NAUTeach Lesson Template

Team Members Working on this Lesson:

Names
Megan Stone
Rebeka Simpson
Tara Mahoney

Title of Lesson: Grade Level: Length of lesson:

Cells and Their Many Organelles! 7th 55 minutes
(30-35 minutes in class)
Overview of Lesson – Brief description of the major concept addressed in the lesson and its everyday applicability.
Students will be able to apply their understanding of the major cell organelles and their basic functions. This will give students a better understanding of their own
bodies, plant bodies, and overall, how life can be visualized and explained at the molecular level. his will give students a better understanding of their own bodies,
plant bodies, and overall, how life can be visualized and explained at the molecular level.
Instructional Model and Strategies – Instructional model (e.g., learning cycle…) and strategies (e.g., cooperative learning…) that will be used during the lesson
and why.
5-E Lesson Plan, Class Discussion, Informal assignments.
Materials and Resources – Include the number of each item needed per student/group. Include the # of students in each group. Consider using online resources as
much as possible.
Print outs: 15 max (worksheet questions)
Internet access for students through computers or phone.

Standard(s) for the lesson – Identify the standards from AZ Science Goal/s from your Rationale Paper: Identify which one or more of the
Standards for your chosen grade level that will be addressed in this lesson. State the goals from your rationale paper will be addressed in this lesson and describe how
actual standard(s), not just the identification number. they will be addressed.
Seventh Grade Life Science Standard 7.L1U1.9: Construct an explanation to • Utilize the power of discussion in the classroom to promote healthy and
demonstrate the relationship between major cell structures and cell functions progressive discourse. This will be addressed through student discussion
(plant and animal). regarding what they think each cellular organelle’s function is.
Practice(s) for the lesson – Identify the Science and Engineering practices
that students will get to experience in this lesson. State the actual practice(s), not
just the identification number.
Developing and Using Models: students constructing analogies for each cell • Relating material to students’ lives and experiences, current events in the
organelle and how they all work as a whole; developing a visual representation world, and overall topics, examples, and concepts that students are
through the use of connection between a visual model and an understood analogy familiar with. This will be addressed through relating the cellular
Obtain, Evaluate, and Communicate Information: obtaining information through organelles to different functions of everyday things students can relate to
the use of group discussion/discourse, PowerPoint slides of information, and and recognize.
teacher guidance. Evaluation of information through the use of group work,
teacher supervision, and an exit ticket worksheet. Communication of information

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through group discussion/discourse, the analogy of cellular organelles and how

they work as a whole, and teacher facilitated communication as a whole class. • Take all student answers and nurture them to create guidance for
Ask Questions and Define Problems: students will be encouraged to ask as many students along with validating all answers given. This will be addressed
questions as needed when a concept is not understood or clear to them/class as a when going through the slideshows and connecting information to
whole. Defining problems will occur throughout the lesson through the use of student questions to create a safe space in sharing thoughts and ideas.
asking questions and communicating information as stated above.
Cross-Cutting Concept(s) – Identify which cross-cutting concept/s might be
addressed in this lesson
System and System Models: understanding systems at the cellular level and
associating the organelle functions with their model visualization
Structure and Function: understanding each cell structure/organelle and their
basic functions/how they keep us alive and functioning
Essential Question – This question guides your lesson plan and establishes a conceptual framework for the days’ learning.
What are the organelles inside an animal cell?
What basic function(s) does each organelle perform in the animal cell?

Safety Considerations and/or Behavior Expectations

Social distancing when conducting lesson in person (maintaining a minimum distance of 6 feet from each student) as well as students always wearing masks properly
(always covering nose and mouth in the classroom). Students should also be paying attention and discussing lesson related topics during group work time, and overall
remaining on track for the duration of the lesson.

Lesson Sequence
Lesson
Give actions (underlined) of lesson plan with dialogue (blue) with probing/guiding questions (bolded) and anticipated
Segment
correct (green)/incorrect (red) responses (italicized).
& Time
__Engage_____ Brief Description of Activity: The engaging activity here revolves around students having a basic understanding of what an
( 10 min) animal cell looks like, but to gauge their knowledge and understanding of where each organelle is located in the cell. The activity
itself is having the students work in small groups to label the unlabeled cell and figure out where they think each organelle is
Megan located within the cell.

The teacher will draw a somewhat simple diagram of an unlabeled animal cell on the whiteboard as well as place the
lesson worksheets (one with just an unlabeled animal cell featuring ticks at each organelle that will be discussed during
the lesson, and the other with a chart and an unlabeled animal cell on the back of it) at each seat prior to class starting.
Once class begins, the teacher will ask the students if they know what is drawn on the board after introductions.

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“Hello everyone! I am Ms. Stone, this is Ms. Simpson, and Ms. Mahoney. We are going to be talking about something that
exists within every single on of you and there are millions of them. Before we begin, does anyone know what I have
drawn on the board?”
“It’s a cell!” or “It is a big blob.”
“Exactly! Does anyone know what type of cell this is?”
“An animal cell.” or “A plant cell”/” A human cell”
“Correct! Now, what are these that are inside the cell? Can anyone tell me what those are called?”
The teacher will gesture/point to the organelles drawn inside the animal cell diagram.
“Those are organelles.” or “Those are the cell’s organs” (Teacher correction to organelle in this case) or “Those are just
blobs.” or “I don’t know.”
“Right! An organelle is a smaller cell structure that has specific jobs to do inside the cell. Now, if everyone could look at the
worksheet on your desk that has just the unlabeled cell on it. I want you all to work in smalls groups to do your best and
label the cell and its organelles. You guys have about 5 minutes. Go!”
Students discuss for 5 or so minutes and label the cell to the best of their ability. After time is up the teacher brings the
class together.
“Alright everybody, you can go ahead and set that paper to the side and we are going to refer back to it in a little bit. Now
we can start to look at just what these organelles do for our cells.”
The teacher now transitions into the Explore section.

__Explore __ Brief Description of Activity: There is going to be a PowerPoint on the information of organelles based on function, pictures, and
(10-15 min) labels on those pictures for the students to gain an understanding about organelles in plant and animal cells.

Rebeka Students then come together and get ready for the PowerPoint.
“Ok, if everyone could now grab the Explore worksheet and we are going to fill it out as we go!”
Slide 1
“Hey Everyone, we are now going to get into the animal cells organelles and their functions.”
Slide 2
“The first organelle is the nucleus. The nucleus is important because it protects and houses the DNA for the cell and assists
in telling how the cell to function and operate.”
Slide 3
“Next is the Mitochondria which of course is the powerhouse of the cell and this means it creates energy for the cell from
glucose (a main source of metabolic energy that is in living things).”
Slide 4
“Ribosomes build proteins which are sent off around the cell to synthesize polypeptides and proteins for the cell.”
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Slide 5
“A vacuole stores nutrient for the cell such as: water and food. Along with excretion of waste in the cell.”
Slide 6
“The cytoplasm is what keeps all the organelles anchored in place and assists in cell function along with transportation.”
Slide 7
The Rough ER is what builds proteins and lipids that are then sent off to the Golgi Apparatus. The Rough ER is also covered
in ribosomes.”
Slide 8
“The Smooth ER does not have ribosomes attached to it, but it makes and stores lipids and vesicles to send off to the Golgi
Apparatus.”
Slide 9
“The Golgi Apparatus is packaging the proteins into the vesicles which is then sent off around the cell.”
Slide 10
“The Plasma Membrane then is the filter of the cell. It controls what comes in and what comes out.”
Teacher transitions into PowerPoint.
The teacher now moves away from the completed slideshow and transitions into the Explain/Elaborate section.
“Okay Everyone, now let's turn to the worksheets and as a class we can discuss the organelle functions.”
__Explain/ Brief Description of Activity: The activity here is having students verbally connect the functions of each discussed organelle to
Elaborate___ something they are familiar and have prior experiences with. They then will write down their aggreged functions of the analogy to
(15-20 min) the functions of the organelle (for example if the class decides the nucleus is like the brain in a human body, they are to write down
on the worksheet with the chart “brain” in the analogy column) and continue for the rest of the organelles in the lesson.
Tara (with Megan
and Rebeka Students will now look at the worksheet provided to them. One side will be a blank table to fill out with the guidance of
inclusion) the teacher and the other side will be a picture of an animal cell for the closure. For the elaborate section, we will grab
their attention and individually ask students about each organelle and the function.
“Okay class, go ahead and take out the worksheet we were working on earlier. Based on what we have just learned, what
would you be able to relate an animal cell to? An example can be, the cell is like a car, or a factory, or even our own
bodies.”
The teacher will take a tally of what example students agree on and use the most popular example as the analogy.
“Okay great! We will use ______ as our cell example for today. Can everyone write our cell example in the small box under the
“Analogy Connection” section on our worksheets?
The students will write in the analogy the class agrees on in the described box.
“Thank you! Alright, now to start off the table, let us look at the Nucleus. What do you think the nucleus would do in a
_________?”
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“The nucleus is like the brain in our bodies/ the engine in a car/the main office in a factory”
“The nucleus is like the intestines in our bodies/the wheels on a car/the stock room in a factory”
“Exactly! Now, we are going to do the same thing with the rest of the organelles. What do you think the mitochondria
is in a ___________?”
“The mitochondria are like the heart in our bodies/the technology center in a car/the electric room in a factory”
“The mitochondria are like the lungs in our bodies/the AC in a car/the conveyer belts in a factory”
The class continues this for the remainder of the organelles, agreeing on the analogies between each organelle and each
function of their selected analogy until the worksheet is finished. Teachers will refer to the provided worksheet to help.

Specific PowerPoint: the PowerPoint is to give a visual for students that benefit more from seeing pictures with concepts
Considerations attached to them.
for Students video with captions: Having a video assists student visual learners’ and benefit more through video and being told in a
with Special lecture type of way in teaching along with connecting their learning through a visual video.
Needs group work/reading material: This connects readers to pull information from texts and building off of their peers.

These three different types of learning that is being implemented throughout the lesson is assisting in bringing all types
of learning and teaching strategy in the classroom to assist all students in having equal learning opportunities.
Closure/ “Alright, now that we know what some of the many organelles do for our cells, lets flip our worksheet over.”
Evaluate The students flip the worksheet to reveal an unlabeled cell with ticks coming off each organelle discussed in the lesson.
( 10 min) “Now, for your guys’ exit ticket I want you to label where each organelle we talked about today is in the cell
in small groups. You guys have about 5 minutes. Go!”
Megan
The students will label where they think each respective organelle that was discussed in the lesson is located in the cell.
They will work in the same small group as they did at the very beginning of class.
After the time is up, the teacher will bring the class back together for final instructions.
“Time is up! Before you leave, make sure to give me your finished worksheet. Have a great rest of your day everyone!”

Assessment Plan
Component of Learning to be assessed: How Assessed: When Assessed:
1. Students learning about the differences and 1. The PowerPoint brings out the information 1. Explore and Explain.
similarities among plant and animal cells. along with discussion time within small 2. Explore, Explain, Closure and Engage.
2. Learning about the functions of animal and groups. 3. Closure.
plant cell organelles. 2. This will be brought out during class 4. Explain and Explore.
3. Be able to point out what each organelle is discussions, worksheets, and the
on a diagram of a plant and animal cell. PowerPoint.

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4. Be able to verbally explain the functions and 3. After viewing the PowerPoint, having class
connect them to the correct organelle. discussions, and bringing all this knowledge
together students can label the diagram.
4. During class discussion after the PowerPoint
presentation.

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Worksheets and Powerpoints

Engage Worksheet (1)

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Explore Worksheet (2)

Cells and Their Organelles

Organelles Basic Function Analogy Connection

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PowerPoint Slides Link Below

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PowerPoint Link

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