This document provides a unit plan on cell structure and function for a 10th grade biology class. The unit will last 21 days and cover key concepts about cellular structures and their roles in essential life processes. Students will learn about organelles, membrane transport mechanisms, energy production through respiration and photosynthesis, protein synthesis, and differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Assessment will include a summative test and a lab observing cells under a microscope. The overall goal is for students to understand how cells carry out functions necessary for living organisms.

1. Unit plan on cells by Michael Robbins: for 10th grade Biology class with Mrs. Jacqui Wagner.
1) Eligible Content: Copied from Keystone Exams: Biology, Assessment anchors and eligible
content Pennsylvania Department of Education (2010)
1. Compare cellular structures and their functions in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
2. Describe and interpret relationships between structure and function at various levels of biological
organization. (ie. organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and multicellular organisms)
3. Describe the fundamental roles of plastids (eg. chloroplasts) and mitochondria in energy
transformations.
4. Compare the basic transformation of energy during photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
5. Describe the role of ATP in biochemical reactions.
6. Describe how the structure of the plasma membrane allows it to function as a regulatory structure
and/or protective barrier for a cell.
7. Compare the mechanisms that transport materials across the plasma membrane (ie. passive transport-diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion; and active transport--pumps, endocytosis and exocytosis).
8. Describe how membrane-bound cellular organelles (eg. endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus)
facilitate the transport of materials within the cell.
9. Explain how organisms maintain homeostasis (eg. thermoregulation, water regulation, oxygen
regulation).
10. Describe the role of ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and the nucleus in the
production of specific types of proteins.
2) Goals for students to know after unit completion.
1. Function of cells and the organelles that make up them
2. How diffusion, facilitated diffusion, osmosis and various types of active transport help to move
various molecules across membranes
3. How enzymatic cellular digestion occurs in cells and where these enzymes are synthesized
4. How energy is produced in cells (respiration and photosynthesis)
5. How cells use the endoplasmic reticulum and golgi complex to send proteins to the cell
membrane for processes such as cell recognition and secretion
6. Differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

2. 3) Big idea for students to understand after unit is competed.
Cell are made of parts called organelles that each have different functions that together allow organisms
to live (grow and develop, metabolize, reproduce, maintain homeostasis, excrete waste, respond to their
environment)
4) Students should be able to do the following after unit is completed:
Students should be able to describe cells from different kind of organisms and explain how they function
in important processes including metabolism.
Use and operate a light microscope.
5) Unit essential question: How do cells facilitate essential functions for all living organisms?
6) Unit topic Cell structure and function.
7) Lesson order: (Time estimation- need to consider these estimations more. Certain activities can be
skipped if needed to save time) (21 days)
1. Basic introduction to cells and organelles (4 days)
2. Diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and osmosis across membranes (4 day)
2b. Diffusion lab (1 day)
3. Digestion in our bodies and cells and the production of enzymes that make it possible (1 day)
4. Energy production in cells (respiration and photosynthesis) (2 days)
5. Modes of active transport and it purpose for cells (will cover roles of ER and golgi complex) (2 days)
6. Differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells (2 day)
7. Vacuoles in plants & learning games for review (1-2 days)
8. Viewing cells under microscopes lab (3 days)
9. Summative assessment (1 day)
Lessons
Lesson: Cells lesson #1:
1) Major concept: Basic introduction to cells and organelles
2) Lesson essential question: How can we describe and interpret relationships between structure
and function at various levels of biological organization? (ie. organelles, cells, tissues, organs,

3. organ systems, and multicellular organisms)
3) Key Vocabulary:
Cell theory, Cell wall, Centriole, Chloroplast, Cytoplasm or Protoplasm, Endoplasmic Reticulum,
Golgi apparatus, Lysosome, Mitochondrion, Nucleus, Nucleolus, Organelle, Plasma membrane,
Ribosome, Vacuole
4) Graphic Organizers Used
1. Cell Comics” pdf. File
2. cell organelle location
3. cell organelle function for space ship game
5) Activities
1. Activating Strategy: Elementary introduction to cells
http://www.bodyabcs.com/cartoons/life/book-html/book040.html
2. Basic introduction to organelles with amusing songs.
3. Read “Cell Comics” pdf. file and complete graphic organizer about cell organelle functions
and graphic organizer to label where organelles are in animal and plant cells
4. Active inspire overview of cell theory with videos of about overall functions and locations of
cell organelles.
5. Now that everyone is on same page we will actually see how a cell is able to undergo the life
functions. We will also see how organelles function beyond the one sentence students were
told about in middle school.
6. Space Ship Game for organelle function:
http://biomanbio.com/GamesandLabs/Cellgames/CellExplorerAnimalCell.html Student can
use this game to help complete an organelle function graphic organizer.
7. Making “A cell is like a _______” posters. This will be done to help summarize the other
topics we have gone over. This task will be divided into directions, planning and creating the
poster. Students should consult their graphic organizers.
 They should pick analogies from lists or students that have thought of their own
analogy can ask permission to use it. Assuming their analogy could fit a cell they will
be allowed to be creative.
 Each organelle has a specific function that could fit a part of a whole unit “i.e. cell).
One analogy, could be a city and another could be a factory etc.
 Students must work individually
 Based on the lectures, games and graphic organizers, students should understand
basic special relationships of where cell organelles are located
 This activity will last for 3 or more class periods but overlapping topics can also be
done to keep things interesting.
Lesson: Cells lesson #2
1) Major concept: Diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and osmosis across membranes.
2) Lesson essential question: What comparisons can be made between different mechanisms that
transport materials across the plasma membrane? Osmosis and diffusion and facilitated diffusion
are investigated in this lesson.

4. How do organisms maintain homeostasis (eg. Osmosis and water regulation).
How does the structure of the plasma membrane allows it to function as a regulatory structure
and/or protective barrier for a cell?
What comparisons can be made between different mechanisms that transport materials across the
plasma membrane?
3) Key Vocabulary: Osmosis, plasma membrane, hypertonic solution, hypotonic solution,
diffusion, facilitated diffusion
4) Graphic Organizers Used: Membrane Channels, Transport of materials, Egg inferences, Egg
Experiment, Egg osmosis
5) Activities
Activating Strategy:
1. Initiate a discussion about diffusion. Have a diffuser and ask students why they can smell it
from far away and who can smell it most/least – what does that indicate about the concentration
at those areas? What would happen over time if we left it there indefinitely? Ask students to
write what they think it means and draw a picture of it. Ask students what they think would
happen if the spray had an increased concentration, temperature or pressure.
Discuss the following questions
 How do molecules move?
 How do materials move in and out of a cell?
 What might the cell membrane look like?
2. Describe the role of plasma membrane as both a container and barrier to diffusion (with
activinspire slides and movies. Students will learn what cell membrane is made of and why each
part is important.
 Show that the plasma membrane is made of phospholipids. Use classroom model and
activinspire slide to discuss. As a class we will describe a phospholipid and its polar
hydrophilic and nonpolar hydrophobic parts. How does this affect the structure of the lipid
bilayer? How does a lipid like to orient itself in a membrane? How does this orientation
keep hydrophilic molecules from passing through?
After talking about the lipid bilayer, have students get up and make two rows, extending
their arms towards someone in the other row. Ask students what their bodies represent.
(phosphate heads) and what their arms represent (fatty acid tails). If we want to model the
mosaic aspect of the membrane, what can we change? Some students become proteins or
make desks proteins. Now we want to model the fluidity part, what should we do? Students
move around each other but NOT running around, they are still structured.
 How does the phospholipid bilayer affect what materials move through the membrane?
Discuss the difference between permeable, impermeable and selectively permeable.
 Using simulation (http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/tdc02_int_membraneweb/) show
how small molecules like oxygen and carbon dioxide are permeable and travel freely across
the plasma membrane via diffusion. But what about a large molecule like starch. Can it

5. cross a phospholipid bilayer? How about the water loving glucose. Could glucose cross a
phospholipid bilayer with no assistance?
3. We will discuss and model facilitated diffusion.
 Briefly remind the class that glucose has a major role in energy metabolism. If it could not get
into our cells we would die. If glucose is hydrophilic, how could it ever cross the non-polar
hydrophobic membrane to get into our cells? Using simulation
(http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/tdc02_int_membraneweb/) show class how a carrier
protein helps bring glucose into the cell where it can be used for metabolism.
 Next discuss the problem of vitamins. Potassium is needed by our cells for many different
processes. However, potassium carries a charge which makes it unable to pass thorough a
phospholipid bilayer unassisted. Fortunately, we have carrier proteins that help potassium
pass through the plasma membrane
(http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/tdc02_int_membraneweb/) .
 How does facilitated diffusion work? Run simulation
(http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/membrane-channels,) on facilitated diffusion
mediated by carrier proteins. Students will observe how molecules flow from high to low
concentration across the membranes carrier proteins. Students will complete graphic organizer
entitled Membrane Channels”.
4. Students will explore how different molecules cross the plasma membrane using a simulated
membrane (http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/tdc02_int_membraneweb/). They will record
their observations on the “Transport of Materials” graphic organizer.
5. Next students will learn about osmosis. We will run simulation
(http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/membrane-channels,to model a hypotonic solution. Ask
students to predict which direction water will move and why. After observations, review what
happened. The shapes are the solutes. Over time the solutes from the highly concentrated side of
the membrane move to the less concentrated side. Some students will think water is moving
the same way. I will use this for discussion if it happens (make sure to reinforce that the water
moved from high to low concentration of free water) Different concentrations of solute molecules
leads to different concentrations of free water molecules on either side of the membrane. On the
side of the membrane with higher free water concentration (i.e. a lower concentration of solute),
more water molecules will strike the pores in the membrane in a given interval of time. More
strikes equates to more molecules passing through the pores, which in turn results in net diffusion
of water from the compartment with high concentration of free water to that with low
concentration of free water.
6. Play Osmosis song (video): What are hypotonic and hypertonic solutions? How do they affect
cell volume and concentration?
7. Egg osmosis experiment. Ask students to make predictions about how the actual cell would be
responding to the movements of water (Shrink? Get bigger? Stay the same?). Show shell-less
eggs that have either been treated with corn starch or salt water and one with plain water.
Tell students that you treated them, but don’t tell them which egg was treated which way.
 Which egg would an egg placed in water start to look like? Have students guess and don’t
reveal until they all can explain why.
 Tell students that you want to think about how you could use what we learned about
hypertonic and hypotonic solutions to find out what the solute concentration is inside of an
egg. Have students brainstorm in pairs for 3 minutes. Fill out an experimental design
graphic organizer. This is an opportunity to reinforce concepts of osmosis and how it affects
the cell and also to review experimental design.

6.  Play video on egg experiment.
 Complete graphic organizers on egg osmosis. These are for students to practice with
hypertonic and hypotonic solutions.
8. We will discuss homeostasis in the context of osmosis
 Play video about why you die if you drink too much water.
 Discuss water related homeostatic mechanisms in other organisms.
 Turgor pressure and wilting and drought in plants. Discuss role of vacuole in filling
with water and cell walls role in preventing a cell explosion.
 Show tape and balloon demonstration of how stomata work. Discuss the reasons guard
cells open and close
9. Fluid mosaic model and its functions with some review of learned concepts
 Activinspire slides will be used to review various discussed functions of the plasma
membrane. Students will complete a fill-in-the-blank study guide that corresponds with
the flip chart.
 Ask students how they could build a model of a membrane using, cardboard, brass
fasteners (these could represent phospholipids) macaroni etc. They will be given a
word bank with vocab such as phospholipid head, phospholipid tail etc.
 Finished student can play the construct a membrane game.
http://biomanbio.com/GamesandLabs/Cellgames/celldefense.html
10. Ask students to look up various other organelles to identify which have phospholipid
membranes and which do not.
Lesson: Cells lesson #3:
1) Major concept: Digestion in our bodies and cells and the production of enzymes that make it
possible
2) Lesson essential question:
How can we describe the role of ribosomes and the nucleus in the production of specific types of
proteins?
How can we describe the role of the lysosome in digestion?
3) Key Vocabulary: Nucleus, Nucleolus, DNA, RNA, protein, enzyme, lysosome, ribosome
4) Graphic Organizers Used: Timeline for a digestive enzyme.
5) Activities
1. Activating Strategy: Ask student how we digest our food to get energy from it? How does
food reach our cells? Now that we learned about the plasma membrane, we know how food
molecules like glucose get inside our cells where they are used to give use energy.
2. Active-inspire presentation on animal digestion and cellular digestion with lysosomes.
 Chewing, Saliva, Stomach
 Discuss the role of enzymes

7.  Lysosomes role in breaking down fuel molecules
3. How do we make these enzymes?
 Using activinspire presentation, students will be able to complete the timeline of
events for how proteins are made- This is a highly simplified version that will be
completed in this one class period. This will not discuss the processes of transcription
or translation. The timeline is really no more than the following sentences:
1. DNA is housed in the nucleus and functions as an instruction book to give us our
traits by making proteins like enzymes.
2. From the DNA molecule, RNA is made and sent outside the nucleus to the
ribosome
3. The ribosome is where the RNA directs the building of proteins from amino
acids.
4. The nucleolus is a part of the nucleus where RNA that is used to make ribosomes
is made.
 Remind class that enzymes are one kind of protein. Proteins do many jobs for body.
 Proteins are put together at the ribosomes which are often found attached to the ER
(rough ER) in the cytoplasm. We will talk about the reason for this location later. The
ribosome is like a work bench for building a protein.
 Ask students to write down two things that they have built and use themselves or that
somebody else uses. Next ask the students if any of them used instructions or
received instructions. DNA is the instructions sheet to make proteins.
 DNA is found in the nucleus. It is present in chromatin
 In fact DNA is so big it cannot leave the nucleus where it is protected. Instead the
RNA instructions are sent to the ribosomes where proteins are put together.
 Ribosomes are made from proteins and RNA. The RNA that is used to make
ribosomes is made in the nucleolus.
Lesson: Cells lesson #4:
1) Major concept: Energy production in cells (respiration and photosynthesis)
2) Lesson essential question:
Why are plastids (eg. chloroplasts) and mitochondria important in energy transformations?
How can you describe the role of ATP in biochemical reactions?
What comparisons can we make about the basic transformation of energy during photosynthesis
and cellular respiration?
3) Key Vocabulary: ATP, chloroplast, mitochondria, photosynthesis, light reactions, dark reactions,
cellular respiration
4) Graphic Organizers Used: Accompanying study guides for lectures, Rules for the ATP energy
game.
5) Activities

8. 1. Activating Strategy: Pose question to students: OK so now we have learned how food gets
digested in your body and in your cells, but why is digestion so important? Write down their
ideas. This will pave the way to energy metabolism
2. Energy Metabolism and the Mitochondria
a) Reveal that the central organelles for metabolism are the chloroplast and the mitochondria. Have
students make detailed labeled drawings of chloroplasts and mitochondria. Note that chloroplasts
are found only in plants and mitochondria are found in both plants and animals. Mention that we
will discuss these two organelles next
b) Discuss energy requirements a body has and the chemical bond energy in ATP
c) Show video on the chemical bond energy of ATP
d) Equate ATP to a charged battery and ADP to an uncharged battery.
e) With Activinspire and videos and graphic organizers, show how ATP is regenerated in
mitochondria. Use summary reactions because students are not held responsible for
understanding the specific steps in this course.
1. Harvesting the suns energy and making food in plants
In a simplified way, go over with Activinspire and videos and graphic organizers, I will show
how:
a) Discuss how light bounce around arrays of chlorophyll “solar panels” until it is used to split a
water molecule into H+ ions and Oxygen.
b) This splitting of water helps convert suns energy to chemical bond energy in ATP the
chloroplasts. ADP-> ATP
c) Plants don’t use all of the oxygen that is made and it leaves the plant and we can use it for our
respiration. Plants also have respiration.
d) The energy in ATP energy is used by chloroplasts to make the sugar and starch molecules by
utilizing CO2 as the source of carbon
e) Summarize the photosynthesis by using its simplified summarization reaction.
2. The ATP metabolism game (review of photosynthesis and resperation in cells)
Play the ATP dice game (by Michael Robbins). Energy using tasks (dice roles 1 through 6) take
certain amounts of ATP bucks from a given starting amount. These include using muscles,
extracting wastes, making new cells, active transport of molecules across the cell membrane, cell
movement, and energy hungry chemical reactions.
If you role a 7-12 on the dice, you pick the first card from an ordered deck that begins the process of
making ATP. For each step they get a certain amount of ATP that will be shown on the card. The deck
will have ATP both making processes cards and locations within cells cards. Students will start in animals
and then students get to be plants. Finally students will get cards that illustrate the interplay between
animals and plant and also the interplay between mitochondria and chloroplasts.
This game is made with a grade-level appropriate video that covers this material.

9. Additional rules:

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Students play in pairs, taking turns. The student with the highest ATP total in the end wins
However, if students have under a certain amount of ATP, they are “dead”
In order to get ATP energy bucks, the cards must be read so that you partner can hear clearly
If I see that students are not reading allowed or are mumbling or reading too fast for me to
understand them, they will be docked a sizeable amount of ATP.
Your body makes a lot of ATP from food when it has been conditioned to do work. To make this
ATP, their bodies require glucose. Therefore the top 8 ATP finishers will get some form of
glucose to sustain their ATP demand.
Students should start the game over and add to their points from the previous game if there is still
time left in class before totaling is done. This will be good for review and for their chances of
winning the glucose prize.
Lesson: Cells lesson #5:
1) Major concept: Modes of active transport and it purpose for cells (will cover roles of ER and
golgi complex)
2) Lesson essential question:
How are the mechanisms that transport materials across the plasma membrane (ie. passive transport-diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion; and active transport--pumps, endocytosis and exocytosis) similar
and different.
How does Endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus facilitate the transport of materials within the cell
and to the plasma membrane?
a) Key Vocabulary: Active transport, ATP, plasma membrane, ER, Golgi Complex, secretion,
receptor, Endocytosis, Exocytosis, Phagocytosis, Pinocytosis, Protein vesicles.
3) Graphic Organizers Used: Study guides to follow along with processes.
4) Activities
1. Activating Strategy: Bring in a flat basketball and a pumped up basketball and a basketball
pump. Ask for a volunteer to have a quick dribbling contest with me. I will hand them the flat
basketball. They will give me a look like I have got to be kidding and will raise the point that
it is not very possible to dribble a flat basketball. Agree with them and then take the pump
needle without the pump attached and place it through the basketball and suggest to the class
that we should wait and allow air to seep in through the needle. Mention that we learned
about this in class as being facilitated diffusion. No doubts students will know that that will
not successfully work. When they say this, I will ask them why. What do we need to make
the air go in the basketball? They might have me attach the pump. I will leave the pump
attached but will not pump it up. Then the students should get my point that energy is needed
to make the air go into the ball.

10. Sometimes we need something done so much that we cannot sit around and wait for it to
happen on its own. We use energy to make things happen. The basketball pump is one
example. Shoveling your driveway is another example because we cannot just wait for the
snow to melt.
When the cell can afford to be, it doesn’t want to use energy. The cell likes to be passive.
The cell membrane allows important molecules or ions it needs to flow passively across
either directly through the membrane or through protein channels (carrier proteins). For other
important molecules there is no way to cross the membrane without using energy. For these
molecules, ATP is used to supply energy that is needed for molecules or ions to cross the
plasma membrane. One way this can happen is by using molecular pumps that function like
the basketball pump to force molecules across a membrane.
2. Active Transport
b) Use Activinspire, videos and graphic organizers to teach the different ways kinds of active
transport and the kinds of molecules they are used for.
c) Concentrating substances, getting rid of waste and going uphill against flow of diffusion.
d) Ion Pumps
e) Distinguish from passive transport carrier proteins-facilitated diffusion that will be discussed
earlier
f) Smooth ER and membrane production
g) Exocytosis
h) Protein vesicles Exocytosis-Rough ER, Golgi Complex
i) Endocytosis
j) Phagocytosis
k) Pinocytosis
l) Students can go to http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/tdc02_int_membraneweb/ to see how
different transport systems work.
3. Receptors (With goal in teaching ER and Golgi transport)
a) Use Activinspire, videos and graphic organizers to teach the different ways kinds of receptors and
what they are used for.
b) Receptors on the plasma membrane are like signs used for cell identification.
c) Protein receptors
d) Carbohydrate receptors.
e) How receptors are associate with endocytosis. Receptor molecules are then reused (placed back
onto plasma membrane and other molecules such as steroids are taken into cell.
Lesson: Cells lesson #6:
1) Major concept: Differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

11. 2) Lesson essential question:
How do cellular structures and functions of prokaryotic compare with eukaryotic cells?
3) Key Vocabulary: Cell wall, chloroplast, cilia, flagella, prokaryotic, eukaryotic.
4) Graphic Organizers Used: Differences among cells. Study guide.
5) Activities
1. Activating Strategy: You are multicellular can move around quite nicely. Bacteria are single
celled and can also move around quite nicely? Do you think the only difference between us
and bacteria on the cellular level is that our cells are grouped together and their cells are not?
Might there be any other differences between our cells?
2. Have prokaryote (bacteria) and Eukaryotic cells (plant and animal) side by side. Have
students identify the differences in structure,
3. Students will write the differences in a graphic organizer
4. Other anatomical and physiological differences will be highlighted by playing a video that
discusses the differences. Students should take notes during this video and afterward we will
write even more differences on the board.
5. I will discuss the differences as they are identified.
6. Endosymbiosis theory- Origen of organelles we discussed in previous lessons are from
prokaryotic organisms.
a) Plants cells are unique from animal cells in that they have cell walls and chloroplasts. Cell
walls support the plant and allow for turgor pressure that is necessary for plants to grow
upright and retain water. They also provide a defensive barrier that is necessary because
plants cells don’t move.
7. Students can go here to get practice labeling the parts of plant, animal and bacteria cells
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/health/anatomy/cell/index.htm
Lesson: Cells lesson #7:
1) Major concept: Vacuoles in plants-(This is more of an enrichment lesson that can be done if
there is extra time) & learning games for review
2) Lesson essential question:
How can we describe and interpret relationships between structure and function at various levels
of biological organization? (ie. organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and multicellular
organisms) ----Specifically: How do vacuoles help plants survive?
3) Key Vocabulary: Vacuoles

12. 4) Graphic Organizers Used: None
5) Activities
1. Activating Strategy: Discussion on Phytoremediation. Taking up of toxic compounds
(Phytoremediation). Storage of waste products in vacoules. Or storage of molecules for when
they are needed.
2. We already discussed turgor pressure. Review it briefly with the role of the vacuole in mind.
3. Show slides on plant defense (like chemical warfare). Chemical cell suicide to destroy attacking
pathogens.
4. Review: If they are done with assignemetns they may play the Cell Craft Biology Game for
review. http://www.sciencegeek.net/Biology/CellCraft/CellCraft.html
The goal is to get ATP, glucose and other things a cell needs. It teaches you as you play the game.