Sixth grade students recently presented their models of the cell and they did not disappoint, coming up with more innovative ways to share their projects. As a treasured teaching tool, this project holds steadfast as a reliable way for our students to learn about the functions of the cell organelles. In small groups, students met to research the jobs of each part of the cell and discussed how to represent them in a 3D design in the space of a large shoe box.
For example, the mighty mitochondria would be represented in the model as a battery as they both provide energy. This year, some other ideas showed up in the boxes as well: chargers, lighthouse, LED lights and holiday lights – all exhibiting energy!
Mrs. Andrea Barnett, Middle School science teacher and Science Department Co-Chair, said it’s hard to believe that there are still new ideas out there after so many years of conducting this project. She saluted her students and shared another list of creative solutions that should be applauded:
Vacuole – Gel Caps and sponges; Lysosomes – Candies packed with "chemicals" or a model of a worm (breaks down compost in the soil) or even a toy blender that "breaks stuff down!" A traffic light (gives instructions) or a Lego teacher for the chromatin; Endoplastic Reticulum represented by a plastic turkey to show the protein and fat processing function; an aquarium tank for a cell wall.
After the presentations, the students felt very confident about remembering the cell parts, when at first it was all so intimidating. They discussed the learning process with Mrs. Barnett and how they could use creativity like this to learn information in all of their classes.