Virginia Department of Education
Cell Division
Searching for simple ways to teach mitosis to high schoolers? Using colored chalk and onion root tips, pupils visually demonstrate what they view when looking through the lens of a microscope. There are also various ways to expand the...
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Cell (Biology)
Students conduct a series of activities to explore the nature of cells. In this biology activity, students observe plant and animal cells under the microscope and compare them. They differentiate osmosis and diffusion.
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Plasmolysis in Elodea Plant Cells
Young scholars microscopically observe various subcellular components. They determine the effects of different salt solutions on Elodea plant cells. They detect the presence of chloroplasts, cell walls, and cell membranes of Elodea.
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Cell Types and Parts
Eighth graders, after creating a Venn Diagram comparing/contrasting animal and plant cells, writing ten similes describing cell types, or drawing a colored diagram of a cell, list cell types as well as describe and label cell parts. They...
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The City Inside a Cell
Students compare cell structure to the structure of a city. For this cell structure lesson, students investigate differences and similarities between cell structure and city structure. Students create a 3-dimensional, edible model of a...
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The Way We Were: Embryological Development and Disease
Students use microscopes to study live fish embryos and animated diagrams of cell division on the Internet. They see that scientists rely on technology to enhance the gathering and manipulation of data. They create web pages on cloning.
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Human Epidermal Cells
Students explore epidermal cells. After following specified procedures for removing epidermal cells from their wrist, students view the cells with the use of a microscope. After creating a drawing of their observation, students label the...
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Cell Structure and Function
Students discuss scientific advances brought about by the Mars Surveyor Space Program which impact on daily life, identify laboratory apparatus like microscopes, slides and coverslips, and use the microscopes to view cells and organisms.
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Cells All Around
Students measure the size of an epithelial cell and to estimate the number of epithelial cells in a given area of the body. After watching a video on cells, student groups perform an experiment using a microscope to view some of their...
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Cell Observation Exercise
Students take measurements of the distance between the objective and the slide when in focus with each objective. They determine the diameter of the field of view at each power in order to determine the size of the cells being observed.
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The Gift of Life - Day 2: "Cell & Organelle Time to Tell" and "World in Color" (Chapters 2-4)
Students complete a cell biology lesson and a color lesson based on The Giver. In this biology and reading comprehension lesson set, students examine cells using microscopes. They look at the organelles and listen to How Much is a...
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What's Outside the Cell Membrane ?
Students examine the cell coats (matrix) of chondrocytes and fibroblasts and observe these cells actively exclude particles which are released around them. They observe the function of the cell membrane as a gatekeeper as it prevents...
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Plant and Animal Cells - Are they Different?
Students observe the similarities and differences between plant and animal cells. In this cell activity, students use microscopes to observe self prepared slides of animal and plant cells.
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18th Century Microscope
Students examine a microscope from the 18th century. In this microscope lesson, students investigate how it works, what it was used for and how the tool has evolved through the years. Students also build knowledge on how compound...
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Plant and Animal Cells
Young scholars investigate parts of a cell. In this plant cell lesson, students determine the difference between plant and animal cells. Young scholars discover that coral is an animal based on cell characteristics. Students create...
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Relating Structure to Function in Cells
Twelfth graders investigate specialized structures in both plants and animals. They relate structure to function, as they determine why the specialization is necessary and useful to the living organisms involved. They use microscopes...
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Cell Study
Learners (females) are introduced to the cell. They discuss what a cell is, and students define what a cell is. Learners comprehend that all living things are made up of cells. They comprehend that life is defined as something that...
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Jello Cells
Learners create a three dimensional model of a cell. In this cellular structure lesson, students use gelatin, plastic bags, plastic containers, and fruit to construct a model of a cell. They compare the cells structures and stack them to...
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Stem Cells: 5 Year Progress Report
Young scholars explore different aspects of stem cells. In this human biology lesson, students complete numerous activities including reading an article and discussing it, watching a video on stem cells reproducing over time, and...
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Cell Project
Students investigate cells. They discover what cells are, where they are found, what they do and what they are made of. They construct a giant cell that is posted on the bulletin board.
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Cell Discoveries
Students observe, compare and describe cell organelles in terms of their function, structure and operation. They enter and edit information in a database, build and sort a student-designed database and find records in a database.
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Cells: Nature's Building Blocks
What you will find on this page is the general outline of a unit on the use of a microscope and the structure of the cell. There is no actual educational content here, so you will need to design the details of each of the four student...
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Dissecting Frog Embryos: Cell Membranes and Mitosis
Students use high powered dissection microscopes to dissect and examine frog embryos as well as see balls of cells that were produced by rapid division. The concept of mitosis links to the lesson.
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Lesson 2: the Cell Cycle
Learners explain how cells reproduce. In this biology instructional activity, students explain the different stages of the cell cycle. They calculate the number of new cells produced.