During the second term, our clever grade eight scientists were hard at work learning all about cells. In this unit, students learned about the parts of animal and plant cells, biotechnology, and how single cells are able to do all the same things that multicellular organisms (like us) can do. The students learned that the cell membrane, a protective barrier that surrounds every cell, is of paramount importance to the cell. The cell membrane allows many basic life functions to occur. Breathing? Cell membrane! Eating? Cell membrane! Waste excretion? Cell membrane!
How is the cell membrane able to do so many functions? The answer is actually pretty complicated. To dive into the complexities of this semipermeable lipid bilayer, students were tasked with exploring using an analogy – BUBBLES!
The grade eights were delighted with the premise of this lab, and soon learned that the analogy was pretty strong! Students conducted six experiments to learn about six properties of the cell membrane. The hands-on activity helped to demonstrate that cell membranes can self repair and are fluid and flexible – just like a bubble. A more complicated experiment taught the students about special protein channels which could be used to transfer large molecules in and out of the cell. Along with these detailed lessons, the students walked away with a heightened understanding of how cells divide, grow, and share resources.
The experiment was a lot of fun, and the learning was excellent. It is always a joy to equip students with a method to enhance their own understanding. Well done to all the grade eights for their effort and enthusiasm!