1. Cells

2. Who lives here? What jobs do they have? How do they contribute to Houston’s success?

3. The cell is like a town – each part (citizens, government, workers) must do their part in order for the town to function. The cell is the same way, all parts must function properly to ensure the survival of the entire cell.

4. What is this? What does it do?

5. Nucleus Just as the brain is the control center of your body, the nucleus is the control center of the cell. The nucleus contains chromosomes (genetic material)

6. What is the job of the fence?

7. Cell Membrane –The cell membrane controls what enters/leaves the cell –selectively permeable membrane –maintains homeostasis (stability)

8. What is the job of the jello?

9. Cytoplasm Just like the Jell-o holds the fruit together in the bowl, the cytoplasm is a jellylike material that fills the cell and acts like the glue that holds all other organelles in place.

10. Why do you drink these?

11. Mitochondria Just like Red Bull and Monster give you energy, the mitochondria provide the cell with energy. Think of it like this: “mighty”-chondria; mighty = strong, you need energy to get strong. How does it do this? It transforms the stored energy in food (glucose) into energy for the cell (ATP).

12. What is in these balloons?

13. Vacuole -Just like the balloons are holding water, the vacuole stores materials such as water or nutrients and helps maintain the cells shape. -Serves as temporary storage of materials like water and carbohydrates. *****The plant has a large central vacuole, the animal cell only has tiny vacuoles.****

14. What is the highway (or any road) used for in a town?

15. Endoplasmic Reticulum A.k.a. “ER” Connected to nuclear membrane Transports materials throughout the cell Rough ER: studded with ribosomes; it makes proteins Smooth ER: no ribosomes; it makes lipids

16. What type of food is packaged here (that we break down into amino acids

17. Ribosome Site of protein synthesis (AKA they make proteins) Found attached to rough ER or floating free in cytoplasm Produced in a part of the nucleus called the nucleolus

18. Golgi Apparatus Looks like a stack of plates Stores, modifies and packages proteins Molecules transported to and from the Golgi by means of vesicles

19. What do both of these do?

20. Lysosomes Garbage disposal of the cell Contain digestive enzymes that break down wastes

21. What is the function of the walls in this house?

22. Cell Wall The walls of a building give it structure and protection from the outside elements. The cell wall is located just ouside the cell membrane and protects the plant cell, giving it a rigid structure. (It is the thick green line going all the way around the cell).

23. What is this guy doing?

24. Chloroplast The fast food worker is making your food, unlike humans, plants can make their own. The chloroplast is the site of photosynthesis, it is where plants produce their own food. ****Plants have this, animals do not.****