Operation Pathogens Attack!!!

Introduction

Healthy eukaryotic cells have many cell structures with specialized functions. As a foreign microbe on a reconnaissance mission, your goal is to discover ways to disrupt the function of the cell structures in eukaryotic cells determining the best way to invade healthy cells.

Task

You are a member of a reconnaissance team of a regimen of pathogens which has been injected into the cell of a healthy eukaryotic organism to determine how best to attack the cell. Your mission is to observe and identify all the different structures within the cell and their functions. You will use this information to determine how to disrupt the function of the cell by destroying any of the structures and devise a plan of attack. This report will be compiled in the form of a Prezi.

 (Courtesy of Phoenix Rising site)

Your presentation must contain

  • pictures/diagrams of the cell structures,
  • the functions of the structures,
  • the disruptions caused to the cell if they’re destroyed,
  • and a plan of attack.
Process

The Process

First, you will be assigned to a team of four. You must then choose your different roles--the reconnaissance team leader and three intelligence experts.

You need to identify the function of the cell structures. In creating a strategy of attack, for each structure, you must determine how the cell’s function will be disrupted if the structure is destroyed. Be sure to include the following structures: cell wall, cell membrane, cytoplasm, cytoplasm, nucleus, nucleolus, ribosome, rough ER, smooth ER, Golgi bodies, mitochondria, chloroplast, vacuole, lysosome, and vesicle. After evaluating the disruptions, you must devise an efficient plan of attack.


Your roles

Recon Team Leader: You are responsible for organizing the preparation of the final report.  You must set up and organize the Prezi presentation. Share the presentation with your team members after they have set up accounts. Once you have organized the Prezi with your headings, each team member can add their information. Based on the intelligence from the other team member, devise a plan of attack for the massive invasion.

Prezi.com

How to Make a Prezi

Intelligence Specialists: Create a Prezi account using the link above. Divide the cell structures between the three of you. After spying on the structure, take notes on what you see.

For each structure, you must do the following:

  • Find a picture of the structure using a free-use media source.
  • Record the function of structure in your own words.
  • Identify the best way to disrupt the structures' function within a cell.
  • Upload the pictures and type the information into Prezi presentation created and outlined by your Recon Team Leader.

Wikimedia Commons--free-use media site.

Cellsalive.com--interactive site about cells.

Biology4Kids--information about cell structures and functions.

 Be sure to report all sources used for information and pictures. Meeting the requirement of the attached rubric, your presentation must include accurate details that are informative
and have a well-crafted and engaging design.

 

Evaluation

Rubric: Cell Structures and Functions GRASPS

Meet the criteria below when creating Prezi. Be sure to include the following structures: cell wall, cell membrane, cytoplasm, cytoplasm, nucleus, nucleolus, ribosome, rough ER, smooth ER, Golgi bodies, mitochondria, chloroplast, vacuole, lysosome, and vesicle

 

 

 

Exceptional
  4 pts

Good
  3 pts

Fair
  2 pts

Poor
  1 pts

Perspective/Creativity
  10 % Create a creative Prezi that demonstrates your understanding of cell structures and their functions from the perspective of an invading pathogen.

Exceptional


  The perspective from the assigned role is very insightful. The creativity and   wording of the presentation are very elegant and greatly justified for the   audience and situation. 

Good


  The perspective of the assigned role reflects a lot of insight. The   creativity and wording are elegant and justified for the audience and   situation. 

Fair


  The perspective of the assigned role shows some insight. The creativity and   wording are somewhat elegant and has some justification for the audience and   situation. 

Poor


  The perspective of the assigned role shows little or no insight. The   creativity and wording are not elegant and/or have little or no justification   for the audience and situation. 

Cell   Structures 
  15 % Include all of the required structures listed.

Exceptional


  All of the required structures are included. 

Good


  One structure is missing. 

Fair


  Two or three structures are missing. 

Poor


  More than three structures are missing. 

Pictures   of Structures 
  20 % Give a picture of structure.

Exceptional


  Each structure has a picture that effectively depicts the structure. 

Good


  Pictures depicts structures. There is a picture missing. 

Fair


  Pictures depicts structures. There are two or three pictures missing. 

Poor


  Pictures barely depicts structures. There are more than three pictures   missing. 

Functions   of Structures 
  20 % Describe the function of each structure.

Exceptional


  All functions are included. Descriptions of the functions are exceptionally   accurate, fluent, and meaningful. 

Good


  All functions are included. Descriptions of the functions are mostly accurate   fluent, and meaningful. 

Fair


  One or two functions are missing. 

Poor


  More than three functions are missing. 

Disruptions   to Cell 
  15 % Describe the effect on the cell if the structure is   destroyed.

Exceptional


  For each of the structures, the disruptions described are comprehensively   justified, significant, revealing, and plausible. 

Good


  Descriptions of the disruptions are justified, significant, revealing, and   plausible. 

Fair


  Descriptions are somewhat justified, significant, revealing, and plausible.   One or two disruptions are missing. 

Poor


  Descriptions are hardly justified, significant, revealing, and plausible.   More than three functions are missing. 

Plan   of Attack 
  15 % Based on what you have learned about the structures, create   the best plan of attack on a healthy cell.

Exceptional


  The plan of attack is unusually thorough, justified, illustrative, fluent,   credible, and perceptive. 

Good


  The plan of attack is thorough, justified, illustrative, fluent, credible,   and perceptive. 

Fair


  The plan of attack is somewhat thorough, justified, illustrative, fluent,   credible, and perceptive. 

Poor


  The plan of attack is hardly thorough, justified, illustrative, fluent,   credible, and perceptive. 

Sources 
  5 %

Exceptional


  Include all sources for information and pictures in APA format on a separate   slide. 

Good

Fair

Poor


  Sources are not in APA format. 

 

Conclusion

At the end of the mission, reflect upon your feelings and thoughts as you lived among these structures knowing that you were strategizing a plan to destroy them. Each team member must post a one paragraph reflection on the Blackboard discussion thread for this mission.

Credits

Unless otherwise stated, pictures were downloaded from Wikimedia Commons, a free-use media site.

Teacher Page

My name is Sonja L. Lewis. I am a secondary science teacher at Carver Early College High School in Atlanta, Georgia. My hope is that by having my students critically think about the functions of cell structures, they will better recall and understand them.