Science
Lesson 6
Lesson Title: Cells Made Alive: The Rhythm of Life- Part 2
Synopsis:
Working in groups of 3 – 4, students will research the functions of each cell organelle, create drawings of the organelles, and design a PowerPoint presentation of their work. They will then add rhythms to their PowerPoint and convert it into a QuickTime movie for a class presentation.
Authors: Valerie Orway and Stefani Langol
Interdisciplinary Pairing:
- Primarily Science
- Secondary subjects include:
- Music
- Multimedia
- Technology
- Graphic Design (Art)
Objectives:
- Students will recognize the difference between a plant and animal cell.
- Students will recognize and draw each cell organelle.
- Students will analyze the function of each organelle.
- Students will produce a PowerPoint presentation with their cell drawings.
- Students will convert their PowerPoint presenation to a QuickTime movie.
- Students will open the QuickTime movie in sequencing or recording software such as GargaeBand (Mac) or Home Studio (PC) and add rhythm tracks that characterize each cell organelle.
- Students will present their work to the class as a QuickTime movie.
Intended Grade Level:
Middle School
Prior Knowledge & Skills:
- Knowledge of the basic cell structure and the function of the various organelles.
- Knowledge of PowerPoint or other slide show software is helpful.
Equipment:
- Computers with PowerPoint or other slide show software program.
- Computers with sequencing or recording software such as GarageBand (Mac), Home Studio(PC) or Acid (PC).
- Projector or other means to project presentations from a computer.
- Digital camera or scanner to scan drawings
- Optional: Digital photo editing software such as iPhoto, Photoshop Elements, etc.
Materials:
- Paper for drawing.
- Color pencils, crayons, marker.
Duration:
The recommended duration for completing this lesson is 3-4 class periods.
Procedure:
- Students will complete drawings of each cell organelle mentioned in Lesson 4.
- Students will write an analogy to describe the function of each organelle as directed in Lesson 2. For example, the mitochondrion is to the cell as an engine is to a car.
- Following the directions in Lesson 5, students will scan their drawings into PowerPoint. Each slide will introduce an organelle while the analogy will be typed into a text box. Each group will also design a title page which includes their names and an indication of whether their cell is a plant or animal cell.
- On the last slide, bring all the cell organelles together inside a cell to create a complete diagram of a cell with its organelles within.
- In this final lesson, students will save their completed PowerPoint as a QuickTime movie.
- Students will open up their QuickTime movie in sequencing or recording software such as GarageBand (Mac), Home Studio (PC), or Cubase (Mac and PC) and will choose from 36 rhythm loops (loops are provided). Using these rhythm loops, the students will add a unique rhythm to each cell organelle on separate tracks. These rhythms will blend together and culminate in a dynamic rhythmic cell.
- Students will save their rhythm sound track to their QuickTime movie.
- Students will present their cell movies to the class.
Evaluation:
- Use attached rubric as a guideline for assessing student work.
- Completed QuickTime movie.
Lesson Extension(s):
- Replicate the project for another cell analogy project. If the student did a plant cell, have the student complete the cell analogy project using an animal cell.
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