Cell Biology Unit Part 1: Intro to Cells, Structure Function, Cell Theory, more

This unit includes 9 Lessons (50 minutes each) and 20 page printable work bundle. The Work Bundle has students fill-in critical notes (red slides), conduct exciting hands-on activities, answer questions, interpret graphs, includes games, built-in quizzes, and much more. The work bundles chronologically follow the detailed and interactive set of slideshows. A Quiz Game concludes for a great review and additional assessment. Answer Keys, video links, digital version of the work bundle, crosswords, built-in quizzes, and much more are provided. Everything you need to run a fantastic learning experience is provided. Everything arrives in editable format if you want add in your own slides and activities, and the slideshows and work bundles can easily be converted into Google Slides / docs for friendly Google Classroom learning. Please see the specifics about each part of this one of a kind learning experience.

Areas of Focus: What is Life, Sewer Lice / Raisins in Ginger Ale Activity, What is an Organism, Introduction to CHNOPS/SPONCH biologically Important Atoms/Molecules, % of CHNOPS graph in Animals, Characteristics of Living Things, Spontaneous Origin, Case Study of Francesco Redi Experiment, Case Study of Pasteur’s Swan Necked Flask Experiment, Needs of Living Things, Cheek and Onion Cells Under the Microscope Activity, Differences between Plants and Animal Cells, Plant and Animal Cell Venn Diagram, Visual Tour of Types of Cells, Introduction to Forms Follows Function Concept, Forms Follows Function Object Activity, Multicellular vs. Unicellular, Kingdoms of Life Step by Step Diagram, Adding of Bacteria to Venn Diagram, Eukaryotic Cells vs. Prokaryotic Cells, Energy Flow of Life through Cells, Chemosynthesis, Deep Ocean Life at Hydrothermal Vents, Archaea, Domains and Kingdoms Diagram, Autotrophic vs. Heterotrophic, Levels of Biological Organization, Introduction to the Cell Theory, Microscope Creation by Hans and Zacharias Janssen, Robert Hooke, Anton van Leeuwenhoek, Schleiden and Schwann, Rudolf Virchow, Robert Remak, The Modern Cell Theory, Three Big Principles of the Cell Theory, Introduction to the Cellular Organelle Poster Project, Cell City Project, Students design a cell modeled after the Jobs and Functions of a City, Box Games, Crossword Puzzle, End Unit Assessment

An Extremely Brief Description of the Unit

Lesson 1 "Sewer Lice" This slideshow starts off with a great hook, I place raisins in a clear container containing ginger ale and some food coloring. Students should stay in their seats as not to get too close exposing the con. The raisins catch air bubbles in their wrinkles and float to the top, drop bubbles and then sink to the bottom. It looks like the raisins are alive and moving all around. I call the raisins sewer lice and most students believe they are living. Some neat descriptions of a raisin that makes it sound like a sewer louse complete the trick. The pictures are great that follow and the trick is exposed. A neat video in HD brings up some more questions as to what truly makes something living.

Lesson 2 "Characteristics of Life" This lesson examines the characteristics of living things, and needs of livings things in a step by step process with many visuals. A short series of questions has the students find the bogus characteristic of life from a list. This is a nice little assessment to see if the students were paying attention. A hidden box game concludes the PowerPoint that has the students guess a picture beneath some shapes. Each slide reveals a bit of the hidden picture (sewer lice / raisins)

Lesson 3 "Cells" The cheek and onion cell lab is then presented and how to create a wet mount slide. I like starting this unit looking at cells under the microscope without a strong understanding of cells yet. The students are really curious and it is a nice hook for the rest of the unit. A series of challenge slides ask the students to describe the differences between a plant and animal cell. Various types of cells are then shown and tissues. Students use the lesson to fill-in a Venn Diagram with Plant and Animal Cells.

Lesson 4 "Form Follows Function" Many various types of cells are shown. I like the student to try and guess before the type of cells is revealed. The concept of Form Follows Function is then described. This concept appears many times throughout the unit. Students are instructed to repeat the expression when it appears in the slideshow. An activity has the students find a tool / classroom object that shows how form follows function. The Kingdoms and Domains of Life are th