Students participate in a 'hands-on' activity that simulates the changing relationship of Surface Areas -to- Volume for a growing cell. They assemble models of cells for comparison.

Eighth graders construct edible models of a plant cell and an animal cell and state the functions of the organelles. They are to write a short sentence describing the function of each organelle.

Students explain how the components of a cell operate as a system. Students examine a bicycle and find out if parts were arranged differently, could the system still be carried out. They look at cells as well and see what function they...

Students review the components of a cell and the differences between plant and animal cells by creating a three-dimensional model of each type of cell. In small groups, they use modeling clay and household object to construct their models.

Seventh graders explore the function of a cell and cell division.  In this investigative lesson students construct a 3-D model of a DNA molecule.

Students explore biology by researching living cells. In this living organism lesson, students participate in a role-playing activity in which all the students in class form one plant cell by portraying specific parts of a cell. Students...

In this worksheet, students will use an analogy to review the various parts of a cell.

Active and passive systems used to transport materials to and from cells are the subject of a comprehension worksheet that asks readers to use information from the article to answer a series of questions based on the text.

Build a connection between algebraic sequences and spreadsheets. Learners examine a specific folding pattern and convert the pattern into a spreadsheet. The goal of the spreadsheet is to produce a sequence of a specific pattern modeled...

Students differentiate between a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell and give examples of both types. They differentiate between a plant and animal cell. Students will be able to name features common to both as well as unique features of each.

Students view a video of various cells and organelles. They create a 3-dimensional representation of a cell (complete with organelles) out of everyday objects that function in the same way as the various parts of the cell.

Don't lose your marbles — you'll need them for a lesson on neurotransmission. Young scholars build a neurotransmission model using marbles, beads, rubber bands, string, and other elements. After studying specific neurotransmitters,...

Before a cell replicates, its DNA must replicate. Take advantage of a hands-on guided lesson to teach budding scientists how this happens. Using a set of nucleotide cards, learners become the DNA and work to create matching strands...

How do changes in DNA affect an organism? Scholars explore chromosomes, genes, DNA, and mutations by modeling the DNA of a strawberry. They build a DNA model, then manipulate it to show how changing the genes transforms the strawberry...

A pinch of adenine, a dash of thymine and ta-da, you have life! Well, it's not quite that simple, but through this series of activities and experiments young scientists learn about the structure of DNA and how it contains the recipe...

Have you ever wanted to download a great lesson, but you weren't sure if you had enough time? Scholars learn to create a function for this situation to determine when a file will finish downloading. They also learn the difference between...

Remind your middle school scientists how fox ear size varies depending on the climate they live in; large ears allow heat loss while small ears keep heat in. Discuss how a cold-blooded animal might try to regulate body temperature. Then...

Inquiry-based learning and investigations form the basis of a deep understanding of quadratic functions in a very thorough unit plan.  Learners develop recursive and closed methods for representing real-life situations,...

Students draw a diagram to show the fluid mosaic model of a membrane. They explain how hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties help membranes hold their shape. They identify the functions of different cell membrane proteins as well.

Students describe the parts of a cell phone and role-play a phone call to a customer service representative. They compare/contrast the price of owning and using a cell phone in the U.S. and Venezuela.

I can move about freely, but you cannot. The class models the movement through cell membranes by way of passive and active transport. Members of the class play the roles of various proteins, atoms, compounds, and cell actions and mimic...

A chicken egg is a very large cell—perfect for investigating osmosis! Scholars conduct an experiment with vinegar and eggs that helps them understand the process of osmosis. They follow the activity with an in-depth look at osmosis...

An mRNA sequences make proteins, the most common molecules in cells. Young scientists observe translation of mRNA on ribosomes. They view them forming amino acids. Finally, the amino acids curl into proteins.

Attack the pathogen from within. Learners delve deeper into the immune system and find out about the adaptive immune system such as T and B cells. Groups create graphical models of the adaptive immune system along with a multimedia...