Name:________________ Per:____

Cellular TLC!
Weve been learning how all organelles play a specific role within the cell, and
all of their efforts combined allow everything to run smoothly! This is essential for your
survival! Just like the cell organelles work together to help a cell carry out necessary
functions and processes, this is very similar to how everyone works together in a school! Today we are
going to do more practice with cell organelle functions by comparing them to parts of a school and other
systems that happen in real life

In a cell, the cell membrane regulates what enters and leaves the cell; where cell makes contact with the
external environment.This is the role Ms. Hilf plays at TLC, because she decides who is allowed to enter
and leave at our front door.

Next, we have the nucleus which controls all cell activity. This is very much similar to how our front office
functions, because it is the brain of the school! Its the main hub where student files are kept and holds
the administration who make key decisions in how our school will run.

The endoplasmic reticulum, or the hallways of our school. Without them, we wouldnt have a way to get
to other classes, just like proteins and signals would not be able to be transported within the cell. This is
where student and cellular activity occurs.

Ms. Bird in the cafeteria represents the ribosomes, because she makes lunches that get transported to the
students. The cafeteria represents the nucleolus, because this is where proteins are made.This is where
ribosomes do their work to make sure our kids are fueled with food for the rest of the day so they can do
their work! All the food used to make lunches is kept in storage and the milk is kept in the cooler. This is
similar to the vacuole in the cell, a storage place of the cell. The Golgi apparatus is the bagged lunches,
because this is what packages proteins in order to help the cell function. It would be rather messy if food
was just placed into the hands of our students!

The custodial staff at TLC represent our lysosomes, because they are responsible for breaking down and
absorbing materials taken in by the cell. If a student throws up in the classroom, or a mess is made in the
hallway, our custodial staff cleans it up to make sure waste is not affecting how our school runs. This is
one of the most valuable parts of the cell and our school that we often take for granted!

Our school isnt just made to run smoothly by people, but also the structures and mechanics used to
build TLC. For example, the boiler room fuels our school, allows us to have power, and provides our school
with energy. This could represent the mitochondria or chloroplasts depending on if we were referring to
an animal cell or plant cell. Our ceilings, beams, and floors provide structure similar to a cell wall and
cytoskeleton. We have a sturdy building that withstands rough weather conditions and keeps us safe and
sound while we are learning at school.
 Place or Person in the Cell Organelle Function of the Organelle
School

The Front Entrance to the

School/Ms. Hilf

The Main Office/Administration

The Halls of the School

The Kitchen of the School

Ms. Bird/lunchstaff

Bagged lunches

Head custodian

Support beams
(walls, ceilings and floors)

Boiler Room of the school

Food storage room/ milk cooler