Introduction

What if there were no roads in Arnold or Imperial?  How would your life be different?

Arnold, Missouri is made up of various components, each with a unique job that helps the town run smoothly.  For example, the post office, telephone, and cable company work to keep us connected with the "outside world".  The mayor of Arnold was elected to make decisions and allocates funds for the community.  The grocery store supplies us with the products we need.  The Power plant creates and releases energy from the water that supplies electricity to our homes.  And thankfully, there are roads in Arnold that allow the transportation of people and materials from place to place.

A Cell is the basic building block for life.  A cell can be compared to a town.  Like Arnold, a cell is composed of specialized parts that function to transport materials within the cell, capture and release energy for cells to use, build proteins, dispose of waste, exchange information, and even allow movement.

Students will use an understanding of cell organelles and function to develop an analogy between a cell and a facility, in the form of a brochure.

   Some possible facilities are:

• A new amusement park
• A new airport
• A new mall 
• A new hospital
• A new factory
• A new school 
• A new arcade 

• For example:
  • A cell is like a town.  (In this example the town is the "facility")

• For example:
  • Some of the parts of the town that might be used are the mayor, the post office, the bank, the school, the church, the park, the river, the roads, the homes, etc.

• For example:
  • The mayor of the town is like the nucleus of a cell.  They both function in control and maintenance.

Your brochure will take a tour through the facility that you are promoting.  The brochure will explain the function of each of the parts, or components, of that facility, and explain how those parts are like the various parts of the cell.

For more information on getting started click below on next.

To accomplish the task, you will need to complete the following:

• On your own, using the resource page, research the function of eight (8) organelles.
• Decide on a facility to base your analogy upon.
• Using your organelles you will develop an analogy that compares the specific organelle with a specific component of your facility.  (Refer to the task page for an example!)
• You will create a brochure that will "take a tour" through your facility.  The brochure will explain the function of each organelle, how it is like the component of the facility, and include a picture for each organelle or its comparative component.
• Each student will then present his/her brochure to the class.

Use any or all of these web sites to find your information on cell organelles and their functions.

 Cells Alive
use plant and animal cell link in left column.
 Science Line
 Cell Biology Web Page
  Cell Structures and Functions
  Animal Cell Map
  Plant Cell Map
  Cellular Organization
  Animal Cell Organelles
  Typical Plant Cell
  Parts of the Cell
 
 

    HOME

Below describes the process in which you will be evaluated for your cell brochure.