Lesson Plan
Title:
Course:
Grade Level:
Duration:
Comparing Animal and Plant Cells
Biology
9-12th grade
60 minutes
Lesson Overview and Rationale:
Students will be introduced to the components of the plant and animal cell and
make a diagram to discuss the different structure within a cell, describe the function
of the cells’ main parts, and compare and contrast the difference between the two
cell types. In this lesson, students will be working collaboratively with technology
and their NovoPRO to dig deeper into the cell parts and functions and present their
findings to the class.
Essential Questions and Focus Points:
 How do cell organelles function within a given cell?
 What distinguishes a plant cell from an animal cell?
Student Objectives
Students will know…
 The function of each organelle
 The structures within each cell type
 The primary differences between a plant and animal cell
Students will understand…
 How organelles function together within a particular cell
 That plant and animal cells have different organelle components
 That plant cells have extra components of a cell wall, chloroplasts, and
vacuoles
Students will be able to do…
 Discuss cell and organelle function within small groups
 Make a diagram detailing the function of the organelle
 Decipher if the organelle is located within a plant cell, animal cell, or both
Student Assessment and Evaluation
Students will collaborate with others to explain organelle function and decipher if
their organelle is present within a plant cell, animal cell, or both cells. Students will
be creating a diagram of a cell with a detailed image of their organelle, describe the
function of their organelle, and come up with an analogy to compare their organelle
to a modern day noun. At the end of the class period, students will be able to
present their findings to the class and then test their knowledge of cell parts and
functions as an exit ticket based only on images.
Agenda
Introductory activity – 10 minutes
 Divide students into 12 groups and as a bell ringer, have students on a sheet
of paper list the physical properties of a cork. Have corks to pass around so
students can physically inspect them. Once students come up with their list
have them share their physical properties to the class. Then ask them, “What
would you see if you looked under a microscope?” Project a picture of a cork
cell and have students describe what they see. Distinguish that this is a cell
for a non-living organism and that the structure of these cells will look very
different than cells within a living organism.
30 minutes:
 Have students choose an organelle from a hat (or assign students an
organelle) and tell them that as a group they must:
o Create a visual diagram of their organelle on one student’s device
o Write down a list of at least 3 functions of the organelle on a different
student’s device
o Differentiate if the organelle is present in a plant cell, animal cell, or
both
o Create an analogy for the cell organelle. For example: the “mighty”
mitochondria is like the powerhouse for the cell creating energy for
the cell.
 Students must create this digitally; it can be within any program that they
choose (OneNote, Microsoft Word, a Google doc, etc.) Annotating and
highlighting could be reiterated using NovoScreennote.
 If there are screens in which students can hook up to the NovoPRO, each
students should broadcast their screen so that all four components show on
the screen at once for teacher review
10 minutes:
 Students will present their findings with the class and project their diagram
as their group explains the organelle’s function. The three components of the
presentation (visual, 3 functions, and organelle analogy) can be projected
with the NovoPRO at the same time. The fourth quadrant could be an image
of plant an animal cell just for further reference while students are
presenting.
10 minutes:
 As an exit ticket, have students on a sheet of paper divided into 12 boxes and
the teacher will select four groups to project their organelle picture ONLY at
a time. In each box students need to list the organelle, list at least one
function, or list the organelle’ s analogy. This might be a challenge but also a
quick formative assessment.
 Have students turn these in before they leave to assess for understanding, reteaching, and/or review
Materials Needed
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Student devices
NovoPRO
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Internet or textbook access
A gram used to create drawings
Cork(s)
Exit ticket slips
Additional Resources
 http://www.diffen.com/difference/Animal_Cell_vs_Plant_Cell
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zafJKbMPA8