Cell Structure and Function

EDU 580
April 15th, 2019

Central Focus/Overall Goal: Students will be able to explain how an individual cell can maintain
homeostasis through cell structure and function.

I. Content Area and Technology Standards

Next Generation Science Standards

MS-LS-1. Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells;
either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.

MS-LS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways the
parts of a cell contribute to the function.

NYS-P-12 Science Learning Standards

MS-LS1-3. Construct an explanation supported by evidence for how the body is composed of
interacting systems consisting of cells, tissues, and organs working together to maintain
homeostasis.

ITSE Standards for Students

Empowered Learner
1c. Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice to
demonstrate learning in a variety of ways.

Knowledge Constructor
3a. Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other
resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.

Innovative Designer
4a. Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories,
creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.

Computational Thinker
5c. Students break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop
descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving.

Creative Communicator
6b. Students create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new
creations
 II. Lesson Objectives

A. Content Area:

Students will be able to develop (synthesis) and use a model to describe the function of a cell as
a whole.

Students will be able to describe (comprehension) the parts of a cell and develop a model to
illustrate (analysis) how the parts of a cell contribute to the cell’s function.

B. Education Technology:

Students will be able to utilize technology in order to seek feedback concerning how a cell and
its organelles function, providing students with an opportunity to improve their practice to
demonstrate learning in a variety of ways.

Students will be able to plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and
resources about a cell’s structure and function in order to create their cell analogy presentation
using computer-based software.

Students will be able to use a deliberate design process for generating ideas and solving authentic
problems.

Students will be able to break problems into component parts, extract key information, and
develop descriptive models to understand the complex system of a cell and its organelles.

Students will be able to create original works using computer-based software.

III. Introduce Learning Activity

The material and concepts for today’s class work will be introduced the day prior.
Today’s lesson will consist of practicing the concepts that were introduced the day prior
about cell structure and function: including prokaryotes/eukaryotes, animal cells/plant
cells, & the organelles that these cells contain. We will begin today’s lesson with a short
bell ringer that will allow students to review the previously learned material. The bell
ringer will consist of answering a series of questions and completing a diagram. After the
bell ringer is completed, today’s learning activities will be introduced. The teacher will
first run through an agenda of what the students will be doing for the day.
 1. First, the students will complete a Cell Escape Room which will lead them through a
series of questions about cell structure and function. Students will need to answer the
questions correctly in each station in order to use the answers as a code to move on to
the next station. At the end, students will receive an “antidote” to stop the toxic cell
invasion. I will provide students with all of the necessary materials.
The digital escape room can be found using the following link:
http://bit.ly/2t1bGXA

2. The next activity will be an online game simulation which will help students to
further practice the previously learned concepts.
https://biomanbio.com/HTML5GamesandLabs/Cellgames/Cells.html

3. Lastly, the teacher will introduce the student’s unit long project, a cell analogy where
they will use internet based research to create a Cell Analogy presentation in either
Microsoft Publisher or PowerPoint.

IV. Provide Information

Concepts and definitions surrounding cell structure and function will be taught the day
prior through guided notes, various forms of vocabulary instruction, and guided practice
activities. There will be a bell ringer at the beginning of the class to review
prokaryotes/eukaryotes, animal/plant cells, and their organelles. The
information/instructions will be given verbally, and the students will all receive an escape
room packet with the questions and directions on how to decode their answers. The
students will have to answer the questions in their packet, and decode their answers to
plug them into the digital online cell escape room, in order to move on to the next station
and receive their antidote. The directions to the online practice games will be given
verbally, and will also be given on the website. The directions to the unit long cell
analogy project will be given verbally, and the students will be working on this project
throughout the unit. This will just be the introduction in order to have the students start
brainstorming about their projects. Written directions and a rubric will be provided to
students later in the unit.

V. Provide Practice
A. Students will be given 20 minutes to complete their Cell Escape Room. I will be
walking around the room at this time in order to provide students with positive
feedback and correctives. At this time, I will also be able to answer any questions that
may arise, and help students if need be. Students will need to submit their answers
independently on the online escape room, but can work together if they need to
complete answers. For the online games, students will have approximately 7-10
minutes to play the games and further practice the concepts and vocabulary
surrounding cell structure and function. At this time, I will also be walking around the
 room to provide students with positive feedback and correctives, and be there to
answer any questions.
B. For the remainder of the period, the unit long project: the Cell Analogy, will be
introduced. After the project is introduced and directions are verbally given to
students, I will walk students through some resources that they may want to use to
help them with their projects. The students will then be choosing a computer based
software such as publisher to use to create their cell analogy presentation. For the
remainder of class, students can begin research information and choosing what they
will be comparing their cells too. Students can then start building the outline of their
project using PowerPoint or Publisher.

VI. Provide Knowledge of Results

A. While the students are working on their cell escape room and playing their online cell
biology games, I will be walking around and providing students with positive
feedbacks and correctives. I will be available to answer questions regarding the
content and material. Students will also be able to ask each other questions during this
time, allowing them to discuss the material and content with each other. The cell
escape room will give students instant feedback because they will need to get the
answers correct, in order to get the code, and then obtain the antidote. The online cell
biology games also will give students instant feedback as they are playing.
B. As for the cell analogy project, students will receive feedback throughout the unit, as
the students work on their projects. In a later lesson, students will be meeting with me
1-on-1 to have a conference and talk about their projects and the progress that they
have made. This project will be graded using a rubric and students will also have the
option to present their projects for extra credit.

VII. Review the Activity

Each activity will be reviewed after it is completed. Any

questions/concerns/misconceptions that I may have observed while walking around
during each activity will be discussed. I will make sure to discuss the main topics that we
practiced with these activities which include: prokaryotic/eukaryotic cells, animal/plant
cells, and their organelles.

VIII. Methods of Assessment

Each student will turn in their cell escape room activity packet as an informal formative
assessment. I will also use the observations I made throughout each practice activity as an
informal formative assessment to gauge the student’s understanding of the material. The
cell analogy project will be completed independently and each portion of the project will
be graded through a rubric.