Lesson 1: Cell Structure & Organelle Micro-Machines
Use organelle evidence to explain how specialised plant and animal cells carry out their roles.
60-minute plan: retrieval 5 · media 10 · evidence task 25 · portfolio 15 · exit check 5
🎯 Ngā Whāinga Akoranga | Learning Intentions
The structural features and specialised functions of organelles in plant and animal eukaryotic cells (nucleus, mitochondria, chloroplasts, ER, Golgi, lysosomes, cell membrane, cell wall).
Annotate high-contrast electron micrograph diagrams, compare plant vs animal cells, and construct an organelle structure-function matrix.
🎥 Media Anchor & Pedagogical Scaffold
Biology: Cell Structure I Nucleus Medical Media
Video: Nucleus Medical Media (full runtime: 7m 21s).
🧠 1. Before Viewing (Activate & Predict)
Why do eukaryotic cells require internal membrane-bound compartments (organelles) while prokaryotic bacteria do not?
👁️ 2. During Viewing (Watch With a Job)
- Watch for: Identify the role of the endomembrane system (ER to Golgi) in protein synthesis.
- Watch for: Contrast the double-membrane structures of mitochondria and chloroplasts with single-membrane organelles.
- Watch for: Record two structural differences between the plant and animal cells shown.
🗣️ 3. After Viewing & Kaiako Move (Process & Apply)
Kaiako move: After viewing, ask pairs to choose one cell role and predict which organelle would be unusually abundant.
Immediate task: Open Learner Evidence Pack · Sheet 1.
⚡ Whakaoho | Do Now: Cell Recall Challenge (5 mins)
Two cells, same organelles, wildly different amounts. A pancreas cell that secretes digestive enzymes is packed with rough endoplasmic reticulum. A skin cell has very little.
Two minutes: name the job a pancreas cell does that a skin cell does not, then say which organelle that job needs and why. You are working out the rule that organelle quantity follows cell function — hold onto it, it explains most of this unit.
📖 Activity 1: Core Process Investigation & Diagram Analysis (25 mins)
Read the cell backwards (15 min). Use the four supplied cell profiles. For each, identify the most useful structural evidence, infer the cell role and justify the inference with a structure → function chain.
Source-boundary task (10 min). Compare what an approved harakeke cell image can show with what the named Science Learning Hub and Te Papa sources establish. Record one microscopy observation, one source-based statement and one question that requires local iwi or school guidance.
Supplied inputs
- Learner Evidence Pack · Sheet 1 — four cell profiles and harakeke source-boundary prompts
- Microscopes & Cells reference — optional diagram support
📝 Activity 2: Portfolio evidence (15 mins)
Complete Portfolio Section 1: label one specialised cell, explain two structure–function links, and add the knowledge-source note. Finish with a one-sentence exit check: organelle quantity follows cell function because…
🏫 Kaiako Planning & Pedagogy Notes
Level 2 Biology focus: connect structural differences to the functioning of a cell and organism. The portfolio is formative, not the external assessment.
Paired concept in Mechanism & Exam Synthesis: organelle structure & function →