Student Exploration: Cell Structure
Vocabulary: cell wall, centriole, chloroplast, cytoplasm, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosome, mitochondria, nuclear envelope, nucleolus, nucleus, organelle, plasma membrane, plastid, ribosome, vacuole, vesicle
Do the following warm-up activity to familiarize yourself with the Gizmo before beginning.
Gizmo Warm-up
The Cell Structure Gizmo™ allows you to look at typical animal and plant cells under a microscope. To start, click Sample to take a sample of an animal cell. Use the Zoom slider to see the cell at a magnification of 1000x (1000 times larger than normal).
1. Use the up/down and left/right sliders to manipulate the cell. Find the red arrow pointing to the
2. Read the description of the centrioles. What is their function?
Question: Organelles are specialized structures that perform various functions in the cell. What are the functions of the organelles in an animal cell?
1.Label: Locate each organelle in the animal cell. Label the organelles in the diagram below. [4]
2.Match: Read about each organelle. Then match each organelle to its function/description.
Question: What functions do the organelles in a plant cell perform?
1.Label: Locate each organelle in the plant cell. Label the organelles in the diagram below.
2.Compare: What structures are present in an animal cell, but not in a plant cell? (1)
3.What structures are present in a plant cell, but not in an animal cell? (1)
4.Fill in: Name the organelle or organelles that perform each of the following functions. [5]
