1. Activity 4
What Do Cells Do?

2. Look at your drawing of a cell from the previous activity.
What structures must all cells have in order to function and grow?
What are some differences between plant and animal cells?
Compile a list of student responses on the board or overhead. Students are likely to say cell membrane, cytoplasm, and genetic material (DNA).
Students are likely to say that plant cells have a cell wall and chloroplasts. Use the cell wall to emphasize the relationship between structure and function. For more information see your Teacher’s Edition for this activity.

3. Read the introduction.
Membrane-bound structures inside some cells are called organelles.

4. What are the functions of the structures in cells?
Challenge
What are the functions of the structures in cells?

5. Part A: Computer Simulation
Follow the directions on Student Sheet 4.1, “Structure and Function of Cells,” to complete the simulation.
The simulation can be found on the Science and Global Issues page of the SEPUP website at sepuplhs.org/sgi.

6. Use information from the reading about bacterial cells to change or add to your Venn diagram from Part A.

7. Analysis 2
A. Describe the structures an animal cell must have for it to produce a protein.
B. Explain how these structures work together to produce a protein.
Analysis Question 2 can be scored using the Understanding Concepts (UC) Scoring Guide. A sample student response can be found in your Teacher’s Edition for this activity.

8. What functions do all cells – plant, animal, and bacterial cells – need to perform in order to survive?
What structures do all cells have in common in order to perform these functions?
All cells must be able to obtain energy, produce proteins, and store, digest, and excrete materials.
All cells have a cell membrane, cytoplasm, cytoskeleton, ribosomes, and a specialized area for converting energy to a usable form. For more information see your Teacher’s Edition for this activity.

9. What are the functions of the structures in cells?
Revisit the Challenge
What are the functions of the structures in cells?
Tell students to add more details or change their drawings of a typical cell from Activity 3. Their drawings should include: cell membrane, cell wall (plant/bacteria), chlorophyll (plant), chloroplast (plant), cilia, cytoplasm, cytoskeleton, endoplasmic reticulum, flagellum, Golgi apparatus, lysosome, mitochondria, ribosome, vacuole, vesicle. For more information see your Teacher’s Edition for this activity.

10. endoplasmic reticulum (ER) ribosome vacuole eukaryotic cell vesicle
Key Vocabulary
bacteria
flagellum, flagella
cell membrane
Golgi apparatus
cell wall
lysosome
cilium, cilia
nucleus
cytoplasm
organelle
cytoskeleton
prokaryotic cell
endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
ribosome
vacuole
eukaryotic cell
vesicle
See Teacher Resources III: Literacy for more information on key vocabulary and the most effective strategies to enhance student vocabulary learning.
Note that bold words are formally defined in this activity. Words in regular font are used in the activity, but not formally defined. The definition of a key vocabulary word should not be discussed as a class prior to the formal definition being introduced.