Lesson Plans

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                                                  Classroom Model: Parts of a Plant Cell

Date Written: 9/18/11                                                                                                Date Taught: 9/28/11

Big Ideas: Parts and Functions of a Plant Cell

Key Questions:

1. What is a cell?
2. What are the parts of a cell?
3. What function does each part of the cell serve?

Learning Goals:

            The students will identify the parts of a plant cell and describe their functions.

Learning Objectives:

1. The students will label the parts of a plant cell.
2. The students will write the functions for each of the parts of the plant cell.

Assessments:

            formal: check list

            informal: teacher observation

Materials:

1. Pencils

2. Paper

3. Markers

4. Comparison Sheet (see attached)

5. Bucket, Ball, Tarp, Yarn, Basket, Tissue Paper, Folder, Spaghetti, Smarties, Paper Towel
                 Tubes (x3)

Instruction:

1. I will ask the students, “What is a cell?”

2. I will create a large model of the plant cell in the classroom.

3. I will ask everyone to make a rectangle with their desks. The desks will become the cell wall that does not let anything into the cell.

4. I will tape a piece of yarn lining/connecting the inside of the students’ desks; this will act as the cell membrane. The students will wiggle their fingers through the yarn modeling that only some small things can pass through the cell membrane.

5. I will place a large drop cloth on the floor in the center of the rectangle of desks. This will act as the cytoplasm which will hold all of the organelles (parts) of the plant cell.

6. I will place a large bucket of water on the cytoplasm (tarp), which will act as the vacuole holding the water for the plant cell and helping the cell to keep its shape.

7. I will place a ball on the cytoplasm (tarp) which will act as the nucleus or the control center of the cell.

8. I will place spaghetti in two adjacent locations with Smarties candies on top of only one of the piles of spaghetti. The spaghetti will act as the ER. The Ribosomes of the rough ER will be represented by the candies. The ER is the nutrient moving system for the cell.

9. I will place a folder with yarn glued to the top of it, on the cytoplasm to represent the mitochondrion (the storage of the cell).

10. I will place a green basket with green tissue paper inside, on the cytoplasm to represent the chloroplast and chlorophyll where water and carbon dioxide are turned into sugar and water to make food for the cell.

11. I will place three paper towel tubes next to each other to represent the Golgi body or the waste export system of the cell.

12. The students will be given a piece of paper to draw the classroom model of the cell and label the parts and part functions.

13. I will close the lesson by re-discussing the key question above. I will review the parts and functions of the cell with the students. Lastly, I will give the students a handout of a plant cell picture with all parts labeled that they can compare to their own drawings. (see attached)

Reflection:

Zooming In:

Creating a physical model of the plant cell was an interactive way for students to tackle a very complex subject in a more simplistic way. I used materials that the students would be familiar with that would symbolize the different parts of the cell. Having concrete representations of abstract concepts was important in this lesson, because the students could have been easily overwhelmed by the numerous parts and the complex vocabulary.

The students seemed to really enjoy the lesson as they were all very engaged and eager to participate. The students were able to draw a plant cell by looking at the classroom model which was very similar to the actual model of the plant cell. The students were proud of their drawings when they compared their art to the handout I gave to them.

Zooming Out:

The students will need to know the parts of the plant cell and the functions of the parts to gain a deeper understanding of pollination and fertilization of a plant. The unit begins with the parts of the cell to take the students on the journey to analyzing the beginning of life for our plants. By the end of this unit, the students will be learning how plants are created, where our fruit comes from, and why plants are important to our lives.

Assessments:

Classroom Model of the Plant Cell

Aesthetics Checklist

Name: _____________________________________                                                           Date: ________

Yes                  No                   Criteria

___                  ___                  1. The student drew and labeled the Cell Wall.

___                  ___                  2. The student drew and labeled the Cell Membrane.

___                  ___                  3. The student drew and labeled the Cytoplasm.

___                  ___                  4. The student drew and labeled the Vacuole.

___                  ___                  5. The student drew and labeled the Nucleus.

___                  ___                  6. The student drew and labeled the Mitochondrion.

___                  ___                  7. The student drew and labeled the Rough ER.

___                  ___                  8. The student drew and labeled the Smooth ER.

___                  ___                  9. The student drew and labeled the Ribosomes.

___                  ___                  10. The student drew and labeled the Golgi Body.

___                  ___                  11. The student drew and labeled the Chloroplast.

___                  ___                  12. The student drew and labeled the Chlorophyll.

_____  out of 12.

or

_____%.

Teacher Comments:

Classroom Model of the Plant Cell

Writing Checklist

Name: _____________________________________                                                           Date: ________

Yes                  No                   Criteria

___                  ___                  1. The student wrote the function of the Cell Wall accurately.

___                  ___                  2. The student wrote the function of the Cell Membrane accurately.

___                  ___                  3. The student wrote the function of the Cytoplasm accurately.

___                  ___                  4. The student wrote the function of the Vacuole accurately.

___                  ___                  5. The student wrote the function of the Nucleus accurately.

___                  ___                  6. The student wrote the function of the Mitochondrion accurately.

___                  ___                  7. The student wrote the function of the Rough ER accurately.

___                  ___                  8. The student wrote the function of the Smooth ER accurately.

___                  ___                  9. The student wrote the function of the Ribosomes accurately.

___                  ___                  10. The student wrote the function of the Golgi Body accurately.

___                  ___                  11. The student wrote the function of the Chloroplast accurately.

___                  ___                  12. The student wrote the function of the Chlorophyll accurately.

_____  out of 12.

or

_____%.

Teacher Comments: