Cells (by the Adolescent Students)

Cells:

201709_Adolescent_CellsProject_237.2 trillion! Although scientists do not actually know, this is their best estimate to date of the number of cells in the human body. That is a lot of cells. The adolescent class began their science study this year with cells, connecting with our larger theme this trimester of “origins.”We began by drawing cells, labeling their parts, and researching each part’s function. To get a deeper understanding, we then created a cell analogy where we compared a cell to a school, town, or restaurant. We worked in pairs and everyone presented creative analogies. Our final cell project, and many people’s favorite, was making a 3D cell model with a partner. The models were made from styrofoam, clay and one group even baked a cake! The parts of the cell were represented by all kinds of crafty pieces and labeled with toothpicks.  

 

There are two basic kinds of cells;  prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells. Prokaryotic are bacteria and archaea cells and have no nucleus. Eukaryotic cells are more complex and are in all living things. They have a nucleus which includes their genetic makeup and DNA. It is amazing to think how we are made-up of these microscopic cells to become such unique and complex living beings.