Inside a Plant Cell

A cell can be described as the fundamental building block of living things. Some microscopic living things are just a single cell, with everything needed for life processes contained within the one cell, and these include bacteria, protozoa, and some algae and fungi.

Multicellular organisms, like plants and animals, have specialised cells for different tissues, for example root cells in plants or muscle cells in animals. In this experience we will look at a typical model plant cell to see some key features and explore them in three-dimensions.

# Learning objectives

1: Be able to identify the organelles in a plant cell.{.info}

2: Be able to describe the function of the organelles in a plant cell.{.info}

3: Be able to outline the similarities and differences between plant and animal cells {.info}

# What’s Inside?{.objective .objective1}

Stepping inside a plant cell, in this section, exploring the cell, students will observe and familiarise them self with the organisation of a typical plant cell. Made up of a range of structures known as organelles, a discussion should be encouraged as the possible use for these parts. This should include shape, size, and location.

# How is it Similar to an Animal Cell?{.objective .objective2}

In this section, each organelle will be described, particularly the ones that plant cells share with animal cells: nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane and mitochondria.

# How is it Different to an Animal Cell?{.objective .objective3}

In this section, the organelles unique to plant cells will be described. These will be highlighted as the difference between animal and plant cells: chloroplasts, cell wall and large permanent vacuole.