Nicole Smock

What are the Structures Found in Plant Cells?

Relevant SOLs: Science Standard 5.5
The student will investigate and understand that organisms are made of one or more cells and have
distinguished characteristics that play a vital role in the organisms ability to survive and thrive in its
environment. Key concepts include
a) basic cell structures and functions
Materials:

Sandwich bags
Bouncy balls
Water balloons
Green grapes
Vegetable oil

Engage:
Have all of the materials out, portioned, and ready for the students to use. Explain to the students that
although real plant cells are too small to hold in their hands, today they will be making a life size plant
cell to keep! Tell the students that all of the materials used are found around the house, and that each
one of the materials represents a different structure in the plant cell. Take time to review the six plant
cell structures discussed in 5th grade, the nucleus, cell wall, cell membrane, vacuole, chloroplast, and
cytoplasm. Before beginning the activity together as a class, show the students the teacher sample of
what the end product will look like. Allow the students to gather all of their materials before starting
the activity.
Explore: 3D Plant Cell Model
1. Have the students open up one sandwich bag and pour almost their entire cup of vegetable oil
into the bag, only leaving about an inch of oil in the cup. Tell the students that the vegetable oil
represents the cytoplasm of the plant cell.
2. Have the students add the bouncy ball into the sandwich bag and explain to them that the ball
represents the nucleus of the plant cell.
3. Have the students add three or four green grapes into the sandwich bag. Explain to the students
that the green grapes represent the chloroplasts found in a plant cell.
4. Allow the students to fill their balloons with water and tie them, so that the water balloon is
about two to three times larger than the nucleus bouncy ball. Tell the students that the water
balloon represents the vacuole inside of the plant cell.
5. After adding these materials, have the students close the sandwich bag completely and place it
inside of the second sandwich bag. Instruct the students to add their remaining vegetable oil in
the space between the two bags and close the second sandwich bag completely. Explain to the
students that the oil between the two bags represents the semi-permeable cell membrane of the
plant cell, and the second sandwich bag represents the cell wall of the plant cell.

Explain: Ask students the following questions

1. How do the structures found in the 3D plant cell appear to be physically different from one
another?
2. How do the structures found in the 3D plant cell appear to be physically similar to one
another?
3. What do we know about the function and characteristics of the nucleus that provides us a
reason as to why the bouncy ball represents that structure in our 3D model?
4. What do we know about the function and characteristics of the cell wall that provides us a
reason as to why the outer sandwich bag represents that structure in our 3D model?
5. What do we know about the function and characteristics of the cell membrane that provides
us a reason as to why the oil between the two sandwich bags represents that structure in our
3D model?
6. What do we know about the function and characteristics of the vacuole that provides us a
reason as to why the water balloon represents that structure in our 3D model?
7. What do we know about the function and characteristics of the chloroplast that provides us a
reason as to why the green grapes represent that structure in our 3D model?
8. What do we know about the function and characteristics of the cytoplasm that provides us a
reason as to why the vegetable oil represents that structure in our 3D model?
Expansion: Complete 3D Plant Cell
When the students have mastered the six structures and their related functions that are discussed in the
5th grade living systems SOL, they can add the remaining structures that are found in a plant cell.
Although this is not described in the 5th grade SOL, this expansion will provide the students with extra
knowledge that will be discussed in later science courses. The follow materials can be added to the
plant cell 3D model, and the teacher can briefly state the function of each without focusing too much on
detail.

Three or four mandarin orange slices to represent the mitochondria

A few pipe cleaner pieces to represent the endoplasmic reticulum
A few pieces of ribbon candy to represent the golgi apparatus
A handful of sesame seeds to represent the free ribosomes in the cytoplasm
One small marble to represent the centrosome

Evaluate:
Have the students independently fill out the worksheet that relates to the 3D plant cell model that was
created. This worksheet will be turned in to the teacher to use as an assessment tool to evaluate where
the students stand on their knowledge of the structures, and the associated functions, of the plant cell.
Students will be given back this worksheet after the teacher has reviewed it, and will place it in their
interactive science notebooks. The students will be allowed to take their 3D plant cell model home at
the end of the day to keep and use as a study tool.

Name _______________________________

What are the Structures Found in Plant Cells?

1. ___________ represents the nucleus in the 3D plant cell. The function of this structure is
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________ represents the cell wall in the 3D plant cell. The function of this structure is
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
3. ___________ represents the cell membrane in the 3D plant cell. The function of this structure is
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
4. ___________ represents the vacuole in the 3D plant cell. The function of this structure is
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. ___________ represents the chloroplasts in the 3D plant cell. The function of this structure is
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. ___________ represents the cytoplasm in the 3D plant cell. The function of this structure is
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Draw and label a plant cell with the six structures we have discussed.