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© 2017 Science Rocks
Cells Writing Prompts
Topics Included:
1. Scientific Method- Characteristics of Life 2. Cell Size 3. Levels of Organization 4. Cell Structure and Function 5. Plant vs. Animal Cells 6. Stomata 7. Tonicity 8. Cellular Respiration 9. Mitosis 10. Mitochondria
Why use writing prompts in Science? This past year I taught a biology class of entirely ELL students. In order to get these students to pass the state language proficiency test, I needed strategies to help increase their literacy skills. I created a set of writing prompts with the goal of getting my students to think about scientific phenomena and be able to write about it. I used these prompts as homework before the content was taught. The goal wasn’t for students to correctly describe the science behind the concept, but just to get them thinking and writing. I would have students read their paragraphs aloud when they came to class the next day. Reading the paragraphs out loud is not only a great way to work on fluency and build vocabulary, but also helps uncover misconceptions and start classroom conversations. Throughout the course of the year I saw my students writing skills and confidence increase.
© 2017 Science Rocks
Cells Writing Prompt #1 Your brother is arguing that popcorn kernels are nonliving things. You think they are living. List all the characteristics that you think make the popcorn kernels living. How could you prove it? Design an experiment to test if the popcorn is alive or not.
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Cells Writing Prompt #2 Cells are really small, and can only be seen with the help of a microscope. We have trillions of cells in the human body. Wouldn’t it be easier to have 100 large cells instead of trillions of tiny cells? Explain why you think it is important that cells are small.
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Cells Writing Prompt #3 Multicellular organisms have many different levels of organization within them. Examine the diagram below.
Can you give an example of each level? (Name an example of a type of cell, a type of tissue, a type of organ, etc.) Do you think all living things have the same levels of organization as humans? Explain. ________________________________________________________________________
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© 2017 Science Rocks
Cells Writing Prompt #4 Cells in your body come in many different shapes and sizes. Examine the image below. Why do you think cells are shaped differently? Give specific examples. (For example, red blood cells are round because….)
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© 2017 Science Rocks
Cells Writing Prompt #5 Examine the two images below. Predict which image you think is of plant cells, and which image is of animal cells. How did you come up with your answer? Explain.
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Cells Writing Prompt #6 Stomata are tiny openings on the underside of leaves. They open and close to allow gases such as carbon dioxide and oxygen to enter and exit the leaf cells. If you were a desert plant, what time of day would you want to open your stomata? Explain your reasoning.
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Cells Writing Prompt #7 If you have a swollen sore throat, your Mom might tell you to gargle a salt water solution. Why does the salt water help your sore throat feel better? (What does the salt do to the cells in your throat?) Why do you think it is important to spit out the salt water, and not swallow it?
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Cells Writing Prompt #8 Cellular respiration is a process in which organisms use oxygen and glucose to produce energy. During this process water and carbon dioxide are released as byproducts. Which statement do you think is true?
A. Only plants carry out cellular respiration B. Only animals carry out cellular respiration C. Both plants and animals carry out cellular respiration
Explain your answer.
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Cells Writing Prompt #9 Mitosis is the process of cell division. Below are images of the different phases of mitosis. List the images in what you think is the correct order from the start of cell division to the end. Why did you choose that order? Explain your answer.
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Cells Writing Prompt #10 Mitochondria are organelles inside of cells that turn food into energy the body can use. Which types of cells (which locations) in your body do you think have a lot of mitochondria? Why? Explain your answer.
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Teacher Notes/ Possible Answers: Below are some notes about the writing prompts. Included is basic information about each prompt so you can have some background knowledge about each topic. However, since I assign the prompt before the lesson is taught, I do not grade students on correctness. Writing Prompt #1 All living things have the following characteristics:
1. Made of cells 2. Reproduce 3. Use energy 4. Change over time (evolve) 5. Grow and develop 6. Maintain homeostasis 7. Respond to their environment 8. Based on a universal genetic code (DNA)
Uncooked popcorn kernels are living things. It could be tested by trying to plant the kernels in soil and seeing if they grow into a plant. Writing Prompt #2 We have trillions of cells in the body. We need a lot of cells because they are specialized and have many different jobs to do. Another reason cells are so small is because it allows materials to move (diffuse) in and out of the cells quickly. Large cells would take too long to move things in and out. Writing Prompt #3 Levels of organization examples:
1. Cell- plant or animal 2. Tissue- epithelial 3. Organ- heart 4. Organ system- circulatory 5. Organism- human
All living things have similar levels of organization. In plants, an example of an organ is the stem or roots. Writing Prompt #4 Even though all cells in our bodies have the exact same DNA, they look different. This is because they have different jobs to do, and only read the DNA that applies to their function. Cells are shaped a specific way in order to perform specific jobs. For example, red cells are round because they roll through veins and arteries. Muscle cells are long and stretchy because they allow us to move. Nerve cells look like spider webs because they send out messages through the body.
© 2017 Science Rocks
Writing Prompt #5 In this picture, A is animal cells, and B is plant cells. Plant cells are usually square in shape. This is because plants don’t have bones to help them stand up, so their cells stack like bricks in order for the plant to grow straight. Writing Prompt #6 Stomata are typically open during the nighttime. Many students predict that they will be open during the day because the sun is required for photosynthesis. However, if stomata were open during the day in the desert they would lose a lot of water through the process of transpiration. In order to conserve water, stomata open at night when the temperatures are the lowest. Writing Prompt #7 Salt water is a hypertonic solution. Hypertonic means that there is a higher concentration of solutes. When cells are surrounded by hypertonic solutions, water leaves the cell in order to try and reach equilibrium. When you have a sore swollen throat, gargling salt water will cause water to leave the throat cells and the swelling will go down. It is important to spit out the water and not swallow it because it will dehydrate you. If you drank too much salt water you could die. Writing Prompt #8 Option C is correct. Many students associate plants with photosynthesis and animals with cellular respiration, and don’t realize that plants do both processes. Plants make their own food during photosynthesis, but then use that food and turn it into energy during cellular respiration. If you ask students if they think plants need energy most will say yes, and you can discuss why they carry out both processes. Writing Prompt #9 The correct order for the phases of mitosis are: Prophase - 3 Prometaphase - 6 Metaphase - 1 Anaphase - 5 Telophase - 2 Cytokinesis - 4 Writing Prompt #10 Muscle cells have a lot of mitochondria because they use a lot of energy. Fat cells also have a lot of mitochondria because they store a lot of energy.
© 2017 Science Rocks
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