Introduction:
Playdough is a creative and versatile tool that can be used in the classroom. I will show you how you can use Playdough to create a plant and an animal cell. Students will use several different colors to make the organelles for each cell. This activity could be incorporated into a unit on cell structure and function. The organelles for both cells will be color coded to help identify the structures. Along with colors, each organelle will have a specific shape. The shapes will resemble that of the actual organelle. A cell diagram will be given to each student to use throughout the activity. Prepare each lab station with all the materials the students will need to complete the exercise. The students will use the list below to help create each organelle.
Materials: ❑ 8-12 different colors of Playdough ❑ plastic knife ❑ Cell diagrams ❑ Description of each organelles’ function
Procedure:
This lab is worth 25 points; 10 points for the playdough model, 15 for the drawn figure and functions.
1. Use the playdough provided to complete a plant cell.
2. You will need to use the cell diagram provided to get an idea of how each organelle should look.
3. The colors for each organelle are listed below. The cytoplasm is white and should be used as the base for the cell. The other structures will be placed on the white portion.
4. Once you have completed your cell, draw the cell on a piece of paper to be handed in later.
5. The drawing of the cell will need to have the organelles labeled as well as the function written out.
Plant cell: ❑ Cell wall light green ❑ Cell membrane pink ❑ Golgi Apparatus orange ❑ Mitochondria yellow ❑ Chloroplast green ❑ Nucleus brown ❑ RER red ❑ Ribosome black ❑ Cytoplasm white ❑ Central vacuole