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Cells: The Building Blocks of Life

Students discover that every living thing — from a blade of grass to a blue whale — is made of cells, and explore the tiny parts inside a cell that keep it alive and working.

Grade 6Cells55 minutes1 class period5E ModelExplicit teaching4 StandardsCommon Core
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Know all living things are made of cells.
  • ✓Name key cell parts (organelles).
  • ✓Explain what each part does.
  • ✓Compare plant and animal cells.
Essential Question

You are made of trillions of them, but you’ve never seen one without a microscope. What is a cell, and what’s inside it?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Cell Diagram · Interactive

Inside a Cell

Project this and tap each part of the cell. Have students learn the job of the membrane, nucleus, cytoplasm, and mitochondria.

🔬 Tap each cell part — explore inside a cellTry it
Tap a part of the cell to explore it!
The Lesson · 5E Model

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Engage — Too Small to See

5 min

You’re made of trillions of tiny living units — what are they?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show cells under a microscope image.
  • Ask what everything living is made of.
  • Set the goal: cells.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look at cells.
  • Wonder what they are.
  • Predict the idea.
2

Explore — Inside a Cell

12 min

Students investigate.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Inside a Cell.
  • Tap each part.
  • Record its job.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each part.
  • Record the job.
  • Name the organelle.
3

Explain — Organelles at Work

13 min

Teacher explains.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Explain membrane, nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondria.
  • Compare to a factory.
  • Note DNA is in the nucleus.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Explain each part.
  • Use the factory idea.
  • Locate the DNA.
4

Elaborate — Plant vs. Animal Cells

12 min

Compare.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Add cell wall and chloroplasts for plants.
  • Compare plant and animal cells.
  • Explain why plants have chloroplasts.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Compare the cells.
  • Name plant-only parts.
  • Explain chloroplasts.
5

Evaluate — Exit Ticket

5 min

Three quick checks.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Hand out the exit ticket.
  • Look for parts + functions.
  • Collect as formative data.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name a part.
  • Give its job.
  • Compare cells.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core literacy. State-standard crosswalks available on request.

NGSS
MS-LS1-1

Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells.

NGSS
MS-LS1-2

Develop a model of a cell to describe the function of its parts.

NGSS
MS-LS1-3

Argue that the body is a system of interacting subsystems of cells.

CCSS
RI.6.7

Integrate information presented in different media or formats.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Cell-part labels with a diagram.
  • Sentence frame: “The ___ does ___.”
  • Use a cell-as-factory analogy.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Focus on membrane, nucleus, mitochondria.
  • Provide a labeled cell diagram.
  • Match part to job.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Build a 3-D cell model.
  • Compare plant and animal cells in detail.
  • Research another organelle.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 📓Science notebooks
  • 💻Inside a Cell
  • 🔬A microscope (optional)
  • 🖍️Colored pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

cellthe basic unit of lifeorganellea part inside a cellcell membranethe outer boundary of a cellnucleusthe control center holding DNAcytoplasmthe fluid filling the cellmitochondriathe energy-making organellecell walla stiff layer in plant cellschloroplastmakes food in plant cells
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What part of the cell is its control center and holds the DNA?
The nucleus.
QUESTION 2
What is the job of the mitochondria?
To make energy for the cell (the “powerhouse”).
QUESTION 3
Name one part a plant cell has that an animal cell does not.
A cell wall (or chloroplasts).

Going deeper? Build a cell model.

Have students build a 3-D model of a cell (with clay or craft materials) and label each organelle. A printable cell-model guide is in the Science library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 CellsFlip
Card 1
Term
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Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 CellsQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ CellsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: cell, cell membrane, cell wall, chloroplast, cytoplasm, mitochondria, nucleus, organelle
  1. the control center holding DNA
  2. a stiff layer in plant cells
  3. the basic unit of life
  4. a part inside a cell
  5. the energy-making organelle
  6. the fluid filling the cell
  7. makes food in plant cells
  8. the outer boundary of a cell

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What part of the cell is its control center and holds the DNA?
  2. What is the job of the mitochondria?
  3. Name one part a plant cell has that an animal cell does not.
Answer key — Part A: 1) nucleus · 2) cell wall · 3) cell · 4) organelle · 5) mitochondria · 6) cytoplasm · 7) chloroplast · 8) cell membrane
Part B: 1) The nucleus. 2) To make energy for the cell (the “powerhouse”). 3) A cell wall (or chloroplasts).