• identify cell organelles
• describe the function of cell organelles

• Varying academic levels: uses mixed-ability groups to allow students to learn from one another, small and whole group participation, incorporates possible activity for advanced learners
• Visual learners: incorporates photos and written or printed materials to show cell organelle and describe function
• Auditory learners: uses oral presentations to show research into organelles
• Kinesthetic learners: engages students in creating posters, writing poems, and drawing analogies when describing the functions of organelles

•  Ask the class to share what they know about cells.
  • Have they looked at a cell under a microscope?
  • What did they learn about cells?
  • What kind of cells are there?

•  Using a projector or hand-outs, provide students with pictures of different kinds of cells. Make sure to provide at least one photo of a plant cell and at least one photo of an animal cell.
• Have them turn to a partner and take 2 minutes each to share the similarities and differences that they can discern.
• Ask students to share their observations. If they do not mention it, note that one of the most obvious observable differences between plant and animal cells is the presence of cell wall surrounding plant cells.

Direct Instruction

• Tell students that while some cells have different structures, such as the plant cell wall, all cells have certain structures in common.
• Explain that just like our stomachs, lungs, hearts, and brains carry out certain functions, each structure in a cell has a specific or specific jobs.
• Using a projector with photos, a hand-out or the textbook, introduce each organelle.
  • Explain that the names organelles are typically very difficult to pronounce.
  • Point to the photo of the organelle, pronounce the name, ask the class to repeat the name in unison, mention the general function of the organelle (i.e. mitochondria – the power house of the cell), then ask the class to repeat the name in unison again at least once.
• Tell students that because there are so many different organelles, it is sometimes difficult to remember these structures and their functions.

• Create small groups with mixed ability and talents. Assign each group one organelle.
•  Ask the groups to carry out the following tasks:
  • Print photos of their organelle if students have access to a computer and the Internet.
  • Write a couple of sentences about who discovered the organelle and when it was discovered – if this information can be researched online or through hard copy class resources.
  • Find an analogy that describes the function of the cell. For example, if a group has a mitochondrion, they might decide to use an energy plant as an analogy.
  • Ask students to write a poem naming the organelle and describing its function. The poem may or may not reference the analogy.
• Using poster board and glue, have the students assemble their work in one or two posters, making a collage of their photos, an illustration of their analogy, writing their poem on a separate poster, and printing out and pasting their biographies.

• Ask each group to make a presentation sharing their projects with other class members.
• At the beginning of the presentation, have the group pronounce the name of the organelle so that the class can repeat it back at least two or three times.
• Have the groups use their poem posters to teach the class their poems.
• Display the posters around the room.

• Ask students to evaluate the analogies that each group made. For example, if an energy plant was used for mitochondria – what kind of energy plant would it be? Coal? Nuclear? Hydroelectric? If a bus was used for the endoplasmic reticulum, would it be a public bus system that left from one spot every hour on the hour? Or, would the bus be a private bus hired out on need-only basis? Students at more advance levels may conduct more research to determine in what ways the analogies are accurate and in what ways they are inaccurate.
• Remind students that different kinds of cells serve different functions, so that some have different organelles, or organelles that look different.
•   If available, show the class photos of different types of cells and describe how their different structures serve important functions.
• As a follow-up, discuss what happens to different organelles under different circumstances, e.g., when a virus attacks a cell, when a white cell attacks a bacterium, and when salinity increases.