CELLS assignment

Activity 2.1a: Viewing an animal cell
Key question
What is found inside an animal cell?
What you need
i) prepared slides of an animal cell
ii) raw egg without a shell in a clear shallow container
iii) microscope
iv) notebook
v) pen /pencil

What to do
1. Observe the raw egg in a dish. Identify the different layers.
i) How many layers are you able to distinguish?
ii) What is the relative position of the layers you have seen?
iii) Record the information from (i) and (ii) above in the table below. You will use it later in this activity.
2. Observe the prepared slide of an animal cell. (Ask the teacher to help you view the cell under a microscope).
3. Now compare the observation of the prepared slide with that of the raw egg.
Raw egg Animal cell
Number of layers
Size of layers
Position of layers

Key questions
1. What are the specialised cells in your body, and in a plant?
2. How are they adapted to their functions?
What you need
i) Notebook
ii) Pencil

iii) Four sets of cards:
a. The first set is of pictures of five types of specialised cells
b. The second set has the special features of each specialised
cell
c. The third set gives the functions of each specialised cell
d. The fourth set has the names of each of the specialised cells
Set one: Specialised cells

Set two: Feature/ structure of a specialised cell
– Has a tail
– Can change its shape
– Has a regular shape with many chloroplasts
– It is narrow and long providing a large surface area
– Flat biconcave shape and no nucleus
Set three: Functions of a particular specialised cell.
– To trap much sunlight to enable the cell carryout
photosynthesis.
– To penetrate soil and absorb water and mineral salts.
– To provide a large surface area to absorb and carry oxygen from
the lungs to respiring cells.
– To engulf foreign particles and destroy them in order to defend
the body.
– To propel/swim to the egg cell and fertilise it.
Set four: Name of the cell
– Sperm cell
– Palisade cell
– Red blood cell
– Root hair cell
– White blood cell

What to do
1. In pairs, study the cards carefully.
2. Observe each specialized cell, match it with the correct statement on the card of the specialised feature and the card with the particular function.
3. Select from the list of names, the one you think matches a particular specialised cell.
4. Record your work in the table below. Present your work to the rest of the class.

Activity of Integration
You have been asked to give a talk to the Primary seven class of your former school. The talk is about importance of plants to man. The Primary seven class already knows that plants make food but they do not know the details of the structures involved in the process. Your task is to write down (in not more than 100 words) how you would explain this in your talk using your knowledge of Biology. You can use the image below during your talk.