Richland Science Lesson
Grade: 4th Grade
Experiment: Cell Structure
Question: How are the structures of plant and animal cells alike and
different? What is the purpose of cells?
Standards:
4 LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal
and external structure that function to support survival, growth,
behavior, and reproduction.
Duration: 50 minutes
Lesson Components
Estimated Time
Engage
10 minutes
Explain
10 minutes
Explore
15 minutes
Explore
15 minutes
Brief Description
Discuss what cells are
and play video naming
the parts of a cell.
Go over PowerPoint so
students can label plant
and animal cell
structures.
Students will view celery
under a microscope to
see what parts they can
find
Students will view cheek
cells under a microscope
and see what parts they
can find.
Evaluate
5 minutes
Show last page of
PowerPoint and have
students identify the
plant and animal cell.
Advance Preparation:
Purchase supplies that aren’t in stock.
Prepare materials.
Place batteries in student microscopes.
If possible, go in to each class 1-2 days before lesson and explain how
to focus the microscopes. Bring in 1 penny per each student and have
students look for Lincoln on the back. If not possible, see if teachers
can introduce microscopes to their class.
Celery stalks placed in water with food coloring:
2 days before lesson
1 day before lesson
On day of lesson
Materials Needed:
1 tray per 2 students, place:
1 box of Crayons
Handheld microscope (1 for every 2 students)
2 Pencils
2 Plant & Animal Cell Worksheet
2 Slides
1 cover for cheek swab observation
Flat toothpick
1 thin slice of Celery that’s been in colored water
1 piece of white paper cut in half
For Instructor:
Digital microscope with USB for teacher
Computer or Chromebook to attach digital microscope
Projector to connect to computer
Methylene blue with dropper
Cutting board and knife
Celery (cut into thin strips)- use celery that’s been in the colored
water
Procedure:
What do you know about cells? Look for responses such as: Cells are
the smallest living parts of plants and animals. They are the basic units of
all living things. Cells are made of smaller parts each having a special job.
Too small to be seen with your eye. Cells use materials in food to grow
and repair wounds. Cells work together to form tissue (muscle tissue,
nerve tissue).
Show “The Cell Song” video, so students learn some information about
cells.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=35&v=rABKB5aS2Zg
Today we are going to learn the parts of plant and animal cells
then we will try and find some of these parts using
microscopes.
Please get the worksheet from the tray.
What is the first difference that you notice about these cells?
Which one is the animal cell and which one is the plant cell?
Possible answer: One is rectangular (plant) and one is circular (animal).
Let’s label the cells.
Begin showing power point. Use space bar to add each part of cell.
We are going to label the parts of the plant cell first. Does
anyone know where the Mitochondria is and what it does? Ask
1-2 students then label on cell and say it changes the chemical energy of
food into a form that the cell can use.
Continue to label according to the power point and explain its parts. Always
check to see if students know them first.
*Vacuole – surrounded by a membrane and contains fluid. It
stores water and nutrients. May also help the cell digest food.
a. a cell wall, which lies outside the cell membrane and gives
the cell support.
b. Cell membrane
c. The nucleus directs the cell’s activities. It also stores
information that will be passed on to new cells.
d. Ribosomes- begin the process of making proteins.
e. Plant cells also have chloroplast with chlorophyll, which
helps plants make food when sunlight strikes chlorophyll.
Let’s label that on our plant cell too.
There are two parts that plant cells have that animal cells don’t.
Does anyone know what they are? Cell Walls and Chloroplast. Let’s
draw a rectangle around those.
Next we will label our animal cell diagram. Let’s see if you can find
the following parts based on what you know of the plant cell. Have
students come up and point out the different parts
*Mitochondria-change the chemical energy of food into a form
that the cell can use
Vacuole – surrounded by a membrane and contains fluid. It
stores water and nutrients. May also help the cell digest food.
*Cytoplasm-a fluid that contains the cell’s parts. It is between
the nucleus and the cell membrane.
*Ribosomes- begin the process of making proteins.
* Nucleus directs the cell’s activities. It also stores information
that will be passed on to new cells.
Cell membrane –
Great! Now that you know the different parts of the cells, we are
going to do some observations with our microscopes.
Explore Celery Exploration (20 min)
Show students the celery that has been sitting in colored water. Briefly discuss
what they notice between the celery that has been sitting (2 days vs. 1 day vs.
today).
Plants use a system of tubes to transport material such as water or
minerals. This system is called the vascular system. The XYLEM carries
material from the plant’s roots to its leaves. In this celery you see that
the xylem has carried water and minerals up through the leaf stem.
This system is on the rounded outside of the celery (the spots should
be darkest on the cross section of the celery).
1. Have students place the thin slice of celery on a slide. Place the slide on
white paper.
2. Students will place microscope over celery and focus on the celery. Have
them find the xylem first (the darker colored spots on the outside
rounded part of the celery). Students may be able to see little “bubbles”
around the xylem. These are the cell walls.
3. While students are looking at their celery, use the teacher microscope to
focus in on a cell. Display on computer that is hooked up to the
projector.
4. Have students look at projector to see a better view of the plant cell.
Ask students: Can you identify any parts of the plant cell? Which
ones? Have students color in the parts of the plant cell that they see,
including the cell wall.
Explore: Cheek Swab Exploration (15-20 min)
Now we will see an animal cell and will try to find the parts under a
microscope. Does anyone know where we can get cells from an
animal? Ask a few students and see if they come up with themselves.
Model how to take a cheek swab. Use rounded end of toothpick to lightly scrape
inside of cheek. Gently wipe toothpick on a slide, add a drop of methylene blue
(use a toothpick to drop onto slide) and place a cover on top. Methylene blue
stains objects very easily.
Only one of you needs to provide a cheek swab. Do rock, paper,
scissors, if you cannot come to an agreement. Have an adult come around
with the methylene blue.
1. Once students make the cheek swab on their slide, they should observe
it under their microscope. Students should place white paper under
their slide. They are looking for parts of the animal cell such as the cell
membrane, nucleus, and cytoplasm (fluid that contains the cells parts).
2. Show your cheek swab using the teacher microscope on the projector.
Since magnification is greater on your microscope, students should be
able to see the parts of the cell better.
Tell me what cell parts you see and color the ones that are
visible with your microscope.
*Chances are both microscopes will not be able to show anything besides
the cell membrane.
Evaluate (5 minutes)
We saw 2 different types of cells today, animal and plant. Show last page of
power point. Here are cells from a celery and from a cheek. Who can tell
me which one is the plant cell? How do you know? What parts do
you see? Let’s color the parts we can recognize on our worksheet.
Nucleus, cytoplasm, cell wall/membrane.
Have students clean up by throwing away toothpick and celery and
placing all other items on the tray.
Terminology:
Mitochondria-change the chemical energy of food into a form that the
cell can use
Vacuole – surrounded by a membrane and contains fluid. It stores
water and nutrients. May also help the cell digest food.
Cytoplasm-a fluid that contains the cell’s parts. It is between the
nucleus and the cell membrane.
Ribosomes- begin the process of making proteins.
Nucleus directs the cell’s activities. It also stores information that will
be passed on to new cells.
Cell membrane –separates the interior of all cells from the outside
environment
chloroplast with chlorophyll, which helps plants make food when
sunlight strikes chlorophyll.
cell wall, which lies outside the cell membrane and gives the cell
support, only in a plant cell