Budding Biotech Program
4th Grade Lab Curriculum
A Biotech Adventure: A two part lab experience for students
Part 1: Cells Come to Life!
Main objective: Students will understand microscopy lead to the discovery of cells and students will learn basic cell
parts/function and view plant cells under the microscope.
Specific Objectives: Students will
1. Review and practice with the microscopes
2. Record cells are building blocks
3. Guess how many cells we have (50-100 trillion)
4. Record that we get half of our first cell from mom and half from dad
5. Learn why cell division is so important
6. Record cells come in different shapes and sizes
7. Describe the first thing Robert Hook found cells in
8. Discuss the difference between us (animals) and plants
9. Label basic plant cell parts and read about their function
10. Answer why we don’t need chloroplasts
11. Be able to find the cell wall, nucleus and chloroplasts under the microscope
WKBG CONNECTION:
All plants at the Garden are made
of plant cells.
At the garden students will learn:
A plant seed has a few cells inside
(called an embryo) that divide to
make a whole plant. Chloroplasts
play a key role in photosynthesis
Content Outline:
 Explain cells are the smallest living things and building blocks of life? Ask if students know what they build together?
 Ask if students like division? Cells do! Explain we all start as one cell, half made by mom and half made by dad.
 Explain that one cell divides so much that eventually it creates a whole organism…like us!
 Give examples of different kinds of cells in our bodies. Let the students try to guess. Explain that , like a soccer team,
each type of cell has a special role.
 Explain Robert Hooke was first scientist to see cells in a cork. Ask if anyone has seen a cork? He named them cells
because they were stacked together and looked like prison cells. Draw stacked cells on board.
 Go over the BIG differences between plants and animals, let the students add on. Go over the BIG differences
between plant and animal cells (plants have a cell wall and chloroplasts)
 Go over the basic parts of a plant cell and their function. Let students read these out loud to the group.
 Help students find these parts on the plant cell slides, sketch them and write down which parts they could find.
Vocabulary words:
cell
tissue
organ
Robert Hook
cell division
cell teamwork
cell wall
chloroplasts
nucleus
cytoplasm
mitochondria
Material Required:
Student microscopes
plant cell model
elodea
slides
cover slips
tweezers
two other plant cell
slides
Budding Biotech Lab
Manual
Budding Biotech Program
4th Grade Lab Curriculum
A Biotech Adventure: A two part lab experience for students
Part 2: Introduction to Biotechnology
Main objective: Students will be introduced to biotechnology with a general definition and uses. Students will perform a
basic biotech technique, DNA extraction.
Specific Objectives: Students will
1. Define biotechnology
2. Discuss 3 uses
3. Define DNA
4. Explain where DNA is found
5. Define genes
6. List traits from their own DNA
7. Identify the words that make up biotechnology
8. Perform a DNA extraction
9. Take notes on the extraction
10. Complete review questions from A Biotech Adventure
11. Read out loud how scientists, farmers and doctors use biotechnology
WKBG CONNECTION:
The students will see wheat at the
Garden and discuss germination.
Students will learn about tobacco and
the TMV at the garden. Students will
learn the definition of biotechnology
and it’s uses at the Garden.
Content Outline:
 Define biotechnology and discuss how humans have been using it for thousands of years
 Explain the three major uses today
 Explain the structure of DNA (use model) and it’s location in the cell and discuss size
 Explain that DNA is a special code for our genes, discuss traits that our genes give us
 Lead students through the word scramble and explain how biotechnology got it’s name
 Discuss that a DNA extraction is taking the DNA out of a cell’s nucleus- discuss size again
 Lead the class through the DNA extraction and let students describe and feel the DNA
 Discuss uses after the DNA is extracted
 Lead students through the review and discuss who uses biotechnology
Vocabulary Words:
biotechnology
DNA
pipette
Material required
DNA model
wheat germ
beaker
genes
traits
extraction
wheat germ
beaker
graduated cylinder
graduated cylinder
pipette
stir sticks
alcohol
detergent
scale
Budding Biotech
Manual