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.