Plant and animal cells under the microscope
Label the parts of a plant cell and an animal cell, find out what each part does, and discover which parts only plant cells have.
Core concept
Plant and animal cells both have a nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane and mitochondria; only plant cells have a cell wall, chloroplasts and a large central vacuole
Topic: Cells
All living things are made of cell: The tiny building block that every living thing is made of. All key words. Under a microscope, onion skin cells look like neat rectangles, and cheek cells look like irregular blobs. Both kinds have a nucleus that controls the cell, jelly-like cytoplasm where chemical reactions happen, a thin cell membrane that controls what enters and leaves, and mitochondria that release energy: What is needed to make things move, heat up, light up or grow. All key words by respiration. Plant cells also have a tough cell wall made of cellulose that gives them a fixed shape, a large central vacuole full of cell sap that keeps them firm, and, in the green parts, chloroplasts that make food by photosynthesis: How green plants make their own food from light, water and carbon dioxide. All key words.
What you will learn
- Label the parts of plant and animal cells.
- Describe the job of each part.
- List the differences between plant and animal cells.
Before you start
- Know that living things are made of cells.
Materials
- Prepared slides of onion skin and cheek cells, or microscope images
Equipment
- Compound microscope
Procedure
- Choose a part name card and find out what it does and which cells have it.
- Place it on the matching letter on the cells.