Grade 5 Cells Unit: Lesson plan

Unit essential questions: How do the parts of cells help the cell maintain life?
What makes cells function differently?
What may cause a part of the cell not to function properly?
How is homeostasis maintained?

Lesson question: How big are cells and what are they?

Common Core or other appropriate standard:

Standard 4: The Living Environment
Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to
the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas
in science.
Key Idea 1: Living things are both similar to and different from each other and from
nonliving things.
1.1a Living things are composed of cells. Cells provide structure and carry on major
functions to sustain life. Cells are usually microscopic in size.

Lesson objective: Assessment:

Student will identify the size of cells. Student notebook drawings of cells and their
parts and exit ticket
Students will describe how cells provide Students will identify cells, their parts, and
structure and function to support life. how they do to support life

Opening: Write on the board the following four items, and then say A dog, a rose, a baby, and a
starfish. What do all these things have in common? Write student responses on the board and
encourage them to generate ideas. After 7 to 8 responses explain that you were looking for a
similarity so tiny you would need a microscope to see it.

Procedure: Discuss how cells make up every living thing and without cells living thinks could
not function, then lead into a presentation of the cells PowerPoint and discuss the cell parts. Have
students write into their notebooks the rules of cell theory and the names of cell parts with
student generated definitions as the PowerPoint is presented. Talk about each part of the cell and
its importance in sustaining life.

Tiered by product: (product, challenge, complexity, resources, outcome, or process)

3 different tiers
Tier 1: Exit Ticket: Using the chart on slide 37 of the PowerPoint and notes in your book, select
one of the cells to draw: the plant, animal, or bacterium cell. Identify its parts and tell why cells
are important for life. Select true or false for the following statement: Cells are usually
microscopic in size.

Tier 2: Exit Ticket: Using the chart on slide 37 of the PowerPoint and notes in your book select
two of the cells: the plant, animal, or bacterium cell. Create a Venn diagram to illustrate the
differences and similarities between the two cells. Identify one tool you can use to see cells and
describe why the cells have different parts.

Tier 3: Using your notes from your note book explain why chloroplast is only found in plant
cells. Develop an explanation for this process.

Closure: Present the Cells, Cells-Parts of Cells Rap song as the students pick up and complete
their notebooks

Materials: science notebook, Cells song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zafJKbMPA8 , cells

PowerPoint, exit tickets
Name______________________________________ Date______________

Instructions: Using the chart and your notes, select one of the cells to draw: the plant, animal, or
bacterium cell and identify its parts.

Why are cells important for life?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

True or False Cells are usually microscopic in size.

Name______________________________________ Date______________

Instructions: Using your notes and the formula for photosynthesis explain why chloroplast is
only found in plant cells and develop an explanation for the process of photosynthesis.

( H2O + CO2 + nutrients CH2O + O2)

Name______________________________________ Date______________

Instructions: Using the chart and your notes, select two of the cells: the plant, animal, or
bacterium cell. Create a Venn diagram to illustrate the differences and similarities between the
two cells.

Identify one tool you can use to see cells and describe why the cells have different parts.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________