The Building Blocks of Life

The Building Blocks of Life: Cells• All living organisms are made up of

cells. Some organisms, such as the paramecium and amoeba (Right) have one cell, while others, such as humans, have millions of cells.

• Each type of cell has its own function, but they contain the basic organelles. Each small part of the cell is an organelle. Each organelle has its own name and function.

• There are two main groups of cells– Animal Cells and Plant Cells

The Building Blocks of Life: Cells

• Focus Question:– How do we know that animal and plant cells are not

the same?

• Prediction:– Do you think an animal cell and a plant cell will share

similar attributes? • Do you think they will be very similar or very different?

Animal Cells• The animal cell is found in all animals and

humans.

• All organisms begin as a single cell

• Our bodies have approximately ten trillion cells.

• A group of cells that are the same and carry out a function together are called tissue.

• Blood is made up of cells that carry oxygen and carbon dioxide to other cells in your body.

• Our bodies are constantly making new cells to replace old cells that die.

• When a cell reproduces by mitosis, it makes an exact duplicated copy of itself.

Plant Cells• All life is dependent directly or indirectly from

plants because of the energy produced by photosynthesis in the cells.

• When a plan it watered, the water collects in the vacuole of the plant cells. This helps the cells to stay rigid, which keeps the plant from wilting. The vacuole then helps maintain the shape of the plant.

• The Cell wall also helps give the plant its shape and keep it rigid.

• The color of flowers comes from pigments that are also contained in the vacuoles.

• The green color of plants comes from Chlorophyll.

CellsPlantAnimal

CellsPlantAnimal

Vacuole Contains Cell Waste

Holds ShapeStores Water

RibosomesSynthesize Proteins Composed of RNA

cytoplasm

Cell membrane

Nucleolus

Rough ERSmooth ER

Golgi ApparatusMitochondria

nucleus

Chromatin

Chloroplast - Photosynthesislysosome

centrioles Cell Wall

Use the information you collected from your scientist notebook to answer the following questions…

How do you know plant and animal cells are not the same?-Describe the major organelles that a plant and animal cell have in common. -Describe the major organelles that a plant and animal cell don’t have in common.

Why does a plant cell have a cell wall?

Why do animals cells not have chloroplast?

Quick Write

Claims and Evidence

• Focus Question:– How do we know that animal and plant cells are not

the same?

I claim that… I claim this because…

Conclusion• Revisit your original prediction and explain

whether the evidence from our investigation supports it or not.

Reflection• Respond to some of the following

– What really surprised you– What new questions do you have– What would you really like to know more

about

The Building Blocks of Life: Cells