What comes to mind when you think of going to
a pizza palor? Can you smell the aroma of cheese, pepperoni, onions, or picture
the employees making pizzas? Can you hear the music playing in the background
as well as sounds from people laughing and talking? People come in and go
out, taking boxes of pizzas to go. What a flurry of activity!
Cells, the basic units of life, can be compared
to a pizza palor, a factory, and even an entire city. These cells are busy
building and breaking down macromolecules. They are at work releasing energy
from foods, and then using that energy to make needed cell parts. Together,
your cells function to make your body operate like a well-run business, factory
or city.
You will be working in a team that consists
of 3 or 4 members. Each member will choose a role which they will perform
within the group.
-
You will use the internet to research the
functions of cell organelles.
-
All members of the group will answer the
questions assigned for each organelle.
-
You will share your research notes with
the other members of the group to make sure that EVERYONE understands the
information.
- Using the role you chose to take on, your group will work
together to plan, design, and construct a 3-D "Cell City" based
on your research of the organelles and what their function is.
- Before you can construct a cell city, you must research
each cell organelle to determine its function and how it works with other
cell parts to function correctly.
- Once EVERYONE in your group has researched the functions
of the above organelles, get together and compare notes to make sure that
you all agree on the information.
- Now you need to decide who will assume which role for this
project.
The
Architect / City Planner - This individual should enjoy drawing. He/She
will be drawing the plans of the city onto a sheet of paper as a reference for
the City Builders. This individual will also decide the placement of organelles
in the city.
The
City Builder(s) - This person(s) will be constructing the actual city.
(All members of the team will take an active part in the construction of their
3-D Cell city with the City Builder as the leader on this phase of the project.)
The
Reporter - This individual should enjoy writing. He/She will be responsible
for keeping all members on task, and will be recording the process in a newsletter
form.
Each group should hand in the following at the end
of the project:
Detailed and accurate model of cell city.
Drawing of city.
One copy of group notes, typed.
Cell city newsletter written by the reporter.
Conclusion
Both plant and animal cells are very complex. For some students,
trying to remember which organelles can be found where and what their specific
functions are can be a difficult task. It is my hope that this Web Quest will
help these students understand how a cell is similar to a city and then apply
these concepts to an actual cell. Although this project is very simple as compared
to the actual cell and how it functions, hopefully it will be a starting point
from which they can build upon later on.
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