Tips for Teaching Cells in Middle School Science

Michelle Rudolph — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 10:15:03 +0000

As science teachers, we can all agree that cells are pretty darn amazing. We have our time to get to know them a bit and learn about how they play such a huge role in our bodies and in every living thing. For our students, it doesn’t always seem so fascinating because teaching cells in middle school science can be such a daunting task. Your cell unit is one of those fundamental units but it can be so difficult for students to grasp. Between learning the difference between prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells and then the difference between plant and animal cells, there is SO much to learn. How do you teach it all? Where do you start? Well, with the right approach it can be an engaging and memorable learning experience for your middle schoolers.

Starting with Levels of Organization

On day 1, when I introduce the cell. I talk to my students about how they are the building blocks of life. Obvious way to describe it, right? Well, I will actually take out some Legos and start building to give them the idea. I show them how it all begins with cells and I start with one Lego. Then, I add more to create tissues. Then more to create organs. Then I add more to create the organ systems and finally the organism. The visual helps them! Starting with levels of organization really helps students see how cells fit in the puzzle. Without them, there is nothing! There is no life!

After my Lego demonstration, we do a quick “Levels of Organization” activity. You can grab this free one in my free resource library here. I usually work on this with my students in a whole group setting.

Another tip for this is to teach the difference between an organ, organelle and organism. Those terms often get very confusing and mixed up for students during this unit!

Cell Theory

“How did anyone even discover cells if they are so tiny?” I get this question a lot which is a perfect segway into teaching cell theory. I know it may be tempting to jump right into organelles and structures, but students really do need more foundation before you dive right into that. Learning about the scientists who led us to the knowledge we have today can really help us understand the cell theory and how these 3 statements will really make sense throughout the school year:

Cells are the basic unit of life.
All cells come from preexisting cells.
All living things are made from cells.

My students will have this memorized pretty quickly. They think I’m a little crazy for it, but that’s okay. They’ll remember it!

After we discuss cell theory, I dive into cell characteristics. I go over the characteristics that all cells have. Students are shocked to learn that our cells have some things in common with bacteria and that some bacteria is actually good for us!

Plants vs Animal Cells

This is when you really need to be sure of the organelles and structures that are essential for you to teach. There are a LOT of structures in the cell and as cool as they all are, middle school students are not required to learn about them all. Once they take Biology, they will learn much more. Stick to what your standards say. Trust me, you don’t want to overwhelm your students. It makes learning more difficult for them and for you.

If you use NGSS, TEKS or Florida standards, the main structures to focus on are:

Nucleus
Mitochondria
Ribosomes
Cytoplasm
Vacuoles
Cell Wall
Chloroplasts
Cell membrane

You especially need to focus on the similarities and differences between animal cells and plant cells. They need to know what structures are in plant cells but not in animal cells. The comparison question always comes up on those standardized tests!

Activities to Teach and Review Cells

The activities you choose for your cells unit play a huge role. You want to make sure they are highly visual and that students can actually see the structures while you explain them.

1. Visual Lesson with Guided Notes

This topic is highly visual. Students are often required to be able to identify cell organelles and structures on diagrams. Specifically, the ones listed above. By giving my students visual guided notes, you can give them the critical information they need while providing visuals that they can later refer back to. When I deliver my notes, I make sure to begin by describing the cell structures that can be found in all cells, then just the structures that can be found in plant cells vs animal cells. I briefly touch on the difference between prokaryotic vs eukaryotic cells.

Throughout the lesson and notes, I provide my students with checkpoint opportunities to make sure they are understanding the content throughout the lesson rather than at the end. This helps me address misconceptions or confusion in the moment rather than going back to reteach the content another day. You can learn more about how to keep your students engaged during direct instruction here.

2. Task Cards

Task cards are my secret weapon for hammering home those critical content pieces and

vocabulary. This is an opportunity for my students to answer fill in the blank, true/false and multiple choice questions. Task cards allow for a target review that allows me to reinforce critical concepts. You can get quick feedback with task cards and they can be used in a variety of ways. One of my favorite ways to use them is by setting up a gallery walk with task cards. You can find task cards for cell theory here and cell organelles/structures here.

3. Stations

Using stations is another great tip for teaching cells in middle school science. Not only will you get some serious student engagement, but you will also get your students up and moving, foster collaboration and foster a variety of student needs. You can learn more about the reasons I love using stations here. When setting up my stations, I provide a different informal assessment method for students to demonstrate what they have learned about cells. Stations include a mini quiz, a drawing option, research opportunities, writing, using microscopes, looking at cells, taking advantage of online simulations, hands-on sorting activities and more. I use different stations for cell theory and cell organelles/structures.

Teaching cells isn’t always easy but you can make it easier by providing students with a variety of activities to keep them engaged and curious to learn more. Make sure to continuously remind students why this topic is so important: they have cells and cells keep them alive and growing!

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