ITB
Jones
Name(s):
Period:
Date:
Cell Analogy Project, Yeah!
Let’s review those oodles of organelles! The goal of this assignment is to help you learn the
structure and function of a cell. You may do this project alone or with one partner. If you are
working with a partner, assign roles to each other. Who will do what?
The main idea of this project:
 Choose an analogy for the animal cell. Think of places you like to go and activities you
like to do when trying to decide on your analogy. You need to be flexible because
sometimes an idea just won’t work. By the way, food items are NOT good ideas. For
example, it would be difficult to convince a reader what part of a pizza would represent
the nucleus. Each organelle needs to be specifically represented in your analogy. Make a
comparison of a cell to a different “system” that has individual components with specific
functions that help the “system” operate as a whole unit, like a factory.
The Model – This is the fun part, so get creative and have fun!
 Ideas for your model could be to make a poster, video, children’s book, or 3-D model. You
need to have all ten organelles labeled ON YOUR MODEL! Look at the examples provided
in class to get your creative juices flowing! 
The paper…yes, the paper:
 You need to include a written paper with your project OR have all the written information
on the project itself. You need to:
1. State the analogy.
2. Describe the function of each organelle; i.e., what does it do in a real cell?
3. Explain why you chose a specific structure in your project to represent the real cell
organelle. In other words explain the analogy.
Example:
1.
2.
3.
Paradise High School is like a cell,….
The nucleus is like the principals office,…
The nucleus houses the DNA that controls all the cell activities,…
Just like the principal controls the school’s activities by approving and overseeing the
daily activities on campus.
DO THIS FOR ALL TEN ORGANELLES THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR THIS PROJECT.
Grading Rubric
Project sections
Description
Points
Possible
Model
Identify Structures
Effort
Neatness
Color/Creativity
On your model write the name of each of the
following organelles in your project that
corresponds to:
 Nucleus
 Nuclear membrane
 Ribosome
 Endoplasmic Reticulum
 Golgi body
 Mitochondria
 Lysosome
 Vacuole
 Cytoplasm
 Cell Membrane
5
5
7
10
Written Work
On your model OR on an attached piece of paper:
 Describe the function of each of the 10
organelles listed above; in other words,
what do they do in a real cell?
 Explain the analogy; in other words, why did
you chose a specific part of your model to
represent that organelle? Your analogies
need to make sense.
 The structures in your model directly relate
to the functions of the ribosome, Golgi
body, and rough ER
Total
Comments:
10
10
3
50
Point
Earned