Science Activities for Tissue, Organs & Cells
In multicellular life, cells make up tissues, tissues make up organs, organs are a part of organ systems, and organ systems work together in organisms. Understanding the relationship among cells, tissues and organs is vital to comprehending individuals in a species, as well as the hierarchical relationships that exist among species in communities, biomes and ecosystems. Well-crafted science activities encourage students to discover the details of how cells, tissues and organs function and interrelate.
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Cell Science Activities
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Cell science activities should start with having students make models of animal and plant cells. These models should include detail of the organelles and structures that make up each cell, and demonstrate the differences between plant and animal cells. For making models, be creative with media. You can use, for example, colored clay or pizza toppings. Another effective activity is having students use dye to stain cells in various stages of meiosis or mitosis. The students should observe the stained cells under a microscope to better understand the differences between cell division and reproduction. If you don't have the resources for cell staining and microscopic study, seek photographic examples to show your students.
Tissue Science Activities
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Tissue science activities should encourage understanding of various tissue types. Since human organs are composed of connective, epithelial, muscle and nerve tissues, students should begin by exploring these. One of the best exploration activities for understanding the various tissues in the human body is to prepare and observe tissues of each type. Students should stain each tissue type with appropriate dye (iodine is an inexpensive choice) and study each under the microscope. Students can make sketches to use later for tissue labeling, analysis and comparison. In a classroom that does not have access to the resources necessary for this project, provide your students with medical or scientific resources that present the different tissue types.
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Organ Science Activities
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Organ science activities should explore how specific organs are structured, how they function within a body, and how they relate to the organism as a whole. Organ structure activities include labeling organs and creating simple structural models. Organ function activities include creating models that highlight the function of various organs. For example, create a model of the lungs and diaphragm with balloons and a plastic jug. Organ relationship activities include either authentic or virtual dissection of organisms, such as frogs and fetal pigs.
Cell, Tissue and Organ Activities
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To stress the hierarchal nature of cells, tissues and organs, include special activities to demonstrate how they interrelate. Students can construct models from either paper or clay to demonstrate how the parts relate. In addition, students can make structural trees to depict the hierarchical relationship.
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References
Resources
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