The Purpose

plastic wrap

pencil shavings

bubble packaging wrap

will enhance understanding of the structure and
Styrofoam peanuts

hard macaroni and other noodle shapes
function of cell structures.

pepper flakes or coffee grounds

beads and bottle caps

large seeds or peanut shells

buttons, batteries

sequins and ribbons

cotton balls or pom-poms
The purpose of building a cell model is to
provide students with a hands-on activity that
When are students
building the cell model
and when is the project
due date?
Over the next 2
weeks students will need to gather supplies
needed to construct their cell models.
Students will build their cell models at home.
The project will be due on Wednesday
 felt pieces or foam pieces
 colored paper
 pins, toothpicks or flags for labeling organelles
Any of these items or other creative craft
objects from around home will work well!
How to Build the Cell Model
The student will choose to either construct a
September 30, 2015.
What types of supplies are needed?
 pipe cleaners or yarn
plant cell or an animal cell. The model will
(you
do not need all of these items- these are
suggestions only)
show the cross section of a cell. A plant cell
needs to be constructed out of a cube of
Styrofoam (or similar object) and an animal
cell needs to be built from half of a Styrofoam

Styrofoam ball or cube (or poster board)

Pasta or cooked spaghetti

aluminum foil, felt, cloth
placed on top of the cube or hemisphere and

clay or play dough
pinned into place with a sewing pin. The pin
ball (or similar object). The organelles can be
must also contain a flag or a banner that
correctly names the organelle and describes
the organelle’s unique function within the cell.
(Typing the flags would be a great idea!) In
the case where you cannot locate a box, foam
ball or cube, students may opt to create a 3D
poster model of their cell, labeling all
organelles as well as organelle functions.
Organelles required for animal cell models:
nucleus, chromosomes, cell membrane, cytoplasm,
vacuoles, and mitochondria.
Organelles required for plant cell models: cell
wall, cell membrane, chloroplast, vacuoles, nucleus,
mitochondria, cytoplasm, and chromosomes.