Cells:It'sWhatWe'reMadeOf

Author:EthanSelf
Datecreated:02/09/20169:25AMEDTDatemodified:02/10/201611:07AMEDT

Subject(s)

Biology,Science

Grade/Level

Grade10

Topic

Thethreedaylessonwillincorporateabroadoverviewofthecell,helpingbridgetheunderstandingofvariousbiology
moleculeslearnedinbiochemistryintoamoreapplicable,functionalitybasedunderstandingofformandfunctiontowards
acell'scomposition.

Rationale/Context

Thecellisthebasicunitoflifeatthisscalewebegintoidentifyincrediblyunique,butunifyingproperties,characteristics,
andactionsthatunifyorganisms,fromthesmallestasexualbuddingbacteria,tothebluewhale.Understandingthe
basicproperties,characteristics,andarrangementofacellwillhelpstudentsunderstandtherelationshipbetweenmacro
andmicroexaminationoflivingorganisms.
Inmanyregards,ithelpstounderstandthecellthroughthelensofanorganism.Identicallytoahumanbeing,acellhas
anddisplaystheunifyingcharacteristicsoflife.Further,thefunctionalityofitsorganelles,cellmembrane,andlifespan
areoftenanalogoustoahumanbody.
Studentswillusethislessontobridgetheirunderstandingofbiochemicalreactionsandmoleculeslearnedintheprior
unittowardscellbiology,whereprocessesandpropertiescanbefurtherexplainedandexpandeduponusingthe
biochemistryconcepts.
Thelessonwillbesucceededbyanindepthexaminationofvariousorganellesinthecell,andunderstandingthecellas
afunctioning,internalizedcastle/community.

EnduringUnderstandings

Cellsarethefundamentalbuildingblockoflife.
Cellsandorganismsexhibitidenticaltraitsandcharacteristicsoflife.
Theconceptofformandfunctionisessentialforunderstandingtheprocessesandshapeofcells.

EssentialQuestions

Howdoestheshape,size,andpermeabilityofcellsenablecellstorespondtoandthriveinvariousenvironments?
Howcanweunderstandthesimilaritiesbetweencellsandthehumanbodyintermsofcharacteristicsoflife?
Whatconstitutesagoodscientificquestionandexperiment?

Standards

USANextGenerationScienceStandards(2013)
Grade/Level:
HighSchoolLifeSciences
Area:
HSLS1FromMoleculestoOrganisms:StructuresandProcesses
Standard:
HSLS12.Developanduseamodeltoillustratethehierarchicalorganizationofinteractingsystemsthatprovide
specificfunctionswithinmulticellularorganisms.

VTVermontGradeLevelExpectations
Subject:Science
Grade:Grades912
Strand:Inquiry
GEStem:ScientificQuestioningS912:1StudentsdemonstratetheirunderstandingofSCIENTIFICQUESTIONING
by
Expectation:Framingtestablequestionsshowingevidenceofobservationsandpriorknowledgetoillustrate
causeandeffect.
Expectation:Developingatestablequestionappropriatetothescientificdomainbeinginvestigated.
GEStem:PredictingandHypothesizingS912:2StudentsdemonstratetheirunderstandingofPREDICTINGAND
HYPOTHESIZINGby
Expectation:Predictingresults(evidence)thatsupportsthehypothesis.
Expectation:Clearlydistinguishingcauseandeffectwithinatestable/guidinghypothesis.
Strand:LifeScience
GEStem:S912:30:StudentsdemonstratetheirunderstandingofCellStructureandFunctionSurvival
Requirementsby
Expectation:Predictingthedirectionofmovementofsubstancesacrossamembrane.
Expectation:Identifyinghowthebasic(general)shapeandstructureofeachofthefourtypesoforganic
moleculesdetermineitsroleinmaintainingcellsurvival(i.e.,simplecarbohydrates[monosaccharides]canbean
energysourceasasinglemoleculeandastorage/structuralmoleculewhenmultipleunitsarechemically
combined[starch,cellulose,chitin].).

LearningTargets/Objectives

Studentswillbegintoexplorethebasiccomponentsandcompositionofthecell,andbegintounderstandhowthecell
displaysunique,yetunifyingcharacteristicsoflifethatareuniversallycommontoorganisms.

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Studentswillspecificallyreexaminethebasicstructureofprokaryoticandeukaryoticcells,thedifferencesbetweenboth
types,aswellasexaminingingreaterdetailthephospholipidmembrane,aswellashowtheshape,sizeandvolumeof
acellisintegralincreatingaresponsive,internalenvironmentinthecell.
Students,insmallgroups,willexaminetheresponsivenessandqualitiesofcellstovariousenvironmentsbyexamining
theresponsesofvariouslysizedpotatopieceswhichwill'act'ascells.Examiningthecourselongconceptofformand
function,studentswillunderstandandinvestigatehowcell'sformhelpdictatetheirfunction,aswellasvariouscells'
functionisdeterminedbytheirform.
Inquirybasedlearninginthe2ndand3rdlessonwillbecritical,hencethescientificskillssuchasaskingascientific
question,proposingahypothesis,andcollectingandanalyzingdataandmakingaconclusionwillallbeaddressedin
thisseriesoflessons.
InstructionalMaterials

Foranyandallnotesgiveninclass,Iwillutilizeasmartboardprojectoratthecenteroftheclassroom.Iwillutilizea
common,sharedgoogleslidespresentationtopresentcontent,whilesharingtheslideswithstudentsonagoogle
classroomsite.Thus,studentswillbeabletoaccesstheslidesatanytime,inandoutofclass.Theslideswillbebasicin
composition,withaheavyuseofdiagrams,picturesandvideoswithappropriatelycaptionedtext.Thetextwillbelarge,
bolded,andunderlinedwhennecessarytoemphasizethemainideasandessentialcontentforstudents.
Foreveryhandout,acomprehensivetextboxwillbeprovidedasareferenceforstudentstoutilizenewandunique
vocabularywords.Particularlyimportant,orpotentiallyconfusingwordswillhaveashortdefinitiontoassistlearnersin
understandingthewords,althoughtheintroductionanduseofsuchtermswillalsobeusedandgivencontextwithinthe
lesson.
Laboratorymaterials,suchasbeakers,containers,ingredientswillallbeaccessedfromthebiologystorehouse,while
preparationofthepotatoeswilloccuroutsideofclass(pealingandcleaning)tostreamlineclass.
Studentswillbeprovidedwithcomprehensivenotesheetswithdiagrams,questions,and/orpicturesthatcorrespondto
eithertheminilessonorgroupwork.Focusingonthevisualandphysicalqualitiesofcellandit'scomponentsisessential
forgreaterunderstandingandtherelationshipbetweenformandfunction.

INSTRUCTIONALPROCEDURES:
a.StartUp/Motivator

Thefollowingstarterswillbeemployedbasedonthedesignatedlessonday:
Day1:Thestarterwillbearelativelycreative,groupworkassignment.Iwillproposethefollowingproblem.Imagineyou
arethelordsofacastleinEuropeinthe15thcentury.Howwouldyouprotectyourpeople?Whatwouldyouutilizeor
buildaroundyourcastletoprotectfromtheexternalenvironment,suchasinvaders,friends,food,ormessages?How
wouldyouinsurethatspecificthingscouldgetinandoutofthecastle?Whatwouldyouwanttoinsurecouldalwaysget
intoyourcastle?Althoughastretch,thiswillbeanalogoustoacell'sinternalenvironmentandtheroleofthe
phospholipidmembranehowcanweinsurethatyourwallcanmove,adapt,andallowchange?

Day2:Iwillgiveanentrancecardstarterthatexaminesstudents'priorknowledgeonthebasicqualitiesofcells,aswell
asthescientificmethod.Thus,itwillactbothareviewandacheckinoverlearnedandsoontobelearnedmaterial.We
willreviewtheanswersbeforetransitioningintothelessonandgroupwork.ItisimportantthatIaddressstudent
problemsandquestionsfromthepriorlessonandhomeworkbeforemovingon!

Day3:Daythree'sstarterwillbeaquickcheckinaboutthescientificproceduresforlabsinourclassrooms,aswellasa
chalktalkbetweengroupsabouttheirhypothesis,researchquestion,andwhattheyexpecttofindaftertheycollectand
analyzetheirdata.Veryquickeasytogetthelaboratoryjuicesflowingbeforethelabcommences.

b.LearningComponents

Day1MiniLesson:Thefirstminilessonwillreexamineandfurtherexploresomeconceptsandcontentlearnedduring
thepriorunit,biochemistry.Iwillusethecastleanalogyexploredduringthestartertoexploretheperipheralboundary
ofthecell:thecellmembrane.Wewill,asagroup,exploretheramificationsofthecellmembranebyreexamining
polarity,phospholipids,andmacromolecules.Wewillalsorevisitandreexploretheconceptofhomeostasishowdo
humansregulateaconstant,stableinternalenvironment?Cancellsdothesame?Thiswillalsobeanappropriateplaceto
previewcontent,andfrontloadsomeideasforthenextseverallessondays.
Studentswillbeprovidedwithaguidednotesheettohelpstructureandorganizecontent,whichwillmostlybereview.
Thepriorunitwouldhaveintroducedandexaminedmuchofthecontentnecessarytounderstandthebasiccomponents
ofthecellmembrane.However,examiningthesolubilityandreactivityofvariousmoleculeswithpolarandnonpolar
solutionswillhelpframehowtheampipathicconstructionandformofthemembranehelpregulatepassiveandactive
diffusion.Diffusionwillbeintroducedasaterminwhichmoleculescandefuseortraveltovarious,different
environmentsthatareseparate.
Students,attableswillexplorethepropertiesofthemembranebyconductingvariousexperimentsandobservationsat
theirtablesusingapolar(water)andnonpolar(oil)solution,aswellasvariousmolecules(sugar,salt,flour)toexplore
passivediffusion,activediffusion,andendocytosis.Theseactivities,hierarchicalincomplexityandexamination,willhelps
setthestageforstudentstounderstandhowapolarandnonpolarregionofthecellmembranecreatesarelatively
isolatedcellenvironmentthatisalsoresponsiveandabletoadapttoexternalenvironments.Whiletheexperimentswill
firstreviewpolarandnonpolarmolecules,studentswillbegintoexaminehowsmallmoleculesorsaltsmixand
associatewitheithertypeofenvironment.Studentswillanswerandexplorehowactivediffusioncanaddressthese
problems,andhowandwhytheseproteinchannelscanhelpaddressimporting/exportingmolecules(energy,signals,
etc.)muchlikeacastlegateandwall.

Day2MiniLesson:Thesecondlessonwillfocusonthevariousdifferencesbetweeneukaryoticandprokaryoticcells.This
willincludesize,geneticinformation,quantityandtypesoforganelles,aswellassomespecifictypesofcells(plantcellin
theleaf,humancellinmuscles,nervecellinthebrain).Iwillfrontloadsomeinformationforthenextunits,whilealso
previewingmaterialupcomingthroughoutthenexttwounits.However,thefocusofthelessonwillbeunifyingtraitsof
cells,aswellastheconceptsofformandfunctionforeachparticularcell.However,Iwillaskafewprobingquestions

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suchas"whyaren'tcellslargerthanafewnmindiameter,orwhatisfunctionalitybehindaselectivelypermeablemembrane,
orhowdocellsrespondtovarious,changingclimates."Thesequestionswillleadustoaninvestigationofcellsize,
permeabilityofthemembrane,andacell'sabilitytoreacttovariousenvironments.
Usingpotatoesasamodeltounderstandacell'sshapeandfunction,studentswillbrainstormaresearchquestionfor
thenextclassthatexaminesacell'sshape,size,andabilitytoreactandchangetoaparticularenvironment.Students
willtrytodiscoverandconsiderwhyarecellsacertainshapeandsize?Duringtheclass,studentsingroupswillcreatea
hypothesis,adependentandindependentvariable,aswellasamethodologyforcollectingdatainastreamlined,
consistentmanner.Iwillconferencewithandhelpguidestudents'thoughtprocessesandbrainstorming.
Itwillbeimportanttoreviewsomeoftheessentialqualitiesofagoodscientificexperiment,thushandingoutand
discussingadocumentwiththosequalitieswillhelpfacilitategoodcollaborationandgroupworkasyoungscientists
developtheirstudyquestion.
Studentswillhavetobeabletomeasuretherelativesurfaceareaandvolumeoftheir'cells,'aswellasdesignatleast
twodifferentenvironmentaltreatmentsthatwillshowcellsreacttovarious,changingenvironments.Howcanwe
understandthefunctionalityofaparticularcellsizebyexamininghowitreactstotheseenvironments?
Studentswillbegivenanexperimentalplanner,whichwillhelpguidegroupsthroughtheprocessandstepsnecessary
foracomplete,robustscientificquestionandmethodology.Studentswillconferencewithmyselfthroughouttheprocess
toinsurethateachgroup'squestionandexperimentisadequatelyappropriateinnature,butalsoinclusiveofthe
enduringunderstandingsofthecell.
Day3:
Theminilessonwillfocusonvariouscomponentsofthecellmembraneinfurtherdetail(enhancingouranalogytoa
castlewall).Byexaminingthisanalogy,wewillinvestigatetheformandfunctionofintegralmembraneboundprotein
channels,glycoproteins,cholesterol,aswellasthedifferenceandimportanceofunsaturatedandsaturatedfatty
acidsinthefluidityandmovementofthecellmembrane.Iwillfinishtheminilessonwithaddressingthenextlogical
questionhowisthecellmembraneconnectedandresponsivetothecorecomponentsofacell,suchasit'scytoplasm,
organelles,andeventhespecifictypeofcell?Whataboutspecificprocessesoccurringinthecell,suchasenergyconsumption,
wasteremoval,andgrowth/reproduction?Theseareallessential,unifyingcharacteristicsoflifethatmushbeaddressedin
ourfutureexaminationofthecell.
Themaincomponentofthelessonwillbeunderstandingandfurtheringourinvestigationoftheshape,size,andstability
ofthecellinvariousenvironments.Tobetterunderstandthebiologicalrationalandconstraintsonformandfunctionof
thecell,studentsinsmallgroupswillimplementselfdesignedexperimentsthatutilizevariouspotatopiecesasmodel
cells.Byplacingthecellsinvariousenvironments,studentswillquantifytheresponsivenessofcells.Thedatainvolved
withtheselabswillexaminethechangeinweight,shape,flexibility,oreventhecolorofthepotatocells.Studentswill
havepreviosulycreateddocumentsthatwilleasilycollectdataforgroups'labs.
Studentswillcompletetheirexperiements,basedontheirvariablesandtreatmentsandcollectdata.Theanalysisand
interpretationofthedatawillbeusedinthehomework,andtheproceedinglessontounderstandthedesign
implicationsofthecell'ssizeandshape,andthereactivityofcellstoenvironments.

c.Homework/SelfDirected
Lear

Day1:Studentswilltakeguidednotesonashortvideothatexaminesosmosis,diffusion,andhowvariousenvironments
canhelpinfluenceandmodifyacell'scomposition,size,andstability.Howdoextremeenvironments,suchashypertonic
andhypotonicsolutions,influencewhetheracellisstableornot.Studentswillbeexaminingthiscontenttohelpprovide
alaunchingpadforaninclassinvestigationofcellsizeandcellmembranepermeability.

Day2:Studentswillprepareafinishedgroupdocumentthatcanutilizedforcollectingdata,aswellasfinalizingtheir
hypothesis,studyquestionandmethodology.Thiswilllikelybeanelectronicdocument,thatbetweengoogledocument
andsheets,canreadilycollectandanalyzedata.Acomponentofthefinalassessmentgradeforthelabwillbeif
studentscancollaborateandcreateacohesivegroupproductthatconciselydescribestheirresearchquestion,
hypothesis,methodology,anddata.

Day3:Studentswillbeaskedtoanswerseveralcomprehensivequestionsusingclassdatafromvariousenvironments
andcellsizetobetterunderstandhowcellsize,shape,andfunctionarerelated.Further,eachstudentwill
beresponsibleforaddressingthefollowingcomponentsofthenatureofscience:A)onediagramorchartthatillustrates
theirgroup'sresultsB)ashortresponseonwhethertheirhypothesiswasmetandtheimplication'softheirfindingsand
C)ashortresponseonthenextstepsforresearchanddesigningafollowupinvestigation.Howcouldtheexperimentbe
improved,whatfurtherstepscouldbeusedtomakeforamorecomprehensiveexperiment,howdoesyourstudyhelpyou
betterunderstandtheformandfunctionofthecell'sshapeandmembrane?

d.Summary/Closure

Day1:Thelessonwillconcludewithasummativewrapupofhowcellsimportlargemolecules,andhowthecell
membranealsoprovidesmovementandstructuretothecell,influencingit'sshape,size,andform.I'llaskstudentsto
considerwhyallcellsofallorganismsarequitesmall,andhowvariousfattyacidsmightprovidedifferingabilitiesfora
cell'smovement(unsaturatedvs.saturated).
Day2:Thelessonwillconcludebyshowingashortvideothatshowscellslysingorballooningupindifferentsolutions
andenvironments.Thevisualswillhelpshowandsolidifythattheshapeandhealthofcellsispartiallydeterminedby
outside,externalinfluences,suchasthesolventstrengthandsoluteconcentrationofdifferentenvironments.
Day3:Iwillconcludethelabexperimentbymakingsuretheclassisinorder,cleanedup,andaskstudentsabout
variousmethodstoshowdata.Howcanwebestdepictandvisualizeourresultsforanaudience?Whatneedsto
accompanyourgraphsanddiagrams?Howcanweconclusively,ornot,acceptorrejectahypothesis?Iwillmodelhowto
appropriatelycollectdatatocreateafigure,whileaskingstudentswhatnextstepscouldbetakentowards
understandingtheshapeandsizeofthecell?Whatshouldweexaminenextinthecell,andhowisitusefulfor
understandingourlab?

e.Accommodations/
Differentiation

Accommodationswillbemetbyinsuringthatstudentswithreadingcomprehensionandotherdisabilitiesareprovidedfor
byadequatelyhandouts,whichmayincludeagraphicorganizerfornotes,awordbankwithdefinitions,visualaids,such
aslargeillustrationsanddiagramsthathelpcontextualizelearnedcontent.
Thelaboratorywillofferacreative,selfguidedopportunityforstudentstocreateandimplementarelativelysimplebut

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elegantexperiment.Studentscandesignthesizeandshapeofvariouspotatocells,createascientificquestion,and
evenhaveinputintothedifferenttypesofenvironmentsthattheircellswillsubjugatedtoo.Thecollaborativeand
interactivemannerofthelabwillhelpcreateconnectionsbetweenthepreviousunit'scontentonmolecules,andhelp
bridgetheseideasintomoreappliedbiology.
Tohelpdifferentiatewithlearners,Iwillprovidescaffoldhandoutsthatwillhelpgroupsachievearesearchquestionand
hypothesisatvariouslevels.Whilesomestudentswillhaveaverydefined,dynamicquestion,Istillwantallstudentsto
approachthelabwitharesearchquestionthatapproacheshowthesizeandstructureofcellhelpsexplainthefunction
ofthecell.

ASSESSMENT
AssessmentA

Theprimaryassessmentwillbethedesign,implimentation,andanalysisofagroupcollaborationlabratory.Different
aspectsofthescientificprocess,suchasaskingaresearchquestion,formingahypothesis,analyzingdata,forminga
conclusion,willallbeaddressedandassessedona4pointcompetencyrubricbasedonMt.Abe'sLabratoryscience
standards.
GroupandindiviiduallearninghabitswillalsobeassessedbasedonobservationsandcollaborationviaMt.Abe
Competencies.

AssessmentB

Thesecondaryassessmentwillbelearninghabitsscoresthatarederivedfromcompletinghomeworkassignmentson
time,andtoasatisfactorydegreeofcompletion.
Further,informalandungradedassessmentswillbecompletedfromentrancecardstarterstogaugestudentlearning
andquestionsfromcontentrelatedlessons.

Reflection

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