Quest Atlantis Unit Plan
Life Sciences
Two Cells One World
2 Week Plan
6th Grade
“Who We Are”
This Unit on Cells is designed to get the Questers thinking and talking about cells as the building blocks of life. The overall focus of this unit is to bring about student understanding of animal and plant cells. They will visit websites and prepare slides for viewing in the classroom.
Introduction
MCREL Standards
Goals
In this unit, Questers will develop an artifact that helps others understand the complexity and variation of cells, as well as that cells are the building blocks of all life.
The MCREL Standards for this unit come from the sections on Life Sciences and Nature of Science, with a focus on cell structures and the different types of cells.
The goal of this unit is to help students gain an appreciation of cells as the building blocks of all life, as they recognize cell structures and the different types of cells.
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Activities
Teacher Tips
This Unit has four activities related to unit goals. The activities begin with developing a general understanding of a cell, than examines different types of cells, and ends in a project that communicates what was learned with others.
Teacher Tips for this Unit contain notes for teachers to use in the activities of this Unit. They describe the core points of cells and suggest various links that a teacher may use to enrich her understanding of cells.
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Assessment – The appended questions and rubric may be used to assess the work of the activities in this unit. You may choose to create a supplementary rubric for some of the activities. Page 10-11 1
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Quest Atlantis Unit Plan
Life Sciences
Two Cells One World
2 Week Plan
6th Grade
“Who We Are”
Introduction The goal of this unit is to help students gain an appreciation of cells as the building blocks of all life, as they recognize cell structures and the different types of cells. Students will research about cells, their components, structures, and functions. They will create documents, charts, and diagrams that illuminate the role of cells in organisms. Questers will use current technology to view prepared slides as well as prepare their own in order for cell identification. Questers will also write a fictional account of a particular organism, create a cartoon, poem, or even a song about the daily life of a microorganism. While there are many linked sites that include digital images for Questers to examine, we feel it is important that they also have direct experience preparing and viewing prepared slides through a microscope in the classroom. As a culminating project to this activity, Questers will develop an artifact that helps others understand the complexity and variation of cells, as well as that cells are the building blocks of all life. This artifact could be a PowerPoint presentation, a brochure, poster, or a song that helps others better understand cells. Some projects will be exhibited in the virtual museum in Quest Atlantis.
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Quest Atlantis Unit Plan Life Sciences
Two Cells One World
2 Week Plan
6th Grade
“Who We Are”
MCREL Standards (Grades 3 – 5) Life Sciences Standard 5: Understands the structure and function of cells and organisms Standard 6: Understands relationships among organisms and their physical environment Nature of Science Standard 11: Understands the nature of scientific knowledge Language Arts: Writing Standard 4: Gathers and uses information for research purposes Technology Standard 3: Understands the relationships among science, technology, society, and the individual
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Quest Atlantis Unit Plan
Life Sciences
Two Cells One World
2 Week Plan
6th Grade
“Who We Are”
Goals The core goals of this Unit are to have Questers demonstrate understandings of:
appreciate cells as the basic building blocks of all life;
differentiate between plant and animal cells;
describe the differences between an eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell;
ability to prepare a slide and view under a microscope;
understand where plant and animal cells get their energy;
draw an animal cell and label at least 5 parts; and
communicate to others the basic parts of a cell.
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Quest Atlantis Unit Plan
Life Sciences
Two Cells One World
2 Week Plan
6th Grade
“Who We Are”
Activity 1:
What is a cell? Quest
Description: The Council is wondering about things they have heard of called ‘cells’. We know that they are the basis of all living things, but do not know anything about them. We feel that it is important for us to understand these ‘cells’ so that we may understand more about ourselves and the world around us. The Council is eager for you to find out as much as you can about cells. You can learn about cells through books, the Internet, your teacher, or even video. However it is very important that you actually use a microscope to see real cells. Microscopes are totally cool in that they allow you to see things that we cannot see with our naked eye. In this Quest you should use all kinds of resources to prepare information for the Council that details the basic structures and functions of ‘cells.’
Goals: Student goals are to develop an illustrated report. This report should include the following information. • • • • •
State ‘Cell Theory’ and basic definitions and descriptions of types of cells. Sketch of a plant cell including major organelles and structures. Sketch of an animal cell including major organelles and structures. List of major organelles including a sketch, basic function, and an analogy. Digital images of plants and animal cells captured from prepared slides.
Resources: • • •
Animal Cell: http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/A/AnimalCells.html Cells Alive: http://www.cellsalive.com/cells/3dcell.htm Yahooligans: http://www.yahooligans.com/reference/dictionary/illus/cell.html
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Quest Atlantis Unit Plan
Life Sciences
Two Cells One World
2 Week Plan
6th Grade
“Who We Are”
Activity 2:
Two Cells One World Quest
Description: The Council is wondering about things they have heard of called ‘cells’. We know that they are the basis of all living things, but do not know anything about them. We feel that it is important for us to understand these ‘cells’ so that we may understand more about ourselves and the world around us. The Council is eager for you to find out as much as you can about cells. You can learn about cells through books, the Internet, your teacher, or even video. However it is very important that you actually use a microscope to see real cells. Microscopes are totally cool in that they allow you to see things that we cannot see with our naked eye. In this Quest you should use all kinds of resources to prepare information for the Council that details the basic structures and functions of ‘cells.’
Goals: Develop an illustrated report that explains the following things. • • • • •
Venn diagram to compare/contrast the structures of plant and animal cells. Explain in words and a diagram how plant and animal cells store energy. Explain how cells can be different within the same organism (specialization). Prepare slides and capture images of plant and animal cells. Write a short story/poem/comic that explains a day in the life of a typical cell.
Resources: • • •
Comparison of Plant & Animal Cells: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/lmexer1a.htm Animal Cell: http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/A/AnimalCells.html Drawing Cells: http://shs.westport.k12.ct.us/mjvl/biology/microscope/looksee2.htm
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Quest Atlantis Unit Plan
Life Sciences
Two Cells One World
2 Week Plan
6th Grade
“Who We Are”
Activity 3:
A Day in the Life of a Cell Quest
Description:
The Council, and especially Lan, thinks that cells are totally cool. They are the building blocks of life. They exist in all plants and animals. In fact, you are made up of billions of cells that fit together like pieces of a puzzle to create a complete image. However, we want to know more about how cells function. In this Quest we ask you to learn and share with others how cells function. We want you to create something as cool as cells, such as a comic, poem, song, or story that describes a day in the life of a cell. The idea is to research how cells function and then create an account of a particular cell or parts of the cell (organelles). You can, for example, make a comic book that stars Chloroplast and Mitochondria and how they function in their particular cell. Use your imagination and be creative. It should be fun yet educational. Goals: Your goal is to develop a comic book, poem, song, or story that describes a day in the life of particular cell (plant or animal) or the function of specific cell components or organelles. • research about cells and how the different parts of a cell function. • make a comic book, poem, song, or story about the day in the life of a cell or the function of specific cell components or organelles. • upload and submit your work and reflection through the OTAK.
Resources: • • •
Comparison of Plant & Animal Cells: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/lmexer1a.htm Drawing Cells: http://shs.westport.k12.ct.us/mjvl/biology/microscope/looksee2.htm The Virtual Cell: http://personal.tmlp.com/Jimr57/tour/cell/cell.htm
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Quest Atlantis Unit Plan
Life Sciences
Two Cells One World
2 Week Plan
6th Grade
“Who We Are”
Activity 4:
Cell-ebrating the Building Blocks of Life Quest
Description: We know that cells are the building blocks of life. Cells exist in all plants and animals. People are made up of billions of cells that fit together like puzzle pieces to make a complete person. However, many people don’t know what cells are, what they do, and why they are so important in the world. The Council wants you to share what you know about cells. We are excited about sharing this information with our fellow Atlantians. We would like to open a museum that will teach people about cells. Can you help us by supplying us with different types of materials that will help us teach others about cells? You can make a PowerPoint presentation, a brochure, a poster, or even a song that helps others understand cells. We will look at your work to help create an exhibit for a virtual museum. We might even use some of your artifacts directly in the museum.
s Goals: Create an artifact for a museum exhibit about cells. Your artifact must explain some aspect of what you learned about cells. Here are some examples of choices for your artifact: • • • •
3-D model of a cell or organelle PowerPoint presentation, Inspiration web or flowchart Brochure, Poster, Chart Song, Poem, Cartoon, Mosaic
Some examples of topics to explain: basic structure or basic function; specific structure or specific function; Cell types; diversity or specialization
Resources: • •
•
Comparison of Plant & Animal Cells: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/lmexer1a.htm Animal Cell: http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/A/AnimalCells.html Drawing Cells: http://shs.westport.k12.ct.us/mjvl/biology/microscope/looksee2.htm 8
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Quest Atlantis Unit Plan
Life Sciences
Two Cells One World
2 Week Plan
6th Grade
“Who We Are”
Teacher Tips Notes: It is important to make sure you can identify the different features of both plant and animal cells and you might want to prepare some cell diagrams for students to complete. Below are two example-type diagrams, one for a plant cell and one for an animal cell (taken from http://waynesword.palomar.edu/lmexer1a.htm). Also, you might want to prepare some clear slides of different cells before the lesson so students can get an idea of what a prototypical cell through the microscope will look like. Toward this end, digital microscopes can be really useful—especially if you can project it using an overhead projector so you can discuss the parts as a class. A digital microscope can also aid students in preparing the various deliverables throughout the unit. Plant Cell
Animal Cell
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TWO CELLS ONE WORLD UNIT ASSESSMENT (Two Cells One World) Pre-Post Items
Short Answer: 1. What is a cell? Why are they important? 2. What are the differences between an eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell? 3. Respond to the below questions: A) What are the two main types of eukaryotic cells? B) Name one way they differ from each other? C) Name one way they are similar to each other? 4. From where do plant cells get their energy? 5. From where do animal cells get their energy? 6. Draw an animal cell and label at least five of the parts. 7. Describe the basic components of ‘Cell Theory’? 8. Match each major cell component with it’s main function __ Cell Membrane __ Cell Wall __ Chloroplast __ Chromosome __ Cytoplasm __ Nucleus __ Mitochondria __ Vacuoles __ Nuclear membrane __ Ribosomes __ EPR __ Golgi Body __ Lysosome __ Nucleolus
A. outer coating of animal cell B. stiff and rigid boundary of plant cell C. enables plants to store energy D. structures that carry genes E. watery gel inside of cell F. controls cellular activities G. provides energy to animals for cellular functioning H. storage spaces in the cytoplasm I. separates nucleus from cytoplasm J. builds proteins K. transports proteins within cell L. processes and packages proteins M. cellular digestion N. builds ribosomes
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QA Rubric Reviewer: Quester:
__________________________________ __________________________________
Date: Quest:
__________________________________ __________________________________
Purpose: This rubric is to assess both the Quest response and reflection.. Instructions: Respond to each of the following statements with regard to the extent to which the description is present in the work. Then, tally your responses according to the chart at the page bottom. While a Quester is completing her first few Quests, consider using this rubric leniently to foster motivation and buy-in. 1. Response
5 pts.
4 pts.
3 pts.
2 pts.
1 pt.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
a. The response is Accurate. (It addresses the targeted goals of the Quest.) b. The response is Credible. (It uses sound disciplinary content.) c. The response is Meaningful. (It has value for the individual or world.) d. The response is Original. (It is unique, imaginative, and risky, and it shows integrity.) e. The response is Complete. (It addresses all of the stated Outcomes..) If the tally for the response totals less than 19, indicate that the section should be revised; if the tally is 19 or above, then indicate that the work has been accepted. 2. Reflection
5 pts.
4 pts.
3 pts.
2 pts.
1 pt.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
a. The reflection is Complete. (It addresses the three components.1) b. The reflection is Critical. (It addresses specific strengths or weaknesses of the response or the process.) c. The reflection is Comprehensive. (It accounts for all parts of the response rather than isolated elements.) If the tally for the reflection totals less than 10, indicate that the section should be revised; if the tally is 10 or above, then indicate that the work has been accepted.
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