Introduction to Cells

This minds-on analysis and discussion activity begins with an anchor phenomenon – a video of a eukaryotic cell chasing and eating a bacterium. This leads to analyses of how cells carry out the activities of life and the similarities and differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells.

Additional topics include the functions of the organelles in eukaryotic cells and the differences between animal and plant cells.

The Student Handout is available in the first two attached files and as a Google doc designed for use in distance learning and online instruction. (For additional instructions, see https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/bioactivities/Googledocs, especially item 7.) The Teacher Notes are available in the third and fourth attached files. The Teacher Notes provide instructional suggestions and background information and explain how this activity is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. I am grateful to David Upegui, Central Falls High School, for generously agreeing to share a PowerPoint presentation to accompany a previous version of this activity (https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1z8WT4Zsyy5RJi-U9zlr9KZwjNCcwGm-dmxnENBOCpD0/copy).

Crawling Neutrophil Chasing a Bacterium

(This video is taken from a 16-mm movie made in the 1950s by the late David Rogers at Vanderbilt University.)