Name___________________________________________ Date__________________
Cell Analogy Project
Introduction:
Each individual cell operates much like a city, a business, a home, or a school
does. Each organelle in the cell does a job that allows the whole cell to function properly.
There are many different jobs that have to be done in order for a city business, school,
etc. to run smoothly. There must be a waste management system that deals with trash.
Could you imagine what a city, home, or business would be like if there wasn’t anyone
picking up the trash? In this project, you are going to compare the organelles in a cell to
the functions of other objects that are needed to run a city, home, business, or school.
You and your partners will design a project where you will need to research the
organelles to deepen your understanding, plan what the pieces to your project will look
like, and then build/design all the parts of your city, home, etc. that correspond to the
organelles in a cell.
Organelle List: Chloroplast, Nucleus, Lysosome, Vacuole, Endoplasmic Reticulum,
Golgi apparatus, Cell Membrane, Cell wall, Cytoplasm, Mitochondria, chromosomes,
ribosomes.
Instructions:
 Step 1: Research the functions of the organelles that are found within the
cell.
 Step 2: Plan your city/home/business:
o Decide what Parts of you will need for the cell type you chose.
Cell Organelle
Organelle Function
Similar to a ____
because it ________.
Instructions Continued:
 Step 3: Choose whether you want to do a plant cell or animal cell
 Step 4: Build your city:
o Decide what Parts of a city you will need for the cell type you chose
o On a poster board provided, draw, design, cut-out your city parts and
organize them on the poster like a real city or business would be
organized.
o Label each part of the city and underneath it in parentheses label the
organelle it represents. Ex. City Hall (nucleus), Principal’s Office
(nucleus).
 Step 5: In the left corner of your poster draw an actual cell.
Grading Rubric:
1.Properly matching each organelle with a city part
________5 pts
2. Choosing the right organelles for Plant vs. Animal
________5 pts
3. Designing a city with all the parts represented on a poster
________20 pts
4. Labeling all parts of the city with their correct organelle
________5 pts
5. Overall quality, effort, neatness, timeliness, etc.
________10 pts
6. Cell colored and labeled in the left corner
________5 pts
7.Total Point value
________/50 pts