Cell City
This activity explores the structures of plant and animal cells via a dramatic skit, a matching activity, and creating a 3D model.
What You Need
Activity 1: Organelle Role Play
- 9 individual scripts
- 9 volunteers
- Optional: Props (movie tickets, popcorn, snacks)
Activity 2: Matching Mania!
- 5 sets of Organelle Name cards (14)
- 5 sets of Organelle Function cards (14)
- Plant Cell Diagram (1 labelled, 1 unlabelled)
- Animal Cell Diagram (1 labelled, 1 unlabelled)
- Smartboard/Chalkboard to review answers
Activity 3: Creating a Cell Model
- 1 Ziploc Bag per group (animal & plant cell)
- 5 reusable plastic square containers (1 per plant cell group only)
- 1-3 cups of a liquid of their choice (vegetable oil, liquid hand soap, detergent) - Liquid hand soap or detergent can be diluted with water.
- 6 pairs of scissors (one per group)
- 4 rolls of tape - to be shared
- 3 elastic bands per group
- 5 pompoms per group
- 3 pipe cleaners per group
- 2 balloons per group
- ~30cm string of yarn per group
- 5 Wooden beads per group
- Quarter-sized ball of clay/play-dough per group
- A piece of aluminum foil per group
- 3 marbles per group
- 10 shell pasta per group
- 10-20 rotini pasta per group
- Paper towel for cleanup
Safety Notes
Ensure you are familiar with Let's Talk Science's precautions with respect to safe virtual outreach to youth.
What To Do
Activity 1: Organelle Role Play
To begin today, we are going to run through a quick dramatic skit to introduce ourselves to the function of cell organelles. To set the scene of the play. I will give you a brief overview of the plot: A group of friends walk into the Cytoplasm shopping centre on a Friday night. They hangout and discuss their plants to see a movie
Activity 2: Matching Mania
Divide the students into groups of 4-6 so you have 5 groups in total and hand out the organelle name and function cards. In the bag, there are 14 organelle or cell structure names and 14 function cards. Let’s see who can match up all of these the fastest! Once we have these all matched up, we will go over which organelle belong in an animal cell and which belong in a plant cell.
Once students have matched up each organelle to the function, review their answers together and ask them if the organelle exists in plant cells, animals cells or both.
Activity 3: Creating a Cell Model
In the same groups, use the materials provided to create either a plant or animal cell.
Requirements for the cell models:
Building a Cell Model: Plant
| Cell wall | Cell membrane | Cytoplasm |
| Nucleus | Smooth ER | Rough ER |
| Ribosomes | Mitochondria | Chloroplast |
| Golgi Apparatus | Vacuole |
Building a Cell Model: Animal
| Cell membrane | Cytoplasm | Nucleus |
| Smooth ER | Rough ER | Ribosomes |
| Mitochondria | Centrioles | Lysosomes |
| Golgi Apparatus | Vacuoles |
Students should use the materials in the bags to create each of the organelles above. If they are stuck, you can give them some hints/ideas.
Some possible uses of the materials include (but are not limited to):
- Balloons – vacuole(s), nucleus
- Pipe cleaners – ER, mitochondria, Golgi Apparatus, ribosomes (if cut up)
- Marbles – nucleus, lysosomes, ribosomes
- Pom-poms – lysosomes
- Wooden beads – ribosomes, lysosomes, nucleus
- Clay/plasticine – chloroplast, golgi Apparatus, etc.
- Foil – can be molded into various shapes or tubes
- Yarn – ER, mitochondria
- Shell pasta – Centrioles, ribosomes
- Curly pasta – Mitochondria (many)
Discovery
If students are interested in exploring cells further, there are lots of different careers that you can discuss that may interest them.
- lab technician - assist in lab duties studying genes, chromosomes and cells
- cellular biologist, microbiologist - research single & multi-cellular level processes
- pharmacologist - develop and test drugs to treat, cure and prevent disease
- botanist - research plant cells & genetics
- bioengineer - scientists who use biology to generate useful products
Investigate Further
If students are interested in exploring cells further, there are lots of different careers that you can discuss that may interest them.
- lab technician - assist in lab duties studying genes, chromosomes and cells
- cellular biologist, microbiologist - research single & multi-cellular level processes
- pharmacologist - develop and test drugs to treat, cure and prevent disease
- botanist - research plant cells & genetics
- bioengineer - scientists who use biology to generate useful products