Dec 2022/Jan 2023
After spending the fall learning about body systems, we zoomed in to see what those systems and organs are made of. Students found the answers to many questions through reading, discussion, and investigation. Some of the questions they tackled were: Is everything made of cells? What are the different types of cells? What are cells made of? Can stuff get in and out of cells? What do cells need to grow/divide? How do they grow/divide? The culminating questions were: What actually happens when we heal and when we grow? They applied their knowledge and observations of cells to write their answers.
Plant Cells
Preparing slides with red onions
Can stuff get in/out of cells?
salt water vs water on onion skin
Observing
observing changes in onion cells in plain or salt water
Students peeled a one-celled thick layer of onion skin to observe under the microscope in plain water and then salt water
Plain Water vs Salt Water
The cell membrane shrank when placed in salt water, proving substances can get in and out of a cell
What does bacteria need to grow/reproduce?
Students grew bacteria on petri dishes
After collecting data for several days, they graphed it in Google Sheets and analyzed it.
How do cells grow and divide?
