Cells, Part 2: Cell Organelle Skits
You will be working as a member of a small group (3 or 4
people). The task of your group is to create a 30-second to 2minute skit that will attempt to display the function of a
particular cell organelle. The identity of your group’s organelle
is a secret. It is up to the rest of the class to try to determine
which organelle you are portraying in your skit. You will be
given some class time to work on this skit.
The requirements for the skit are as follows:
• All members of the group must participate in the skit in
some way.
• The identity of the organelle you will portray must not be
revealed to anyone outside your group.
• There is NO talking allowed during the skit. Your actions
and props will do the talking for you.
• The skit must be at least 30 seconds in length.
• You are portraying the function of the organelle; therefore
you must display actions relevant to your organelle, and you
must be scientifically accurate.
Due date: All skits will be performed in science class on:
Cells, Part 2: Cell Organelle Skits
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Cells, Part 2: Cell Organelle Skits
Suggested Grade Span
6–8
Task
You will be working as a member of a small group (3 or 4 people). The task of your group is to
create a 30-second to 2-minute skit that will attempt to display the function of a particular cell
organelle. The identity of your group’s organelle is a secret. It is up to the rest of the class to try
to determine which organelle you are portraying in your skit. You will be given some class time
to work on this skit.
The requirements for the skit are as follows:
• All members of the group must participate in the skit in some way.
• The identity of the organelle you will portray must not be revealed to anyone outside your
group.
• There is NO talking allowed during the skit. Your actions and props will do the talking for
you.
• The skit must be at least 30 seconds in length.
• You are portraying the function of the organelle; therefore you must display actions
relevant to your organelle, and you must be scientifically accurate.
Due date: All skits will be performed in science class on:
Big Ideas and Unifying Concepts
Form and function
Models
Order and organization
Systems
Life Science Concept
Structure and function
Time Required for the Task
This unit of study takes about two to three weeks. Teams were given one week to plan, gather
materials and create their skits at home. They were also given about 30 minutes of class time
for team planning and drawing their organelles. Skits were performed during one class session.
Cells, Part 2: Cell Organelle Skits
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Context
The edible cell model and cell organelle skits are culminating activities for a two to three week
unit of study on cells for my seventh and eighth graders. (We have a two-year science
curriculum, so both grade levels are taught the same topics by the same grade seven and eight
teaching teams each year.) Prior to these activities, students have been introduced to related
science vocabulary, learned about the organelles, and looked at cells, such as cheek cells,
under the microscope. They have also had experience self-assessing and peer assessing other
projects in science. (See also "Cells, Part 1")
What the Task Accomplishes
This assessment task provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate not only factual
knowledge about cells but conceptual understanding of how cell parts function as part of the
larger system. For peer assessors, it also serves as a review each time they give feedback to
the presenters.
How the Student Will Investigate
Teams of students pick the names of organelles out of a hat and are held to secrecy as they
prepare their skits. Not all of the organelles get picked, so peer assessors are not able to
identity organelles simply by process of elimination. Students are given the evaluation rubric,
some materials to prepare a visual of the organelle, and one class period to work together to
plan. Peer assessment is an important aspect of this cooperative project. Students are
expected to keep their class notes out and refer to them as skits are acted out, since the
audience needs to be able to be absolutely clear about which organelle is being portrayed.
These are the guidelines for the skit assessment:
The total points possible for each member of the group: 30
The grade for each skit is determined in two parts:
• 25% of your grade will be based on the percentage of your audience that correctly
identifies the cell organelle you are trying to portray.
• 75% of your grade will be based on the teacher evaluation, using the cell skit rubric
provided.
Interdisciplinary Links and Extensions
Science
Related Research: Gene mutation in a cell can result in uncontrolled cell division, called cancer.
Exposure of cells to certain chemicals and radiation increases mutations and thus increases the
chance of cancer.
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Teaching Tips and Guiding Questions
Cell organelle skits are assigned at the same time as the edible cell models. For the skits, the
students pick an organelle out of a hat. The number of organelles you put in the hat can be
more than the number of groups you have. Not all organelles are covered in this activity, unless
you have a large class with at least seven or eight groups. The organelle that each group
chooses is recorded by the teacher and kept a secret. I let students choose their own group for
this activity, since it involves being silly, taking risks, and working together outside of school.
I gave students about 15 minutes of class time to brainstorm and practice their skits. Their
props were to be made on their own time. I talked with all groups to make sure they were on the
right track. I offered suggestions for those groups that were having a hard time getting started.
The day of the presentations students evaluated cell models first, then sat down with their plate
of food to observe and vote on the skits. Every student was given a student evaluation sheet,
while I collected a rubric from each group in order to do my evaluation. Students were allowed
to have their notes on cell organelles and functions in front of them as they voted.
I collected all of the student evaluation sheets after the skits were completed.
Concepts to be Assessed
(Unifying concepts/big ideas and science concepts to be assessed using the Science
Exemplars Rubric under the criterion: Science Concepts and Related Content)
Life Science – Structure and Function: Students identify characteristics of cells and their
functions. Students use the terms organelle, cell membrane, nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum,
ribosome, mitochondria, lysosome, vacuole, and golgi apparatus appropriately and describe
their functions.
Scientific Method: Students see that how a model works after changes are made to it may
suggest how the real thing would work if the same thing were done to it and that choosing a
useful model (not too simple, not too complex) to explore concepts encourages insightful and
creative thinking in science, mathematics and engineering (models).
Skills to be Developed
(Science process skills to be assessed using the Science Exemplars Rubric under the criteria:
Scientific Procedures and Reasoning Strategies, and Scientific Communication Using Data)
Scientific Method: Predicting/hypothesizing, inferring, analyzing, interpreting, synthesizing,
summarizing, drawing conclusions, communicating findings, challenging misconceptions and
raising new questions.
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Other Science Standards and Concepts Addressed
Scientific Theory: Students look for evidence that explains why things happen and modify
explanations when new observations are made.
Life Science – Structure and Function: Students can explain that important levels of
organization for structure and function include cells, organs, tissues, organ systems, organisms
and ecosystems; that all organisms are composed of cells; that most organisms are singlecelled, while others, including humans, are multi-cellular; that cells carry on functions needed to
sustain life; that cells grow, divide, take in nutrients, provide energy and remove wastes; and
that specialized cells perform specialized functions in multi-cellular organisms.
Life Science – Reproduction and Heredity: Students can explain that hereditary information is
contained in genes, located in the chromosomes of each cell.
Science in Personal and Societal Perspectives: Students understand that personal health
can be affected by cell growth, division and mutation.
Suggested Materials
Students are responsible for their own props. I provide poster paper, colored paper, markers,
glue, etc., for visuals of the organelles. Refer to the Student Evaluation Sheet on page 9 and
the Sign-Up Sheet on page 10.
Possible Solutions
A task-specific rubric has been developed for this assessment and is included on page 6.
Students use the rubric as a guide during the development of the project and as a selfevaluation when completed. A peer assessment form is also used for presentations.
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Task-Specific Assessment Notes
General Notes
Below are some general descriptions of how skits might be scored.
Novice
Organelle: Nucleus – Controls cell activities.
One student was the organelle; s/he sat in a chair. The student was pointing to things on the
floor. As s/he pointed, the other two students went around and picked things up. Several
students in the audience thought the students were acting out the role of vacuoles (storage
centers) or lysosomes (clean up crew).
Apprentice
No sample provided.
Practitioner
Organelle: Nucleus – Controls cell activities.
One student was the organelle. The student stood and wore a crown. A second student was
wearing a mustache. A third student went to the nucleus, and the nucleus pointed to the student
in the mustache. The third student then took out a paper gun and pretended to shoot the
mustached student, supposedly on orders from the nucleus. (The student with the mustache
was supposed to be a virus.) Many of the students in the class voted that these students were
portraying the cell membrane, where only certain substances are let into the cell and others are
kept out.
Expert
(Sample #1)
Organelle: Mitochondria – The powerhouse of the cell, site of respiration.
Two students acted as the organelle; one student was glucose being converted to energy. The
one student walked into the room very slowly, looking listless, carrying a bag that said “Sugar.”
S/he then walked in between the two other students and stood there. The two students took the
sugar, placed it on the floor and pulled out three power bars from the bag of sugar. They
handed out the power bars so that they each had one in their hand. They then lifted the once
listless student into the air and flipped him/her around. They all then stood together and made
“the muscle” pose with their arms, holding their power bars. Every one of the audience
members voted that they were mitochondria.
(Sample #2)
Organelle: Ribosomes – Site of protein synthesis in the cell.
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Three students sat on a long piece of butcher-block paper that had folds in it. They colored in
red dots on the paper (to simulate rough endoplasmic reticulum). They each had a red dot of
colored paper on their heads. They each had a pot and a wooden spoon. They stirred the pot
for a few seconds and then threw out a rubber chicken from the pot. (Chicken is mainly protein.)
They were “making” proteins! Again, all peer votes were correct.
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