hypertonic and hypotonic solutions on "cells". The gummy bears swell and even start to break apart in water, with less dramatic results the higher the concentration of sugar in the water. In corn syrup, they actually start to shrink slightly. For best results, put the bears in the solutions about 6-12 hours before lab time.
If you decide to have students perform all of these activities on the same day, here is a good lab worksheet for students to use.
Worksheets and Handouts
The following worksheets were created and are copyright by Pearson Education. Although created for their textbook, many of generic enought o work with other textbooks. Some might require a couple slight modifications by the teacher. * Two types of cells (page 2)
* Cell Structures/Organelles
* Graphic Organizer for Cell parts
* Cell Diagrams for plant and animal cells
* Cell Membrane and Diffusion/Osmosis/Active Transport Part 1
* Cell Membrane and Diffusion/Osmosis/Active Transport Part 2
McGraw-Hill also has a worksheet available for the Cell. Does include a small section on the history of the discovery of the cell.
If you are looking for other activities and handouts to reinforce the concepts of cell differences and the organelles within each cell, consider using some of these other activities that were gathered from a variety of sources all over the internet:
* Cell Transportation Crossword
* Simple and easy Coloring Pages, as well as a Crypotogram, a Maze, and more
* Very nice and detailed Animal and Plant Cell coloring pages
* Very nice and detailed Cell Organelles coloring pages
* Cell parts and their function table and the key
* An Owner's Guide to the Cell handout
* Cells: The Basis of Life is a very simple handout that details some of the organelles in clear, easy to understand language
* Cell Structures/Organelles
* Graphic Organizer for Cell parts
* Cell Diagrams for plant and animal cells
* Cell Membrane and Diffusion/Osmosis/Active Transport Part 1
* Cell Membrane and Diffusion/Osmosis/Active Transport Part 2
McGraw-Hill also has a worksheet available for the Cell. Does include a small section on the history of the discovery of the cell.
If you are looking for other activities and handouts to reinforce the concepts of cell differences and the organelles within each cell, consider using some of these other activities that were gathered from a variety of sources all over the internet:
* Cell Transportation Crossword
* Simple and easy Coloring Pages, as well as a Crypotogram, a Maze, and more
* Very nice and detailed Animal and Plant Cell coloring pages
* Very nice and detailed Cell Organelles coloring pages
* Cell parts and their function table and the key
* An Owner's Guide to the Cell handout
* Cells: The Basis of Life is a very simple handout that details some of the organelles in clear, easy to understand language