ESOL Biology: The Structure and Function of the Cell
The cell unit leads students to a better understanding of the parts of plant and animal cells. They learn how each organelle contributes to the overall functioning of the cell. Videos, PowerPoints, and diagrams are used to illustrate what a cell looks like and how it functions within a plant or body of an animal. Students use their knowledge of the cell's structure to create a cell using food items that accurately depicts the structure of a plant cell. They use their plant cell to explain to their partner and me what each organelle is and what its function is. After students have grasped the general functioning of the cell and its organelles, they are led to a better understanding of how plant cells make food through photosynthesis, how animal cells process food to produce ATP (energy), and how plant and animal cells absorb food and water through the processes of diffusion and osmosis. The students are engaged in an in-depth laboratory experiment that proves that water and other substances can pass through a semi-permeable cell membrane. This lab is accomplished by incorperating chicken eggs as "the cell" and using past knowledge of the scientific method to develop a hypothesis and a viable experiment. The entire lab is explained in the attachment labeled "egg osmosis lab".
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Students Experimenting |