ANIMAL & PLANT CELL LAB
Name
Period
Date
 Nuclear membrane (envelope)
ANIMAL CELL (Epithelial Cells)
Directions: Obtain a microscope and the “generalized animal
cell slide.” The cells you are looking at are called epithelial
cells. Epithelial cells are sheets of tightly packed cells that line
organs and body cavities like the stomach, intestines, and
urinary tract. Epithelial cells will be the animal cell specimen
for this lab. Find the specimen first using the scanning (red)
objective lens and the coarse adjustment knob. After the
specimen is in focus, then move up to the low power
(yellow) objective lens.
1. Draw / Sketch an animal cell under both LOW
MAGNIFICATION and HIGH MAGNIFICATION.
Low Power – (Yellow Objective) – 10 X
High Power – (Blue Objective) – 40 X
2. Label the following parts on your sketches:
 Nucleus
 Cell (plasma) membrane
 Cytoplasm
1. Refer to your sketches. What is the typical shape of an
animal epithelial cell?
2. Which cell part gives animal cells their shape?
3. In class, we learned all cells have mitochondria. Using a
complete sentence, please write a possible explanation as
to why you did not see any mitochondria when you looked
at the animal cell under the microscope.
Total Magnification:
4. Are the epithelial cells you looked at under the microscope
tightly packed or loosely packed?
Total Magnification:
Animal Cell Analysis
Circle One:
Tightly packed
Loosely packed
5. After reading the information found on the previous page,
where are epithelial cells found?
PLANT CELL (Elodea)
Directions: Obtain a microscope and the Elodea plant cell
slide. Elodea is a freshwater plant native to North America. It is
also sometimes called the “American Waterweed.” Elodea will
be the plant cell specimen for this lab. Find the specimen first
using the scanning (red) objective lens and the coarse
adjustment knob. After the specimen is in focus, then move up
to the low power (yellow) objective lens.
6. Using a complete sentence and the information in parts
4a and 4b, please try to create a hypothesis as to what the
function of epithelial cells might be.
1. Draw / Sketch a plant cell under both LOW
MAGNIFICATION and HIGH MAGNIFICATION.
Low Power – (Yellow Objective) – 10 X
High Power – (Blue Objective) – 40 X
2. Label the following parts on your sketches:
 Chloroplast
 Cell wall
 Nucleus
 Cytoplasm
Plant Cell Analysis
1. Which structures can you use as evidence to classify the
specimen as a “plant cell”?
2. Did you see all of the structures under the microscope that
you listed above?
Circle One:
YES
NO
If NO, which one(s) did you NOT see?
Total Magnification:
3. Using a complete sentence, please write a possible
explanation why you did not see all the structures listed in
question 2a.
4. What organelle is responsible for making the Elodea plant
Total Magnification:
green?
5. Refer to your sketches:
a) What is the shape of an Elodea plant cell?
d) Why do you think this structure is only found in plant
b) Which cell part provided that shape?
cells and NOT in animal cells?
c) Using a complete sentence, please explain how the
structure listed above helps the plant to stay upright?
Name: _____________________________ Period: _________ Date: ________________________
Direc ons: Write the organelles in the correct area of the Venn Diagram below. Organelles that both
animal and plant cells share in common should be listed in the middle over-lapping area. Structures that
are only found in plant cells or only found in animal cells should go in the non-over-lapping area.
PLANT ONLY
FOUND IN BOTH
ANIMAL ONLY
WORD BANK
(Plasma) Cell Membrane
Cytoplasm