Cell Biology

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This week my focus was on cells. We started by discussing functions of cells, and then started summarizing the structure of an animal cell. I was drawing on the board and having kids draw with me on a paper that will be kept in they science folder (I am not sure if all parents know, but each student has a science folder with all the work that they have been doing). We started with the cell membrane (lipid bilayer with proteins embedded), its functions (protection and regulation) and structure. We also talked about the nucleus; we talked about DNA and RNA (briefly, will talk more about their functions in the near future), the endoplasmic reticulum (rough and smooth), mitochondria, golgi apparatus, lysosome, vesicles, centrioles, and cytoskeleton.

The kids were really interested in the names and functions of the organelles. On Monday, Luke asked about the size of cells (why they can’t be huge), so on Wednesday we talked about diffusion (passive transport of molecules across membrane). We played a game outside – two kids were oxygen molecules, three were the plasma membrane, and two were mitochondria – we then had a discussion about the amount of energy required for diffusion in small vs. large cells. We ended the class with a you tube video (tour of the cell) and I gave the kids the link to a website that summarizes the structures and functions of cells. Next week I will assign a homework project; I will have each student build a model of a cell (plant or animal). They will have one week to work on this, and the link I provided could be helpful for this assignment. I will provide more information about this project next week.

At the very end of class, we talked about the restoration project. We are going to McLaughlin next Friday. Anybody is welcome to join us. We have about 60 seedlings to transplant.

The following standards were covered this week:

7^th grade Life Sciences

Cell Biology

1.      All living organisms are composed of cells, from just one to many trillions, whose details usually are visible only through a microscope. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a.       Students know cells function similarly in all living organisms. b.  Students know the characteristics that distinguish plant cells from animal cells,

including chloroplasts and cell walls.

c.       Students know the nucleus is the repository for genetic information.

d.      Students know that mitochondria liberate energy for the work that cells do.

Next week we will talk about plant cells, and if we have time I will start talking about cell division and differentiation. I will have a summary of the restoration project for kids to read in the car (it will take us a little over 2 hours to get to McLaughlin). 

Below are two pictures of the kids playing the diffusion game:

Becca, Julia, and Katrin were representing the cell membrane.

Garnet was an oxygem molecule looking for mitochondira.