Cells

Activities

Make a cell model called “The Incredible Edible Cell” (word doc) and check out this website for more specific instructions. You may have students design their own edible cells making cookies, cakes, etc.
Have students do this “Cell City Analogy” worksheet.
Try this “Cells” Crossword Puzzle.
“Cells” Wordsearch and solution.
Have students play “Cell Jeopardy.”
Do this “THE SURFACE AREA TO VOLUME RATIO OF A CELL” activity.
Play this Quia “Rags to Riches” game about procaryotic and eucaryotic cells.
Use http://www.cellsalive.com/ to complete this “Cells Alive–Internet Lesson.” and then take this “Cell Quiz.”
Have students make a “Cell Analogies Collage” (word doc).
Kim Rebello provided this “Cells Library Quest” (word doc). It uses the “Cells Alive” page, http://www.cellsalive.com/cells/cell_model.htm, to investigate plant and animal cells.
Jennifer Sosnowski of the NSTA Listserve provided “Cell Mart: Cell-to-Cell Sales” (word doc), a clever activity to get students to research specific cell parts.
Try this “Jello Cells” activity.
Have students try “The Great Cell Webquest.”
During March Madness have student’s do Flinn Scientific’s “Sweet 16 Cell Biology” (pdf) activity.

These are photographs of cells for showing students what they should be looking for under a microscope.
A “Microscope Lab” on the proper use of the microscope and how to prepare a slide or try “Learning to Use the Microscope.”
Osmosis in Potatoes (word doc) Lab
Compare human cheek cells and onion cells in “Comparing Plant and Animal Cells” (word doc) Lab. If Elodea (also called Anacharis) is available at a pet store near you, you may add this to the lab to observe chloroplasts.
See how boiling affects the absorption of Methylene blue by yeast cells in the “Cell Membranes” (word doc) Lab.
Use a cheap plastic baggie and iodine to show diffusion.
Observe osmosis using an egg.
Do this “Speed of Diffusion” (word doc) demo using perfume and a 60-watt light bulb.
A fun middle school lab is “Diffusion of Water with Gummy Bears.”
Bill Froberg of Westford, MA modified the above lab. His version is “Investigation: Osmosis with Gummi Bears” (word doc). He also suggested that you try the experiment first since some brands of bears dissolve instead of swell.
Do this simple “Diffusion Lab” that uses a cornstarch solution, iodine, and plastic sandwich bags.
Birgit Musheno from the NSTA Listserve contributed the “What Is the Ideal Cell Size” (word doc) lab that uses potatoes.