Cells: Unit 1

Overview
Subject Cells
Standards/Content and Every cell is covered by a membrane that controls what can enter and leave the cell. In all but quite primitive cells, a
OST Alignment complex network of proteins provides organization and shape. Within the cell are specialized parts for the transport of
materials, energy transformation, protein building, waste disposal, information feedback and movement. In addition to
these basic cellular functions, most cells in multicellular organisms perform some specific functions that others do not.

Key Vocabulary. Animal Cell, Plant Cell, Prokaryotic,Eukaryotic, Organelle, Cytoskeleton, Golgi complex and endoplasmic reticulum
Teacher to Teacher Note: The concept of the cell and its parts as a functioning system is more important than memorizing parts of the cell.

Unit Lesson
Plan Cell foldable and 3-D Cell model will need extended time 50-75minutes
Pacing 10-15 minutes per day
Materials • LCD Projector and Screen (optional to go over answers together on white board)
• Copy of POGIL - Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells
• Copy of two Released OST Questions pertaining to eukarotic vs prokaryotic cell types
• Coloring Pens, Pencils or Crayons
• Class set of scissors
• Gale Cengage 3D Cell Model
• Copy of POGIL-Organelles in Eukaryotic Cells (pre-teach)
Activity/Teach • Have students work in pairs on the POGIL - Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells activity and answer questions 1-12. 10-15
minutes (Day 1)
• As a class have students share out their answers (1-12 from Day 1) while pointing out where they found the answers
and/or how they knew/found the answer. 10-15 minutes (Day 2)
• Have students work in pairs on the POGIL - Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells activity and answer questions 13-22. 10-
15 minutes (Day 3)
• As a class have students share out their answers (13-22 from Day 2) while pointing out where they found the answers
and/or how they knew/found the answer. 10-15 minutes (Day 4)
• Have students answer the two Released OST Questions pertaining to eukarotic vs prokaryotic cell types. Collect and
go over the answers. 10-15 minutes (Day 5)

Activities to Support Content 1.POGIL - Organelles in Eukaryotic Cell

Learning 2.Animal and Plant Cell Foldable (you will need a class set of scissors, colored pencils, and blank paper)
3.Gale Cengage: Interactive Science 3D cell model

Outcomes and Assessments

Outcome Students will be able to distinguish between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells and between animal and plant cells
Assessment/Evidence of POGIL answers will be used as formative assessment. The two released OST questions that are one individually will be
Activity used as summative assessment.
Differentiation
Differentiation for struggling •
Learners may need an intensive re-teaching of cell parts and function. POGIL: Organelles in Eukaryotic Cells
learners including special •
Learners create a t-chart or Venn diagram to list the organelle and its function; they may also use these methods to
needs and ELL simplify the comparison of plant vs. animal cells, and prokaryotes vs eukaryotes.
•
The POGIL activity should be broken into smaller blocks of information given over several days as to not overwhelm
ELL or other struggling populations.
•
ELL learners write vocabulary in their native language noting function of the organelle and how it works within the cell.
Students may use the four square or Frayer model to better understand vocabulary.
•
It is important for ELL and struggling readers to create visual cues.
 ANIMAL AND PLANT CELL FOLDABLE

FOLD DIRECTIONS:

1. Fold a sheet of paper in half

horizontally (hamburger) so that one
side is one inch longer than the other
side.
2. Cut the shorter side in half, up
towards the fold (mountain top) to
create two flaps.
LABEL FRONT OF FLAPS

1. Label the LEFT flap, ANIMAL CELL, and sketch, color, and label an ANIMAL CELL.
2. Label the RIGHT flap, PLANT CELL, and sketch, color, and label a PLANT CELL.
3. Label the BOTTOM flap, EUKARYOTIC CELLS.

LABEL BACK OF FLAPS

1. On the LEFT BACK flap Title it UNIQUE TO ANIMAL CELLS and include the following:
a. Explain the role of centrioles.
b. Explain the role of lysosomes.
c. Describe the shape of animal cells AND explain why they have this shape.
2. On the RIGHT BACK flap Title it UNIQUE TO PLANT CELLS and include the following:
a. Explain the role of the cell wall.
b. Explain the role of chloroplasts.
c. Explain the role of vacuoles.

CENTER UN-CUT SECTION

1. Categorize all of the structures and organelles in Table 1 (page 199) into a chart based on cell
type like shown below:

Organelle Animal Cell Plant Cell Prokaryote (protist)

Cells OST Released Question Practice

Name _________________________ Period_______ Date______________

2.
 Organelles in Eukaryotic Cells
What are the functions of different organelles in a cell?

Why?
The cell is the basic unit and building block of all living things. Organisms rely on their cells to perform
all necessary functions of life. Certain functions are carried out within different structures of the cell.
These structures are called organelles.

Model 1 – How Is a Cell Like a Factory?

Vacuole Part of factory Cell organelle Function
D Control room Nucleus Contains and
A (E) protects genetic
E material (DNA)
B
Factory DNA/chromo- Information for
manager somes making proteins

F Assembly Ribosomes Make proteins

workers (F)
G
C Production line Endoplasmic Transports and
(B) reticulum (ER) finishes proteins
H and other biologi-
Vesicles
cal molecules
Custodians (A) Lysosomes
Power Mitochondria
generators (H)
Shipping Golgi apparatus
department (C)
Factory interior Cytoplasm Space for work to
(G) be done
Items to be Vesicles Cellular pack-
shipped age containing
products such as
protein
Warehouse Vacuole
for storage of
products
Loading dock Pores/gated Points of entry
channels and exit for
materials
Security fence Cell membrane
(D)

Organelles in Eukaryotic Cells 1

 1. Using the letters from the table in Model 1, label the cell diagram with the organelle names.
2. According to the table,
a. what substance is analogous to a factory manager?

b. in what organelle would this substance be found?

3. Using the information in Question 2, which cell organelle controls the activities of the entire cell?

4. Which organelle generates energy to power cellular activities?

5. Which organelle is responsible for assembling proteins?

6. Once proteins have been assembled, to which organelle would they go next?

7. Into what organelle might the cellular products be placed?

8. Fill in the missing functions of cellular organelles in the table in Model 1.

9. Starting with instructions from the factory manager (DNA/chromosomes), create a flow chart to
show how a protein is produced and shipped from a cell.

2 POGIL™ Activities for High School Biology

Model 2 – Animal Cells with Organelle(s) Removed
Cell 1 Cell 2 Cell 3

Cell 4 Cell 5 Cell 6

Cell 7 Cell 8 Cell 9

Organelles in Eukaryotic Cells 3

 10. Study the cells in Model 2. Which cell is not missing any organelles compared to Model 1?

11. Look carefully at Cell 2 in Model 2. Compared to Model 1, what kind of organelle is missing?

12. Using grammatically correct sentences, describe why Cell 2 would not function normally.

13. Which two cells in Model 2 will have difficulty containing and getting rid of wastes within the
cell? Why?

14. Cell 1 is missing one organelle. List as many reasons as possible why Cell 1 will not survive.

15. Cell 4 and Cell 7 will not be able to synthesize a major biological molecule. What molecule is
this?

4 POGIL™ Activities for High School Biology

Model 3 – Animal Cell vs. Plant Cell
Animal Cell Plant Cell

16. Do both cells in Model 3 have a nucleus?

17. Do both cells in Model 3 have mitochondria?

18. Describe at least three differences between the animal and plant cells shown in Model 3.

Organelles in Eukaryotic Cells 5

Read This!
Plant cells have three organelles not found in animal cells. They include the cell wall, large central
vacuole, and plastids (including chloroplasts).

19. Complete the table below using the three plant organelles mentioned in the Read This! box.
Organelle Function
Fluid-filled organelle stores water, enzymes, and waste products.
Size of this organelle can change.
Supports and protects the cell.
Some store food or pigments; some convert light energy to
chemical energy in the form of organic compounds.
20. Label each of these three organelles on the plant cell diagram in Model 3.

21. Individually, in one grammatically correct sentence, describe why it is necessary for plants to have
chloroplasts.

22. As a group, reach a consensus on the answer to Question 21. Record the answer below.

23. The central vacuole stores water. What would happen to the size of the central vacuole if a plant
does not have enough water?

24. Describe the appearance of the vacuole in a well-watered plant. What effect would this have on
the cell wall of the plant?

25. Using your response to Question 24, construct an explanation for why a plant has both a rigid
cell wall and a cellular membrane.

6 POGIL™ Activities for High School Biology

Extension Questions
Read This!
All cells undergo cellular respiration for the production of energy. Energy is necessary for all metabolic
activity within the cell.
The formula for cellular respiration is
C6H12O6 + 6O2 ⎯⎯→ 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy/ATP
Plants carry out photosynthesis for the production of glucose. The glucose then becomes the energy
source for cellular respiration.
The formula for photosynthesis is
Sun’s energy
6CO2 + 6H2O ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯→ C6H12O6 + 6O2

26. Study the information given in the Read This! box.

a. In what organelle does cellular respiration occur?

b. Do plant and animal cells both have this structure?

27. In what organelle does photosynthesis occur? Do plant and animal cells both have this structure?

28. Using the equations above, explain the relationship between mitochondria and chloroplasts.

29. Plants have both mitochondria and chloroplasts; they can produce their own glucose to fuel
cellular respiration. Animal cells, on the other hand, have only mitochondria. If an animal eats
only meat what would be its source of glucose?

30. Where in the human body would you find cells with a large number of mitochondria? Why?

Organelles in Eukaryotic Cells 7

 Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells
Do all cells have the same structure?

Why?
An efficiency apartment is a one-room apartment. This one room is where you sleep, eat, shower, and
entertain your guests. It all happens in one room. It is a simple way of living in a small space. A mansion
is a large, complex living space with many separate rooms. There are rooms for cooking, eating, sleeping,
bathing, reading, watching TV, entertaining guests, exercising, and storage. The rooms in a mansion are
constructed for the specific things you would like to be able to do. You can live in simple efficiency or
complexity. In this activity we will be looking at cells that are as simple as a one-room efficiency apart-
ment or as complex as a mansion.

Model 1 – Three Types of Bacterial Cells

Cytoplasm

Free-floating DNA

Ribosomes

Free-floating DNA

Cell wall

Cell membrane

Free-floating DNA

Cell wall

Ribosomes

Cytoplasm Flagellum

1. The three bacterial shapes in Model 1 are referred to as coccus (sphere), spirillum, and bacillus
(rod). Label the diagrams in Model 1 with the correct descriptions.
2. What is represented by the small dots found in each of the bacteria cells?

3. What is the name of the outermost layer that forms a boundary around the outside of each cell?

4. How is the DNA described and what does this mean?

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells 1

 5. All the internal structures are suspended (floating) in what substance?

6. One of the bacteria in Model 1 has a tail-like structure.

a. What is this structure called?

b. What might be the purpose of this structure?

c. Based on your answer to the previous question, what might you infer about the absence of
this structure in the other two bacteria cells?

Model 2 – Animal and Plant Cells

Animal Cell Plant Cell
Cell membrane

Temporary vacuole
Nuclear membrane
DNA
Nucleolus
Nucleus
Chloroplast

Cytoplasm

Endoplasmic
reticulum
Ribosomes (free
or attached)
Lysosome
Mitochondria
Vesicle

Golgi apparatus
Large permanent vacuole
Cell wall

7. Looking at Model 2, list at least three structural differences (other than shape) between an animal
and a plant cell.

8. Where do you find the DNA in each cell in Model 2?

9. Do both cells in Model 2 have a nucleus?

2 POGIL™ Activities for High School Biology

 10. List the structure(s) that form the boundary between the inside and the outside of each cell in
Model 2.

11. What is different about the outermost boundary in a plant cell compared to an animal cell?

12. Decide as a group whether the cells in Model 1 or 2 are more complex and list at least three
supporting reasons for your choice.

Model 3 – Structural Comparisons

Word Part Meaning
pro before
karyon nucleus or kernel
eu true

13. Use the chart in Model 3 to determine the meaning of the word prokaryote.

14. What does the word eukaryote mean?

15. Based on the above word definitions, label the cells in Model 1 and Model 2 as prokaryotic or
eukaryotic.
16. By comparing Model 1 and Model 2, what structures are the same in both prokaryotic and
eukaryotic cells?

17. What differences are there between a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell?

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells 3

 18. Refer to Models 1 and 2 to complete the chart below. Write yes or no in the box for each cell.

Bacterial Cell Animal Cell Plant Cell All Cells

Cell Membrane

Ribosome

Cytoplasm

Mitochondria

Nucleolus

Nucleus

DNA

Cell Wall

Prokaryotic

Eukaryotic

19. As a group, write a definition for a prokaryotic cell.

20. As a group, write a definition for a eukaryotic cell.

21. Complete the phrase below. Each member must contribute one complete sentence. The words
prokaryotic and eukaryotic must be used:
All cells are not the same because…

22. As a group, discuss the opening analogy of an efficiency apartment and a mansion as it relates to
cells. Record your final consensus of how this analogy applies to cell structure.

4 POGIL™ Activities for High School Biology

Extension Questions
23. What effect do you expect the structural differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes to have
on their functions? Explain in detail.

24. With as much detail as possible, give another example of an analogy for describing the difference
between prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells.

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells 5

 25. Complete the chart by describing the function and structure in each cell.
Structural adaptation(s) that enable
Cell Type Function
the cell to carry out its function.
Root hair cell from a plant
Water

Soil particles

Muscle cell

r
le fibe
Musc

SarcolemmaFasci
culus
Myofibril

Nerve cell

Sperm cell

Nucleus
Tail

Coil of mitochondria
Head

6 POGIL™ Activities for High School Biology