Student Exploration: Cell Structure
Student Exploration: Cell Structure
Student Exploration: Cell Structure
Vocabulary: cell membrane, cell wall, capsule, centriole, chloroplast, cytoplasm, cytoskeleton,
endoplasmic reticulum, flagellum, Golgi apparatus, lysosome, mitochondria, nucleoid, nuclear
membrane, nucleolus, nucleus, organelle, pilus, plasmid, plastid, ribosome, vacuole, vesicle
1. What do you think are some of the structures inside a cell that help it to live and perform its
role in an organism? like nucleus , ribosome, endoplasmic reticulum etc.. are some of the
structures inside a cell that help it to live and perform its role in an organism.
How do you think plant cells differ from animal cells? (Hint: What can plants do that animals
cannot?) Plant cell have chloroplasts that allow them to get their energy from
photosynthesis. Animal cells cannot do so as they receive their energy from cellular
respiration
Gizmo Warm-up
The Cell Structure Gizmo allows you to look at typical
animal, plant, and bacterial cells under a microscope.
On the ANIMAL CELL tab, click Sample to take a
sample of an animal cell. On the dropdown menu,
select Centriole.
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1. Find the centrioles (Highlighted in green). Make a
sketch of the centrioles in the space below.
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Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:
Check that an Animal cell is mounted on the
Animal cells
microscope.
Question: Organelles are specialized structures that perform various functions in the
cell. What are the functions of the organelles in an animal cell?
1. Label: Locate each organelle in the animal cell. You can choose organelles from the
dropdown menu or click on them directly. Label the organelles in the diagram below.
Vacuole Nucleolus
Endoplasmic
reticulum
Cytoplasm
Cytoskeleton Vesicle
2. Match: Read about each organelle. Then match each organelle to its function/description.
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Activity A (continued from previous page)
3. Investigate: Select the Cell membrane. Turn on Show closeup. Read the description,
watch the animation, and answer the following questions below.
A. What kind of molecules can diffuse (go through) the cell membrane directly?
B. How can some large molecules and charged ions get through the cell membrane?
4. Investigate: Select the Nuclear membrane closeup. How is the nuclear membrane similar
Both are made up of lipid bilayers. Main functions of both membranes are protection and transportation.
Both are extremely important for the cell survival.
5. Investigate: Select the Mitochondrion closeup. What happens inside the mitochondrion?
Mitochondria, using oxygen available within the cell convert chemical energy from food in the cell to
energy in a form usable to the host cell.
6. Investigate: Select the Ribosome closeup. How does the cell make proteins inside the
ribosome?
Ribosomes are the sites in a cell in which protein synthesis takes place. ... Within the ribosome, the rRNA
molecules direct the catalytic steps of protein synthesis — the stitching together of amino acids to make a
protein molecule.
7. Investigate: Select the Vesicle closeup. How do vesicles move through the cell?
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Activity B: Get the Gizmo ready:
Plant cells Select the PLANT CELL tab, and click Sample.
1. Label: Locate each organelle in the plant cell. Label the organelles in the diagram below.
2. Compare: What structures are present in an animal cell, but not in a plant cell?
What structures are present in a plant cell, but not in an animal cell?
3. Fill in: Name the organelle or organelles that perform each of the following functions.
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D. convert food into energy. They are found in plant and
animal cells.
Question: How are bacterial cells different from plant and animal cells?
1. Label: Locate each organelle in the bacterial cell. Label the organelles in the diagram below.
2. Match: Read about each organelle. Then match each organelle to its function/description.
3. Compare: What structures are present in a bacterial cell, but not in a plant or animal cell?
What structures are present in plant and animal cells, but not in a bacterial cell?
What structures inside plant and animal cells look like bacteria?
Chloroplasts and mitochondria have their own DNA. Long ago, these structures may have
originated as bacteria that were engulfed (eaten) by larger cells.