Macromolecules and Cells

Evidence of Work

In this unit, we studied the basic units of life and how they make up larger life forms. We started at macromolecules, and then reviewed what we had learned about cells in middle school science. We did two projects in this unit, the first being our macromolecule lab, where we tested different foods for the four different macromolecules, and the second was the cell poster, where we had to demonstrate our knowledge of cell structure, cell membrane structure, and different types of cell transport.

Content

  • Monomer

    • The basic unit of polymers

      • Amino acids

      • Monosaccharides

      • Fatty acids

      • Nucleotides

  • Polymer

    • A chain of monomers, in this case, a macromolecule

  • Macromolecule

    • A molecule that makes up organelles

      • Protein

        • Polypeptide

        • Made of amino acids

        • Builds and repairs tissue

      • Carbohydrate

        • Polysaccharide

        • Made of monosaccharides

        • Provides energy

      • Lipid

        • Made of fatty acids

        • Stores energy

      • Nucleic acid

        • DNA, RNA

        • Made of nucleotides

        • Stores and transfers genetic information

  • Organelle

    • A part of a cell made of macromolecules that does one of the necessary cell functions

      • Cell membrane

        • Provides form and structure to cell, lets substances in and out

      • Vacuole

      • Nucleus

      • Nucleolus

      • Cytoplasm

      • Mitochondria

      • Ribosome

      • Rough endoplasmic reticulum

      • Smooth endoplasmic reticulum

      • Golgi body

      • Cell wall

        • Plant cell only

        • Protects outside of cell

      • Chloroplast

        • Plant cell only

        • Contain chlorophyll, responsible for photosynthesis

  • Cell

    • Made of organelles, make up tissues

    • Specialize into necessary cells

  • Tissue

    • Made of cells, make up organs

      • Epithelial

        • Form barrier by connecting cell membranes or walls

      • Muscular

        • Make up cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscles

      • Connective

        • Make up bone, blood, and cartilage

      • Nervous

        • Make up the nervous system

  • Organ

    • Made of tissues, make up organ systems

    • Perform necessary life functions

  • Organ system

    • Systems of organs helping each other perform different tasks

  • Organism

    • A collection of all of the above.

Reflection

This unit was a success, I would say. Personally, I don't find biology as appealing as physics and engineering, but I wouldn't say I was bored during this unit. While testing foods to macromolecules, I discovered that contrary to what I have previously thought, I have decent Collaboration skills. This especially became essential when we were almost out of time to finish and had 4 people to do 3 different things. I also learned that if need be, I can step up to lead a little and demonstrate Communication skills. I saw this while making the poster, because I had to take charge a little bit more, changing from being guided through a project to the one doing the guiding.

However, nothing ever goes without some negatives. These projects did not really allow me to demonstrate Critical Thinking skills. These were both instruction-based and did not take too much actual thought. Also, I used no Conscientious Learner skills, since time planning and distribution was terrible. During the macromolecule lab, we had to rush to finish before break.