1. Cells… why should I care?
Building blocks of the plant
Perform micro functions that leads to the plants livelihood
Without plants cells… we would starve and have no clothes or shelter!

2. What is a cell?
Plant cells are a nucleus and a mass of protoplasm (also known as cytoplasm) contained within a plasma membrane.
Cells are the basic unit of growth.

3. What do cells do? A group of cells together make up a tissue.
A group of tissues make up an organ.
A group of organs make up an organism.

4. What are the components of a plant cell?
Nucleus
Protoplasm (Cytoplasm)
Plasma membrane
Cell Wall
Chloroplasts
Vacuole
Plastids
Mitochondrion
Endoplsmic Reticulum
Golgi apparatus

5. What are these components called?
Cell Organelles

6. What is the function of the cell wall?
Rigid
Provides support for the cell and thus the whole plant
Provides the cell’s shape

7. What is the function of the plasma membrane?
Surrounds the protoplasm
Allows the exchange of nutrients and gases into and out of the cell
Semi-permeable

8. What is the function of the nucleus?
Brain of the cell
Directs all of the plant’s life functions
Location of the plant’s genetic and hereditary make up

9. What is the function of the protoplasm?
This is the living matter of the cell
This is what everything in the cell floats in and maneuvers

10. What is the function of the chloroplasts?
Provides green color
Harnesses light energy, uses water and carbon dioxide to produce glucose and oxygen… AKA photosynthesis

11. What is a vacuole? A vacuole is a storage tank
This stores waste and water

12. What is a plastid? Small particle in the protoplasm
Is a starch or oil or protein
Gives the plant pigment
Multiple types of plastids, Chloroplasts are one of them.
Chromoplast provides red, orange and yellow colors

13. What is the mitochondrion?
Converts glucose into usable energy for the plant to perform its many life functions
powers the cell's metabolic activities
“power generators of the cell” – creates ATP

14. What is the Endoplasmic Reticulum?
flattened sacs or tubes encased in membranes
transportation system of proteins and stores proteins
Rough ER is studded with ribosomes, the site of protein synthesis
 Smooth ER doesn't have ribosomes and is very important to the process of metabolism

15. What is the Golgi apparatus?
gathers simple molecules and combines them to make molecules that are more complex
Packages these bigger molecules and either stores them or sends them out of the cell
Creates complex sugars and sends the off
Vesicles are used by the ER to send molecules to the Golgi and then used to send them out of the cell

16. Is a plant cell that simple?
There are many other organelles that help to make the whole cell work together and thus allow the plant to perform its life functions.

17. Make a list of all the organelles of a plant cell
Make a list of all the organelles of a plant cell. From these make an analogy of all the organelles. The organelles need to be part of an entire system. Example. Cell vs. School Building Cell Wall = brick outer wall Plasma Membrane = windows Choose something that you think a plant can relate to in its make up. For example, the body, a plane, a car, a bus, type of building

18. Homework
Write a tour of a plant cell. You need to write the cell tour as though you are a tour guide. For example, “As you will see, we are now pulling up to our destination the plant cell. We will first break through this rigid outer structure. Here are the doors. This is what is known as the cell wall. It provides the nice structure and holds everything in the cell.” You should tour all the organelles we have discussed and walk out the other side of the cell, through the plasma membrane and finally the cell wall.
Include the 8 parts we listed + 2 tissues of your choice.