CELLS (Natural Sciencie Year 5 Unit 1)

We are learning about living things. In the last lessons we were talking about The Characteristics of Living Things. Just take three minutes to remind and share your learning with your group mates and your class.

Now we are going to take a step forward in the organization of living things we are going to learn about the smallest part in a living thing. Do you know what it is?

Let's have a look to this video and think on it using a THINKING ROUTINE: I see - I think - I wonder

DO YOU KNOW NOW WHAT IT IS THE SMALLEST PART OF A LIVING THING?

Animal Cell Cross Section Model, Divinemercy, (CC BY-SA 3.0)

YES. We are talking about cells. 

All living things are made of cell. Cell is the smallest unit of live. It is a living thing because it performs the three vital functions: nutrition, interaction and reproduction. 

Let's have a look to the following video and try to answer these questions:

• What parts of the cell do you hear at the song?
• What are the function of these parts?
• Are there any difference between an animal cell and the plant cell?

All the cells have:

• Nucleus: contains the material necessary to reproduce the cell and to assign the activities of the cell.
• Cytoplasm: is inside the cell, It is a viscous liquid qich the organelles float in. 
• Organelles: perform various cell funtions, such us manufacturing chemicals and obtaining energy.
• Cell membrane is the outer shell of the cell and takes part in the interaction fuction. 

The plant cells have:

• Cell wall: is a rigid structures that surrounds the cell membrane and protects the cell. 
• Chloroplast: are green organelles that capture light and produce nutrients.

LET'S INVESTIGATE: why do the plant cells have chloroplast?

The following website will help you:

• Biology4kids: Chloroplast

The following games will help you to fix your knowledge about cells. 

• Shephard Software's: Cell games. 

Now it is time to fix your learning in your notebook. Let's draw the two cells, plant and animal ones, label them and write down the differences between them.